954 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Mr. President : Power is given to the Parliament under the paragraph 20 to repeal the whole of the Schedule, if it thinks necessary. What more do you want?
Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena : Sir, I have referred to this fact in my speech.
Mr. President: Does Dr. Ambedkar like to say anything at this stage?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : If you like, Sir, now that honourable Members want to speak, let them speak.
*Mr. President: I will call upon Dr. Ambedkar to reply. I think, we had better finish this now. We have had enough discussion.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : We have debated this question for two hours and I think the debate was mostly on points that are really not concerned with the Schedule. It is time that we attended to the Schedule itself, unless any particular Member has something very new to say, we need not continue the debate.
Mr. President : I have already called upon you to reply.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I am very much obliged to you. Sir, we have two amendments before us and I propose to deal with them before I reply to the general debate.
The first amendment is No. 100 moved by Mr. Chaliha. With regard to this, I do not see how it is appropriate in sub-paragraph (5) of paragraph 2. Sub-paragraph (5) merely deals with the jurisdiction of the Regional and District Councils. It has nothing to do with any directions that may be given by the Governor or the legislature of the State. We are simply creating a District Council and a Regional Council. If the honourable Member wanted to move any such amendment he ought to do to the appropriate provision. This Schedule deals with the subject matter with which the District Council and the Regional Council will be concerned. So I fail to understand altogether the appropriateness of the amendment at this particular place.
With regard to amendment No. 257 whereby the honourable Member seeks to limit the number on the Council to fifteen, it seems to me, again, quite unnecessary, because my own amendment says, ‘not more than twenty-four’. Twenty-four is the maximum. Consequently, if it was necessary to have a Council of less than fifteen, even then my
*CAD, Vol. IX, 6th September 1949, pp. 1024-1028.
† Ibid.