366 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena : (United Provinces : General) : I am tabling an amendment which is an amendment of Mr. Mahavir Tyagi’s. I hope it will be acceptable to him, because in his amendment, he has not included the words ‘except for medicinal purposes’. I think that if the amendment of Mr. Mahavir Tyagi is accepted as amended by my amendment, it would become much better. I wish Dr. Ambedkar to accept my amendment which is mentioned in No. 86 of list IV.
Sir I beg to move :
“That at the end of article 38, the following he substituted:—
‘and shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health except for medicinal purposes’ “.
*The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Mr. Vice-President, I accept the amendment of Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena subject to a further amendment, namely, that after the word ‘ and ‘ at the beginning of his amendment (86 of List IV) the words “ in particular “ be added.
Shri Mahavir Tyagi : I really cannot understand how that amendment can be accepted by the Honourable Dr. Ambedkar. The amendment under discussion is mine.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Sir, I accept the amendment of Mr. Tyagi as amended by the amendment of Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena (Laughter).
Mr. Vice-President : Mr. Tyagi is a great stickler for rights.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Sir, if I may say so, the right really belongs to me, because it is I who drafted the amendment he moved. (Renewed laughter.)
Mr. Vice-President : That puts the matter in a new light.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not think the House would have found any difficulty in accepting this amendment. Two points have been raised against it. One is by Prof. Khandekar who represents Kolhapur in this Assembly. I am sure that Mr. Khandekar has not sufficiently appreciated the fact that this clause is one of the clauses of an Article which enumerates what are called Directive Principles of Policy. There is therefore no compulsion on the State to act on this principle. Whether to act on this principle and when to do so are left to the State and public opinion. Therefore, if the State thinks that the time has not come for introducing prohibition or that it might
*CAD. Vol. VII, 24th November 1948. pp. 566-67.