300 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
has stated that the system of divorce already prevails among 90 per cent of the people in this country. These 90 per cent. are called Sudras. I, on my part, do not find any difference between the Brahmana and Sudra, and feel that it would be the greatest crime to call them Sudras even . . . .
The Honourable Shri Jagjivan Ram (Minister of Labour): Does it not cut at the root of Hindu religon ?
Seth Govind Das : Divorce exists amongst the 90 per cent, of the Sudras. In this case too, it so looks to me that if we pass this legislation in utter disregard of their customs and usages, then 90 per cent, of the people ....
Shri Raj Bahadur (United State of Matsya): Sir, may I request the honourable member to use any Hindi equivalent for the word “ Talaq ” (divorce) ?
Seth Govind Das : I feel that the honourable member does not understand the implications of the Hindi language. All those words which have been included in Hindi belong to Hindi alone—may it be ‘ talaq’ or anything else. If he still wants to know the Hindi equivalent of ‘ talaq’, I would tell him that this can be substituted by the word “Vivah Vichhed”
(विवाह-विच्छेद) (dissolution of the conjugal rights).
I was just telling you that if this legislation is passed after brushing aside the customs and usages prevalent amongst those 90 per cent. of the people, then it would mean that they would not be able to divorce in their traditional manner and they would thus be confronted with many difficulties. Therefore, it is bound to give rise to a very great difficulty inasmuch as it runs counter to the wishes expressed by the honourable Dr. Ambedkar that everybody should be given the full liberty to marry and divorce. I am in favour of such sort of liberty being completely given to all the men and women.
The Honourable Dr. Ambedkar also pointed out that 10 per cent. of the people amongst us who are called Caste Hindus Viz., Brahmana, Kshatriyas, or Vaishyas want to thrust some thing upon those who form the 90 per cent. It so looks to me that those of us—who are ten per cent, in number—who form the intelligentsia want to load a few things on those comprising of
90 per cent. It is not the Brahmana, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas who put the burden, but this is done by those people who have managed to come to this Assembly in some way or the other. I would also tell my sisters that I am not prepared to accept this view that my sister members, Shrimatis G. Durgabaiand