Question

“The real minorities are the masses of this country”

Welcoming the Objectives Resolution introduced by Jawaharlal Nehru, N.G. Ranga said: Sir, there is a lot of talk about minorities. Who are the real minorities? Not the Hindus in the so-called Pakistan provinces, not the Sikhs, not even the Muslims. No, the real minorities are the masses of this country. These people are so depressed and oppressed and suppressed till now that they are not able to take advantage of the ordinary civil rights. What is the position? You go to the tribal areas. According to law, their own traditional law, their tribal law, their lands cannot be alienated. Yet our merchants go there, and in the so-called free market they are able to snatch their lands. Thus, even though the law goes against this snatching away of their lands, still the merchants are able to turn the tribal people into veritable slaves by various kinds of bonds, and make them hereditary bond-slaves. Let us go to the ordinary villagers. There goes the money-lender with his money, and he is able to get the villagers in his pocket. There is the landlord himself, the zamindar, and the malguzar, and there are the various other people who are able to exploit these poor villagers. There is no elementary education even among these people. These are the real minorities that need protection and assurances of protection. In order to give them the necessary protection, we will need much more than this Resolution ... CAD, VOL.II

How is the notion of minority defined by Ranga?

Answer 1

1. N.G. Ranga argued that the real minorities were not only religious communities such as Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs.
2. According to him, the real minorities were the poor and oppressed masses of India.
3. He especially referred to tribal people, ordinary villagers, peasants and other weaker sections.
4. He pointed out that many tribal people were exploited by merchants and moneylenders and often lost their lands.
5. He also said that ordinary villagers were sometimes exploited by landlords, zamindars and malguzars.
6. These people were poor, lacked education and were often unable to enjoy their basic civil rights.
7. Ranga believed that minorities should be understood in terms of economic and social weakness, not only religion or community.
8. He argued that such groups needed special protection and support from the new government.

Therefore, for N.G. Ranga, the “real minorities” were the poor, exploited and powerless sections of society who needed protection to enjoy equal rights and opportunities.