Why did Dr B. R. Ambedkar resign from the cabinet in 1951?

Why did Dr B. R. Ambedkar resign from the cabinet in 1951?
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7 Answers
Nagarajan Srinivas (நாகராஜன் ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ்)
Nagarajan Srinivas (நாகராஜன் ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ்), caste system for most part is a waste system
Answered Jul 25, 2016
Why did Dr B. R. Ambedkar resign from the cabinet in 1951?

Asked to answer by Kritika Gupta Thanks.

My thambi (younger brother) Shrinivas S ( I really like the cute way he keeps addressing me as Anna, which means elder brother in our native tongue Tamil) has already added an answer which is correct for the most part. But I think the scope of this discussion can be widened a little more.

When India became free in 1947 and the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru formed his cabinet of ministers, he included not only members from his own Indian National Congress, but also members from other political outfits, possibly as a symbolic olive branch for the leaders of divergent shades of opinion to join him in Nation building exercises or perhaps to make use of the expertise and experience of eminent people outside the Congress fold. Thus we can see that many key portfolios were offered to and occupied by some leaders like R.K.Shanmukham Chetty (Finance - Swaraj Party/Justice Party) Baldev Singh (Defence - Panthic party) Syama Prasad Mukherjee ( Industreis - Hindu Maha Sabha) and Dr.B.R.Ambedkar (Law - Scheduled Caste Federation which was a successor to Independent Labor Party and precursor to the later day Republican Party of India)

This uneasy alliance of strange bedfellows, though formed with good intention and according to the needs of the situation, was not sustainable due to the inherent and irreconcilable differences between these leaders, and if we look a bit closely, we will find that none of them except Baldev Singh lasted their full term, and resigned (or were made to resign) midway through their ministerial tenures. Viewed from this perspective, the resignation of Dr.Ambedkar was neither unique, nor unforeseeable.

Apart from this inherent incompatibility, Dr.Ambedkar had some strong views on certain important issues, and many differences of opinion with Nehru and the other Congress ministers in the cabinet. His reservations about Nehru’s handling of the Kashmir issue, his opposition to Article 370 of the Constitution conferring special rights on Jammu and Kashmir, his support for an Uniform Civil Code and his frustration with the Parliament for stalling the Hindu Code Bill so passionately drafted by him - all these are well known and hastened his exit from his increasingly untenable position in the cabinet.

Ambedkar talked on Kashmir problem on many occasions. On 10th October 1951, Ambedkar in a statement of Resignation from the Cabinet, showed his not merely dissatisfaction "but actual anxiety and even worry" about the foreign policy of India.

It seems Ambedkar was against Article 370 in the Constitution, which gives a special Status to the State of J&K, and it was put against his wishes. Balraj Madhok reportedly said, Dr. Ambedkar had clearly told Sk. Abdullah: "You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal, would be a treacherous thing against the interests of India and I, as the Law Minister of India, will never do it." Then Sk. Abdullah went to Nehru, who directed him to Gopal Swami Ayyangar, who approached Sardar Patel asking him to do some thing as it was a matter of prestige of Nehru, who has promised Sk. Abdullah accordingly. Patel got it passed when Nehru was on foreign tour. On the day this article came up for discussion, Dr. Ambedkar did not reply to questions on it though he did participate on other articles. All arguments were done by Krishna Swami Ayyangar.

http://www.ambedkar.org/jamanada...

(italics added. I would suggest a full reading of the above link for some interesting facts having contemporary relevance)

During the debates in the Constituent Assembly, Ambedkar demonstrated his will to reform Indian society by recommending the adoption of a Uniform Civil Code. Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet in 1951, when parliament stalled his draft of the Hindu Code Bill, which sought to enshrine gender equality in the laws of inheritance and marriage.

B. R. Ambedkar

(italics added for emphasis)

Apart from the above ideological reasons, I am inclined to think that Dr.Ambedkar also had a personal agenda behind his resignation. Dr.Ambedkar was already very highly respected and had a large following of people, but he would have found it quite difficult to grow in stature in the company of many other Congress stalwarts in the cabinet, which could have had a dampening effect on his own political career. So, I think it was only prudent of him to have broken free from the constricting position of a cabinet minister in a Congress government, and strike out on his own in search of greater political role or power for himself. My opinion is borne out by the fact that Dr.Ambedkar contested the General elections in 1952 as an independent candidate almost immediately after his resignation from the cabinet and again a by election from Bhandara in 1954. It is another matter that he lost in both attempts and was defeated by Congress candidates.

