DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 335
Mr. Deputy Speaker : I am assuming the next step also. I am only taking the honourable Member’s argument step by step. Let us assume it is so—that the Select Committee did not consider this or considered something else. Then the honourable Member evidently wants to say that I have no jurisdiction to go into the matter. It is with respect to that I want to say that it has already been ruled by the Speaker. I shall hear the honourable Member if he is able to satisfy me that that ruling does not cover the point he has stated. So far as I am concerned I have considered it carefully and I believe the same has been covered. I would therefore suggest to the honourable Member to proceed father without taking any more time. Already we have taken much time on this. There are other speakers also waiting to speak. I would like the honourable Member to dispose of this point as early as possible and go to any other point if he wants to.
Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava : My humble submission is that the previous ruling of the chair did not consider this point. The only point raised by Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad was that the motion cannot be allowed to be made as only the redraft was considered. That was the simple point. This point which I am urging in regard to taking up clause by clause was not even argued. The effect will be this that a Bill will be sent to Select Committee and if you don’t observe this fundamental rule, any other Minister may, after the Bill, put a redraft, get it considered and the real purpose of this fundamental rule that it should be considered clause by clause will be defeated. This is sufficient ground that no person had a right to make any alteration whatever in the Bill—for this I would refer you, Sir, to the ruling of the Speaker in the Commons (page 301 of Hansard, Volume 215). If you agree with me in this and in the Committee being required to go through it clause by clause then the position is absolutely clear that this Bill must be recommitted to the same Select Committee. Let the Select Committee devote two hours—I do not want that the Report should not come in this session—I want them to devote two hours and consider the original Bill clause by clause, and we will consider it then. This point, I may submit was never considered by the Speaker and I beg of you kindly to consider this point.
Leaving aside this point as you have asked me not to spend any more time on it, I would take up the other points. Now the question is what is the effect of this. One met as I have already submitted is that we must abide by the rules, and the rules in a matter of this