D
EVIDENCE OF Dr. AMBEDKAR BEFORE THE INDIAN STATUTORY COMMISSION ON
23rd OCTOBER 1928
INDIAN STATUTORY COMMISSION, POONA*
Dated 23rd October 1928
P RESENT
ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE (EXCEPT RAJA NAWAB ALI KHAN) AND OF THE BOMBAY PROVINCIAL COMMITTEE
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (a member of the Bombay Committee) and Dr. P. G. Solanki (representing the Depressed Classes), called and examined.
Chairman : Just to remind my colleagues, the documents we should have before us are : Dr. Ambedkar’s Statement on behalf of the Depressed Classes’ Institute of Bombay and the Joint Memorandum of the Depressed Indian Association, Bombay, and the Servants of Somavamshi Society. Dr. Ambedkar has changed his seat, because he is acting for the moment as one of our witnesses. Dr. Ambedkar, of course, we know as a member of the Bombay Committee. I think, Dr. Solanki, you or your Association is responsible for the other document ?
Dr. Solanki : I concur in the document submitted by Dr. Ambedkar.
- I should like you to begin, Dr. Ambedkar, by helping us as to the sort of number of depressed classes in this Presidency. Can you help us about that?
Dr. Ambedkar : I find that the depressed class population, as computed in the Memorandum submitted by the Government of Bombay is estimated at 1,478,390 as may be seen from page 3 of their Memorandum (Vol. VII).
- Let us see. They say, “The depressed classes, which include mostly the Dheds, Mangs, Mahars and Holiyas, number, according to the Census
*Indian Satutory Commission, Vol. XVI. Selections from Memoranda and Oral Evidence, Part I, published by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1930, p. 52-75. This Commission is popularly known after its Chairman Sir John Simon.