354 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
because in that case nothing will be lost—as a matter of fact much will be gained: public opinion will be consulted and the public will feel that they are being ignored. As a matter of fact many amendments have been made even after it has come from the Select Committee : even before the Select Committee the people in general did not know anything about it. In spite of all that has been said, I am convinced that people know about it. Dr. Ambedkar referred us to the two gentlemen who drafted this report and said that they were very good people and not such people as could be regarded as very much advanced in their views. I have got with me so many opinions of high court judges and more opinions are pouring in every day. All these people are against it. I did not want to read them out from the evidence that is printed in the report of the Hindu Law Committee. I would with your permission refer you to page 13 of this report, where there is the evidence of a lady, Miss Subrul, Principal, Fateh Chand College for Women. She said:
“The unmarried daughter, one who is not fit for marriage, or one who has made up her mind not to marry should get the same share as the son and she should also be subject to the same obligations as the son. A married daughter should not have any share in the property. If an unmarried daughter marries, her share should go back to her brothers.”
When the Committee was in Lahore to record the evidence, it is said in the report.
“As a matter of fact in the Punjab where I was presiding over the meeting of this committee some 500 women entered the Commercial Museum Hall, Lahore, where the meeting was held said with folded hands ‘Do not bring son-in-law into the family and ruin our business.”
In regard to business if you kindly consider what effect this will have on the business people you will simply be scandalised, A prosperous business conducted by a father and his sons is going on. The father dies and the business is run by the joint efforts of all and then the son-in-law gets in. What will happen to the business ? It will go to dogs. I would refer the House to page 139 of the report. It is wrong to say that all the ladies are in favour. Thousands of enlightened ladies did not favour this, not because they did not want the daughter to be given any rights. I reiterate that so far as I am concerned as also those persons who think in the same way as myself, we do not want to see that the daughter is not given the full right or that women are not given their full right. We want women to rise to the same stature as man and to have the same rights. I am one with Dr. Ambedkar. I am like him a progressive conservative. I like