Babuji laid special emphasis on imparting education to Dalits. Since the time he was active in the freedom movement, he set up a number of schools and hostels in Harijan dominated villages and arranged stipends for students. Doors of all the educational institutions opened for Dalits. Millions of Dalit students started getting education.

After completing their education, they started assuming important positions and the society witnessed a paradigm shift.

Babuji was instrumental in the enactment of the Anti Untouchability Act, which was modified in 1976 and named as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. Recruitment of Balmikis to serve drinking water at Railway Stations throughout the country was a revolutionary step in this direction, taken by Babuji when he was the Railway Minister.

People did not dare to exploit Dalits for the fear of their father-figure Babuji at the Centre. This led to decline in cases of exploitation. With his influence, he could trigger caste conflict any time. Yet, he always exercised restraint because he knew that such an act would eventually harm the Dalits.

He aimed at creating an atmosphere of respect for the Dalits and his message to them was 'get educated, have self-respect, be fearless'.

When the Indian National Congress split in 1969, all the important Congress leaders of the time formed a separate group. Congress was going through a critical time when Babuji assumed the office of the Congress President. It was due to his massive following and goodwill that the Congress scored a thumping majority by winning 352 seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. On 18 March 1971 he resigned as the President of the Indian National Congress.

Emergency was clamped in 1975. Its excesses, subsequently, created an atmosphere of terror. All the opposition leaders were behind bars. In 1977, when finally the election was declared, they found themselves unable to contest elections. During this political uncertainty, Babuji gave up his position of power for the sake of democratic values. He resigned from the Cabinet and the Congress Party and on 2 February 1977, formed the 'Congress for Democracy' and led the Opposition. This single act of his created such an upsurge in the country that riding on the crest of a massive wave, for the first time, the opposition came to power at the centre in the form of Janata Party. Thereafter, on 1 May 1977, Babuji merged Congress for Democracy into the Janata Party. He founded Congress (J) on 5 August 1981 and remained its President till the end.

As the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Babuji had the credit of saving the country from the severe drought of 1967 and making it self-sufficient in food for the first time in its history. He stopped the import of wheat from U.S.A under the humiliating condition of P.L. 480. He ushered the 'Green Revolution'. Thanks to record production, it was for the first time that India began to export food grains.

Immediately after Independence, Pakistan attacked India and occupied a major portion of Kashmir, which is known as the P.O.K.

In the year 1962, India was defeated in the Indo-China war. The then Defence Minister accepted responsibility for the defeat and resigned.

In 1965, the Indo-Pak war was a draw. This war was fought on Indian territory.

In 1970, when Babuji took over as the Minister of Defence, the clouds of war were on the Indian horizon. So, he immediately began preparations, which did lead to desirable results. For the first time, India registered a decisive victory in the war fought from 3-16 December 1971. For the first time war was fought, not on Indian, but on the Pakistani territory. India occupied thousands of acres of land in Pakistan. Nearly one lakh soldiers of Pakistan surrended with arms and ammunitions before the Indian Army and Bangladesh was created.

Before the war began, in spite of himself being an aircrash survivor, Babuji visited every military post to boost the morale of the jawans. After the victory, he again went there to felicitate them. He launched a number of schemes for the families of the martyrs and for the injured. Before the war Babuji had made two promises. First, in case Pakistan attacks, its Army would be pushed back and the war would be fought in Pakistan. The Army of Pakistan would not be allowed to defile our sacred motherland. Second, the territory we win would not be returned. He fulfilled the first promise as the Defence Minister. In fulfilling the second, the Shimla Agreement came in the way.

Babuji was not just an individual, but was a symbol of social change. On many occasions, he was close to becoming the Prime Minister of India. Since he played an important role in forming the Janata Government in 1977, majority of MPs wanted him to be the Prime Minister. However, due to the casteist mindset of some powerful people, it was not allowed to happen. People of India still regret it. In 1979, the President, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy invited Babuji to prove his majority, but without waiting even for an hour, he dissolved the Lok Sabha. This act has been questioned by the Constitution experts because there are instances of giving reasonable time to prove majority on the floor of the House to avoid holding unnecessary elections. Clearly, the intention was to prevent Babuji from becoming the Prime Minister of India . In the process, the casteist forces have done incalculable damage to the people of India.

1. Babuji was the only Dalit freedom fighter at the national level.

2. In the pre-independence era, some were fighting only for the freedom of the country, some only for the rights of the Dalits. Babuji was among that microscopic minority which fought for both.

3. In the interim Government of Viceroy Wavell, out of twelve Ministers, Babuji was the youngest and was the only one to dominate the national scene from 1946 to 1986.

4. Babuji worked for the welfare of all sections of the society while taking more care of the socially and economically deprived.

5. Babuji said - 'caste system and democracy are incompatible'