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Shrinivas S
Shrinivas S
Well Anna, I will explain why I use Anna....
3 more comments from Sachin Dodmani, Pranjal Rajawat, Ibrahim Khaleel
Jayendran Gourishankar
Jayendran Gourishankar
Answered Jul 25, 2016
In his answer Nagarajan Srinivas (நாகராஜன் ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ்) has mentioned about the inclusive nature of Nehru’s first cabinet and the number of people from “other” parties who were part of it. Further to this, it also has to be mentioned that several leaders who were associated with the government and the Congress party in the initial years after Independence went their own way later.

Acharya Kripalani left the Congress to form the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. Jayaprakash Narayan and Acharya Narayan Dev formed the Socialist party. Syama Prasad Mukherji formed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the fore-runn...(more)
A.m. Khan Yazdani Danny

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Kamlesh Dadhania
Kamlesh Dadhania, Involved in politics and social services since 2007.
Answered Mar 29, 2016
Ambedkar was a hardcore supporter of the Hindu Code Bill.

Facing the difficulties in passing the bill as a whole, the bill was split in smaller sections as seperate bills. Ambedkar wanted to pass it as a whole.

Unfortunately, after multiple attempts, the bill couldn't get passed in the Parliament. Ambedkar was deeply hurt by it. 

Even in the past, there was massive distrust between Ambedkar and Nehru. Mostly from Ambedkar's side as Nehru many times failed to keep his word.

This time again, Ambedkar felt it was because Nehru lacked commitment towards the bill, that it didn't pass in the parl...(more)
Quora User
Anonymous
What is Hindu code bill, why Ambedkar liked it? Nehru didn't?!
Shrinivas S
Shrinivas S, The GOI even today controls most of what people of India do, rightly or wrongly.
Updated Nov 14, 2018
"You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal, would be a treacherous thing against the interests of India and I, as the Law Minister of India, will never do it."

By B.R. Ambedkar on article 370 (first major fight with Nehru).

Ambedkar is often seen only in a context of Caste struggle and Constitution but he was above that a patriot, he re...(more)
Ram Patil
Ram Patil
It is wrong to say that Dr Ambedkar was against Socialist or Communist ideology because his doctr...
Amandeep
Amandeep
Answered Jul 23, 2016
There are a lot of news articles and other excerpts available on the internet that tell us about the “reasons” behind Dr. Ambedkar’s resignation from the cabinet. He himself had given a speech in which he comprehensively stated various reasons. He was never a congressmen and was always treated like an outcast in the Congress Party and was never included in any substantial Cabinet Committee except the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and that too on Dr. Ambedkar’s own protest.

Most of us think that the major reason was ‘The Hindu Code Bill’. It is right up to some extent but not complete...
(more)
A.m. Khan Yazdani Danny

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Ambeth அம்பேத்
Ambeth அம்பேத், studied at Government College of Engineering, Salem
Answered Dec 21
Reasons behind for the resignation of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar from the Law Minister in 1951;


Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar tendered his resignation from the Independent India’s first Law Minister on September 27, 1951. He mentioned various reasons in his resignation statement. They are,

1. He was not considered for the important portfolios or not even appointed to be a member of main Committees of the Cabinet.

2. He dissatisfied with the Government which it related over the neglect and the treatment accorded to the Backward Classes (not appointing the Commission for the Backward Classes) and the Sched...(more)
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Thangiah Kannan
Thangiah Kannan, Business Consultant (2009-present)
Answered Dec 9, 2018
Originally Answered: Why did Dr. Ambedkar resign from the cabinet of the minister?
At that era people has valued ethics more than staying in power. If they have felt they there was no possibility of doing what they deemed in necessary for the nation or for the downtrodden they represent they simply throw away their ministryship. Not only Ambedkar many stalwarts have resigned on principles on that era.