Sir, so long as Mahatmaji was living, we the people of this land, we the oppressed and down-trodden people of this land found in him a court of appeal; not only we, but everyone who has aggrieved or oppressed or down-trodden, found in him a court of appeal. Whenever we thought that some injustice had been done to us, we knew that if we could approach him, we would get not only justice but more than justice.. We knew that if we could convince him of the righteousness of our case, then we would get not only our due, but more than our due. Sir, that court of appeal is no longer amongst us, and to our great misfortune, today we find that after his departure, the attitude in this country towards the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes is gradually becoming definitely stiffened. So long as he was here amidst us, we the scheduled castes and the scheduled Tribes were treated with some sympathy, and with a touch of feeling, but now after his demise, we find that we are treated as rivals, political opponents, as co-sharers, as co-partners.
