348 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Bill in the first class, the daughter’s son preceded mother and father. Now the daughter’s son is sent on to the bottom. Then if you proceed further, Sir, in class IV, the brother and the sister come. And in class V, brother’s son, sister’s son, brother’s daughter all come in. I can only state that a brother’s son is made equivalent to a sister’s son and a sister’s daughter. Now, this is equality run mad, I should say. In our families, we know what is a brother and a brother’s son. This is the result of the system or the institution of a family as we have been observing for the last 1000 years. We cannot get away from this violent conflict. You are introducing provisions in this Bill which will make every person rebel against you, because these innovations in practices cannot be made by order. According to the provisions of this Bill, every Hindu, male and female has got an absolute right of making a will and every male and female in future will be absolute masters of this inheritance. You have given in my hand a power to the detriment of the ladies and I do not want that it should be used to the detriment of the ladies. After all, a father when dying will be within the power of the sons and the sons will see that the father disinherits the daughters by will. While I am saying this, I may tell you, I have a daughter and I have provided for her when I provided for my sons. In the house in which I have been living with my sons and in the house in which my sons’ wives have been living, I do not want that the daughter and her husband, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, her elder-brother-in-law should all come and occupy some rooms. That would be an impossible proposition.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Under the Bill there is not much chance of the father-in-law and mother-in-law being protected.
Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava : They can come with the son-in-law. I will show there is a very good chance of a thing like this taking place. The father who does not want to touch even water at the house of the daughter, will get the property of the daughter, and her husband. I am coming to that subsequently.
I am only submitting that the ladies will be under a greater jeopardy of losing their rights in this way. The father will disinherit the daughter. She is not a heir according to class I; she does not succeed to the property of the father-in-law as wife of the son; but she succeeds only as a widow. Where is she then ? I do not understand. She will be put to a great loss. I want, Sir, that the women should get their full rights. The theory which I have propounded.—I have not given