282 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
that had been laid down and we also examined the British system of inheritance, and nowhere could we find any case where a daughter. was excluded from a share. There is no system anywhere in the world where a daughter has been excluded.
Now, Sir one question has been brought forth constantly—that the giving of the share to the daughter means disruption of the family. I must frankly confess that I cannot appreciate the force of that argument. If a man has twelve sons and one daughter, and if the twelve sons on the day of the death of the father immediately decide on partition and obtain a twelfth of the total property of the father, is the partition going to be much more worse, if mere was a daughter, the thirteenth, who also demanded a share ?
Twelve share or 12 fragments is not a better situation than 13 fragments. If you want to prevent fragmentation we shall have to do something else, not by the law of inheritance but by some other law, whereby property shall not be fragmented so as to become less useful from a national point of view for purposes of national production.
Shri T. A. Ramalingam Chettiar (madras : General): Is the Hindu Code applied to agricultural land ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: It is not. I am saying generally.
I think I have, so far as I know, exhausted what I have to say on the various points of controversy which I had seen raised both by members of this House as well as by the members of the public. I hope that the clarification which I have given on the various points will allay the fears of members who are not well disposed towards this measure. They will realise that this is in no sense a revolutionary measure. I say that this is not even a radical measure and I should like to draw the attention of the members of this House to one important fact, namely the consitution and composition of the Rau Committee. There were four members of that committee but I should like to point out that two of them who have signed the report are far from radical members of the Hindu community. My friend Mr. Gharpure, whom I have known for a long number of years, is one of the most conservative members I know ..........
Shri H. V. Kamath : Politically or Socially ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Politically and socially also. In fact I have no hesitation in saying that he may on certain