z:\ ambedkar\vol-02\vol2-07.indd MK SJ+YS 21-9-2013/YS-8-11-2013 511
IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CONFERENCE 511
Dr. Ambedkar : All I should like to know, if I may say so, is whether you will place that letter before the Committee. At what stage you may do so is a matter which I must leave to you.
Lord Sankey : One moment, Dr. Ambedkar. I am going to do a good deal more than that; I am not only going to place your letter before the Committee. I am going to draw the Committee’s attention to it myself.
Dr. Ambedkar : I am obliged. That is enough for me.
Lord Sankey : One moment. I have not finished. When you are as old as I am, you will not be in such a hurry. Instead of having to do the job myself, I personally should very much take the gentlemen who presented the letter to come and do the job. If I have to do it myself, I shall not do it as well as you gentlemen would. But I will do this : not a word of the letter shall be left out; but it is not quite the time to consider it yet, because it must be considered at that important time when we come to No. 6.
Comments on paragraph 16 of the Report which dealt with Governor-General’s special power
† Dr. Ambedkar: Sir, before you proceed, I should like to make it plain that the power given to the Governor-General to intervene to avoid serious prejudice to the interests of any section of the population must remain. The power must be embodied in the constitution in the same form as under section 93 of the Canadian Constitution.
Lt. Col. Gidney: Sir, I agree with and support everything that Dr. Ambedkar has said about the Governor-General having reserved power in such matters as he has mentioned.
‡ Chairman: Paragraph 34. I call on Col. Gidney.
Lt. Col. Gidney: I have one observation to make on this paragraph and I do so in conjunction with paragraph 29. Whereas in paragraph 29 a population ratio is to be adopted in estimating the representation of various communities in the upper chamber, in this paragraph 34, you use the word “possibly” which still further closes the door to minorities and special interests even to get a single representative in the upper chamber. I would suggest that that word “possibly” be deleted from this paragraph and the other words following, “and certainly in the Lower Chamber” be also deleted, as that the reconstructed paragraph will read :
“Provision should be made for the representation in both chambers, however small this representation be”
I think all the minority communities have every entitlement to representation in the upper house, however small it be.
Dr. Ambedkar: I associate myself with what Col. Gidney has said.
(Paragraph 34 dealt with representation of special interests and of the Crown in Federal Legislature.)
† Proceedings of the R.T.C., p. 261.
‡ Ibid., pp. 278-79.