Is "Harijan" the politically acceptable Indian "N" word?

Lets face it, it is easy to refer someone "Harijan" (God's people) in public than calling them "achuth" (Untouchable). I sometimes think that Gandhi did great disservice to the nation by coming up with this term "Harijan". Maybe, he intended to help the socially disadvantaged but it seem to have the complete opposite effect. He gave the socially privileged a single term to brand the rest and to do so without causing any furor or debate in public. It is like coming up with a socially acceptable, politically correct "N" word. And, of course the word by itself has not done anything to improve the lots of those people.