DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 503
*** HINDU CODE** — contd.
Mr. Speaker : The House will proceed with the further consideration of the motion that the Bill to amend and codify certain branches of the Hindu Law, as reported by the Select Committee, be taken into consideration.
Shri Mahavir Tyagi (U. P. General) : May I know, Sir, till what time we will discuss this Bill, for there is some Government business and so we want to be sure as to how long the consideration of this Bill will take ? Now filibustering is going on at this stage and all the Members are anxious to speak and they may not get any chance to speak for two or three days. I would like to know, Sir, as to how long they are going to discuss this Bill, for the present.
Mr. Speaker : It is difficult for me to say as to how long a particular Bill is going to be discussed. It much more depends upon the Members themselves. All I can say is that excepting perhaps one day, i.e. the 4th, I think all the days in the next week are allotted to Government business; and it is a matter for Government to say as to what Bills they want to bring or not to bring before the House and it depends on the priority with which they look upon the different measures.
Shri Mahavir Tyagi : May I through you, Sir, request that the Government might be pleased to take over urgent business first and leave the consideration of this Bill to the end or let us know definitely as to which Bills are to be taken, so that we can come prepared for the next Bills. We are anxious to participate in the discussion of the other Bills.
Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra (West Bengal : General): Sir, the question raised by my honourable friend, Mr. Mahavir Tyagi has really got some importance. I quite appreciate the observation made by you just now that in such a matter the House decides how long a Bill should go on and this necessarily means that when there are a sufficient number of speakers and they want to continue for a sufficiently long time, they may continue. This is what I understand to be meaning of that observation. Of course, I quite see that it is not in the hands of
*C.A. (Leg.) D., Vol. III, Part II, 2nd April 1949, pp. 2246-89.