Answer:
The word Harijan is a derogatory word, it has no meanings. The word was condemned and opposed by Baba Sahib Ambedkar but due to high influence of Mahatma Gandhi, it was inserted in the literature despite disapproval by many others also.
The Scheduled Castes erstwhile Harijans are the most hard working, honest and a dedicated class of people of India who never betrayed their companions and their country.They always contented with whatever they had. They never used might to achieve anything as a result they remained poor and deprived of the materialistic things of the world. The so called upper castes of this country did all the betrayal to the country which made the country slave for centuries together. The so called upper and the brave castes of India always quarrelled with each other and the foreign powers always exploited their interval rivalries .They even never hesitated to sell their princely states to the foreigners.
The Harijans eat very simple food. They make minimum use of meat in their daily diet since most of them hardly can afford it. They prefer green vegetables in their routine diet. On certain occasions and celebrations they also eat fish, chicken and mutton etc. During ancient times also, Harijan ever made beef as part of their diet since they have very stringent social norms and believes.
Although the Harijans never used beef in their daily diet, but the so called upper castes always tried to maintain a rift with these poors keeping them away, simply blaming them that they eat beef whereas the people from other religions who openly eat beef were always embraced and even promoted inter castes marriages with them by these self styled upper castes.