784 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
(c) Is it also a fact that this statement was made in reply to the Honourable the Labour Member’s statement in the House on the 4th April 1944, confirming the fact that a sum of Rs. 13,000 was being given to the Indian Labour Federation ?
(d) Is it a fact that the subsidy of Rs. 13,000 is secretly paid to Mr. M. N. Roy ? If so, why is it paid to this particular individual and not to the Indian Labour Federation ?
(e) Will the Honourable Member please make a brief statement as to the measures taken by the Indian Labour Federation during the period it has been in receipt of the monthly subsidy to achieve the object, e.g., to assist the Government in maintaining the labour morale ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: (a), (b) and (c) Government’s attention has been drawn to the statements referred to. From the very beginning the arrangement has been with the Indian Federation of Labour and not with any individual. The attention of the Federation was drawn to Mr. Mehta’s statements and in reply the Federation has reaffirmed the fact that the arrangement is with the Federation.
(d) As already stated in reply to the preceding question, the grant is publicly made to the Indian Federation of Labour and not personally to Mr. M. N. Roy.
(e) The attention of the Honourable Member is invited to my reply to the second part of part (d) of the preceding question.
Mr. Lalchand Navalrai : The Honourable Member has stated in his reply that the money was given and Mr. Jamnadas Mehta, before he went to Philadephia, made a statement that the money was not given. How does the Honourable Member reconcile this inconsistency ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It is not for me to reconcile the two statements.
Mr. Lalchand Navalrai : Is the Honourable Member correct or not in having made the statement ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It is not for me to answer that question.
Sardar Sant Singh : May I know who is telling this blackest lie, either the Federation or the Government of India ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : My Honourable friend is free to draw any conclusions that he likes.