Modi’s defense of hereditary sanitation work repeated Gandhi’s ideal-Bhangi reasoning.
Evidence
Seventy years later, in his book Karmayogi (which he withdrew after the Balmiki community protested), Narendra Modi proved he was a diligent disciple of the Mahatma: … I do not believe they have been doing this job just to sustain their livelihood. Had this been so, they would not have continued with this kind of job generation after generation … At some point of time somebody must have got the enlightenment that it is their (Balmikis’) duty to work for the happiness of the entire society and the Gods; that they have to do this job bestowed upon them by Gods; and this job should continue as internal spiritual activity for centuries. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 417
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- SEED: Essay angle: how the ‘sacred duty of dirty work’ framing traveled from Gandhi to Modi, preserving hierarchy while claiming uplift.