DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 401
the shares could be adjusted. There are different ways how this problem could be tackled and the argument on that score could not be advanced that the daughter should not get a share. Hence the Select Committee has recommended, based on this principle of equality that she should be given an equal share with the son. I appeal to the honourable members of the House to support the recommendation made practically unanimously by the Select Committee in this regard ……………..
Shri H. V. Kamath (C. P. and Berar: General): Dr. Ambedkar was not in sympathy with that.
Shrimati G. Durgabai: Therefore when it is said that the daughter takes a share both from the father and from the husband and the husband takes nothing, how about this? The Select Committee has recommended that the man also can inherit the wife’s property in the same way as the wife inherits the husband’s property and also the son will be given a share equal to that of the daughter’s in the mother’s property just as the daughter claims a share in her father’s property. Therefore, there should be no difficulty even in this regard for those who oppose this Bill on these grounds there is one answer given. I do not want to quote because the time is limited and other members are anxious to speak ( Honourable Members : Go on. Take your time) Mr. V. V. Srinivasa Iyengar pointed out in this connection that those who oppose this legislation on religious grounds labour under a misunderstanding that Hindu law has remained static from the time of Manu. That is not the position.
This takes me on to another subject and that is about the status of women with reference to the holding of an estate absolutely and not in life, the Bill seeks to remove this disqualification attached to woman’s estate and it gives her the right to hold property absolutely and not for life only. The main argument in favour of limiting the estate in the case of women is that they are incapable of managing it and also that they are likely to be duped or exploited. Also it is said that they arc illiterate and they do not understand the principles of management and hence there will be a strong inducement to designing male relatives to lake away her right. My answer to all this is this. The House is aware that the daughter has an absolute estate in Bombay today. Therefore, on that ground I do not think they are exposed to any risk. The other argument is that we have score of instances where women have proved better managers than men. Also there is one more argument. No doubt I agree that women are