z:\ ambedkar\vol-02\vol2-10.indd MK SJ+YS 21-9-2013/YS-8-11-2013 756
756 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Defence covers so very wide a field of the life of a nation we have found here it is of great value to have a Committee of some kind in which the appropriate Ministers can be had in for specific discussions, and there is a strong body, not only of civil opinion, but also of military opinion in India that is in favour of the development of some such Committee as this, but essentially it is an administrative question rather than a question that can be dealt with in an Act of Parliament.
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: With regard to the reserved subjects, you do not propose to make that part of the budget votable ?
Sir Samuel Hoare: That is so.
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: That is opposed to the theory of Reserved Departments as it exists now under the Government of India Act ?
Sir Samuel Hoare: It is based upon all our previous discussions and I thought, although there was a good deal of discussion at the Round Table Conferences about certain features of Defence, there was a very general agreement upon the point that the monies should not be votable.
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Do you see any [v] ery great danger if the Legislative Assembly vote upon it, and the Viceroy had the power to certify, if he found any drastic cut was made ?
Sir Samuel Hoare : I think it is better in a matter of this kind, in which the responsibility of the Viceroy is clear and unquestioned, that whilst opportunities should be given for discussion, the necessary expenditure should be non-votable.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: The next question is with regard to the appointment of the commander-in-chief. I do not find any specific proposals dealing with that in the White Paper. Section 19 of the Government of India Act merely states that commander-in-chief shall be appointed by His Majesty by warrant under the Royal Sign Manual.
Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru : It is a curious accident that in the present Government of India Act there is no reference to the appointment of the commander-in-chief. All it does is to provide that if the commander-in-chief is a Member of the Executive Council he should take precedence over the other Members of the Executive Council. White Paper or not, it is intended to continue the appointment of a commander-in-chief.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Section 19(1) of the present Government of India Act says : “The Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty’s Forces in India is appointed by His Majesty by warrant under the Royal Sign Manual” ?
Sir Samuel Hoare: Yes; that would probably go on in much the same way.
- Lord Irwin: Is not the matter referred to in Proposal 6 at the foot of page 39 of the White Paper ?
Sir Samuel Hoare: Yes, paragraph 6, page 39.