Discussion on the Hindu Code after return of the Bill from the Select Committee (11th February 1949 to 14th December 1950) - Page 300

DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 285

Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Member will speak later.

Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad: Sir, I beg to move with considerable amount of nervousness :

“That the Bill be circulated for the purpose of obtaining further opinion thereon by the end of 1949.”

Mr. Deputy Speaker: Amendment moved :

“That the Bill be circulated for the purpose of obtaining further opinion thereon by the end of 1949.”

Shri B. Das: Sir, as this is a dilatory motion I suggest it may be ruled out of order.

Shri Mahavir Tyagi: On a point of order; in the morning also there was some ruling about dilatory motions. I submit, Sir, that they are the privilege of a Member. Although I stand by Dr. Ambedkar in many respects with regard to this Bill, I submit that dilatory motions are the privilege of those Members who are not in power—of individual Members as well as parties. Let it not be tabooed. It is a democratic right of Members to delay business if they choose to do so. Therefore a motion should not be disallowed because it is considered to be diatory. Dilatory motions are the privilege of a House of democracy.

Mr. Deputy Speaker: I do not see any point of order in what Mr. Tyagi has said. He wants full discussion to be allowed on this. As regards the point raised by Mr. B. Das I am not able to understand it. Does he mean to say that under any of the Rules such a motion is not allowable ? If so when Report is presented, the procedure is this. ( An honourable Member: “What Rules are they ?”) The rules that we adopted last session.

The Rule says :

“If the member in-charge moves that the Bill be taken into consideration, any member may move as an amendment that the Bill be re-committed or be circulated or re-circulated for the purpose of obtaining opinion or further opinion thereon.”

Therefore under the Rules this kind of motion is allowed. I want to know how I am expected to disallow this motion.

Shri B. Das : I am aware of that Rule. But I was guided by the ruling of this morning that no dilatory motions would be allowed. I therefore raised the point of order.

The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: May I be permitted to say something ? I think the point raised by my friend Mr. B. Das is a perfectly correct point of order, because of this . . . . .

Honourable Members : No.

Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava: When the Deputy Speaker has given a ruling it cannot be questioned.