594 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
no harm. However, the hon. Member must be allowed to go on. He may lose the trend of his thought. Otherwise also it is inconvenient to go on being harassed.
Sjt. Rohini Kumar Chaudhari : Mr. Santhanam is in a very good mood.
The Honourable Shri K. Santhanam : Because my case is simple and straightforward and I need not get a bad temper or raise all kinds of fantastic bogeys.
Let me now come to the next aspect, that is, rationalisation. One point which has evoked the greatest amount of opposition is the daughter’s right to the father’s property. If the old property had remained intact and if property consisted only of agricultural lands, then I can sympathise with those who say that to bring in a foreigner, an outsider into the family may mean great deal of inconvenience. I have already stated that property is moving from immovable property to movable.
Dr. P. S. Deshmukh (C. P. and Berar : General): How can it ? All landed property cannot be dissolved. The Hindu Code Bill will not evaporate lands.
The Honourable Shri K. Santhanam : So far as the peasant community is concerned, they automatically divide on marriage. If a son-in-law is willing to come and live in the village, I do not see why he should not be allowed.
Dr. P. S. Deshmukh : Hereafter, the rule will be divide and rule.
The Honourable Shri K. Santhanam : If the sons can divide, the daughter also can divide. In the future property will consist of cash securities and other things. Therefore, there is no reason why the daughter should not have the same right as the son. As a matter of adjustment, I am prepared to throw out one or two ideas. In estimating the share of the married daughters in a family, I think it would not be unfair to set off any amounts which may have been spent for their marriage. In many of the middle class families, the amount spent for the marriages is often equal to if not greater than the share which the daughter may get. I think that would be a fair set off. Similarly, if there is only one dwelling house or if there is only a small extent of agricultural land, I think it will not be unfair to say that so far as the daughter’s share is concerned, she must take her share in the form of cash or other movable property rather than insist on a partition of the house or the immovable property.