Who is the true heir of Ambedkar’s legacy?

Despite facing hardships since childhood, Dr BR Ambedkar remained committed to social harmony and national development.

(RSSFACTS is a column that demystifies the functioning, organisational structure and ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.)

On the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the leading light of the anti-caste discrimination movement and key architect of the Indian Constitution, two important statements came from the senior-most functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Sarsanghchalak (Chief Mentor) of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, praised Dr Ambedkar for his “lifelong efforts to unite Hindus”. He said that despite facing hardships since childhood, Ambedkar remained committed to social harmony and national development.

The second statement came from the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (Head of the Publicity Wing), Sunil Ambekar, who stated that Babasaheb’s contribution was unparalleled in framing the Indian Constitution. He also emphasised that our country is run by the Constitution, and that differences in society need to be resolved to work towards a harmonious social order.

These two statements indicate how the RSS views the life, work, and legacy of Babasaheb, and how it intends to take this forward with its full organisational strength.

A look at the annual report of the organisation—presented at the highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), by its General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in March 2025—indicates how seriously it is pursuing its initiative to bring about social harmony on multiple fronts.

The report mentioned that through one of the RSS-inspired organisations, Seva Bharati, the RSS volunteers were involved in 89,706 social service programmes during the last year. These included initiatives in the areas of education (40,920), medical assistance (17,461), social awareness (20,546), and self-reliance (10,779).

Over 60,000 women involved in Self-Help Group (SHG) activities attended its programme for women social workers, Karma Yogini Sanghamam, which was organised by Seva Bharati at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

Most significantly, according to the ABPS report, “Special attention was paid to Samrasta (social harmony) related activities during the last year.” RSS volunteers worked at 1,084 locations to eliminate social evils, including issues related to drinking water and temple entry, through various programmes. At these locations, efforts were made to eradicate regressive social practices.

RSS and Ambedkar’s Vision

The cornerstone of the RSS’ ideological framework has been the unification of all Hindus. That implies doing away with caste-based discrimination in all forms.

That was precisely the vision of Dr Ambedkar as well.

In June 1953, two senior RSS functionaries, Moropant Pingley and Balasaheb Sathey, met Ambedkar in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Ambedkar told them that the Sangh should expedite the expansion of its organisation, as the marginalised sections could not afford to wait for long.

Dattopant Thengadi, a full-time RSS worker, closely worked with Dr Ambedkar. He also authored a definitive biography of Babasaheb titled Dr Ambedkar aur Samajik Kranti ki Yatra. The book is based on Thengadi’s personal experiences and interactions with Ambedkar.

As a young pracharak of the RSS, Thengadi was such a trusted associate of Ambedkar that he was appointed Secretary of the Scheduled Caste Federation when Ambedkar was its Chairman. Thengadi also served as Ambedkar’s election agent during the by-election for the Bhandara constituency in 1956.

“The RSS workers worked day and night for Babasaheb (Ambedkar) on the directions of Guruji (the second RSS chief, M.S. Golwalkar)… Though Babasaheb lost this election, when he analysed the poll results, he realised that the votes he polled were much more than the total number of Scheduled Caste votes there. A large number of upper-caste voters had also voted for him. He was quite content with this outcome,” wrote Thengadi in the book.

Ambedkar also later told Thengadi, “Unless the backwards get direction and redemption, they will be so full of anger due to their condition that they will become cannon fodder for communism.”

Recounting this conversation, Thengadi wrote in his book that Ambedkar had told him: “Between Scheduled Castes and Communism, Ambedkar is the barrier.”

Ambedkar’s Constitutional Legacy

In terms of Ambedkar’s role as a key architect of the Constitution, his legacy has truly been carried forward by the RSS, which fought the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975—widely regarded as the most significant subversion of the Indian Constitution since Independence. More than 1,50,000 RSS volunteers went to jail, including its top leadership. Even the most bitter critics of the RSS agree that its underground movement, against all odds, forced Indira Gandhi to lift the Emergency and call for elections.

The organisation also passed a resolution as early as 1981 supporting the continuation of reservations for the Scheduled Castes.

Conclusion

The question of who is the true heir to Ambedkar’s legacy can be answered by examining the work the RSS has done for the marginalised sections and in protecting the Constitution of India. Unlike many self-proclaimed Ambedkarites, the RSS has taken forward the vision of Babasaheb both in word and spirit. While most of the political class and intellectuals continue to pay lip service to the principles of change that Ambedkar stood for, the RSS has worked on the ground to follow them. It intends to give further impetus to these efforts during its centenary programmes, which will commence from Vijayadashami this year.

Earlier RSSFACTS columns can be read here.