K.J. Khanderkar
Topic: Framing the Indian Constitution · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Framing the Constitution"
Meaning
K.J. Khanderkar was a Depressed Castes member of the Constituent Assembly from the Central Provinces. In the debates on rights (1946-49), he described the deep damage that caste oppression had done over many centuries. He argued that this long suppression had broken his people's confidence and their ability to move ahead. His speech showed that untouchability came from the moral rules of caste society, not from small numbers.
Example
He told the Assembly: "We were suppressed for thousands of years." He added that the suppression had gone so far that neither their minds nor their bodies could work, and they could not march forward.
Don't confuse with
- J. Nagappa: a Depressed Castes member from Madras. He made the point about numbers, that the Depressed Castes were 20-25 per cent of the people.
Related concepts
- N.G. Ranga
- Jaipal Singh
- Adivasi
- J. Nagappa
- Dakshayani Velayudhan
- Jagjivan Ram
- Hansa Mehta
- Abolition of untouchability
- Reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes