DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 595
Ch. Ranbir Singh (East Punjab : General): Wherefrom to bring that cash ?
The Honourable Shri K. Santhanam : If you have a creditor, where
will you find the cash ? Is it not possible ? It may be paid in easy annuities or in some such manner. In a harmonious family, adjustment will be easy; in an unharmonious family, courts can find ways and means of adjusting the burden without inequity to any party. Subject to these adjustments, I do not see any rational justification why the daughter should be treated exactly on the same basis as a son. I do not think there will be any kind of hardship. All kinds of bogeys have been raised. After all, the daughter becomes a daughter-in-law. If the daughter gets a share, similarly the daughter in the other house gets a share and therefore in the long run, except for an adjustment of legal rights through the establishment of self respect and social equality between man and woman, the property arrangements will remain much the same; because at present the daughter does not take away from the father’s house; she gets more in her fatherin-law’s house. Hereafter, under the Bill, she will take a little from the father’s house, much less from the father-in-law’s house. In the long run,
there will not be much difference in the distribution of property. Only the process will be more satisfactory, and more self-respecting to all the parties concerned. The daughter will feel that she is as good as a brother; that is all. I think that that is a feeling which we ought to encourage in this country. We have removed all social inequalities in policies; we have given the women the same equal franchise as men. Why in point of inheritance and succession alone should we have any kind of stigma based on sex ? I think the sooner we voluntarily give it up, the greater will be the strength of the country. Otherwise, some day or other, on account of the adult franchise, there will be such a vast volume of feeling among the women all over the country that would compel us to make the change. Then, it would be a disgrace to the men of India. It is better you do it now in advance of adult franchise so that we can go to the probably five or six crores of women who will be voters and say, “look here, we have done the right thing before you wanted it; we have given you the votes; we have given you
property rights; you are equal to men; there be no more sex conflicts.”
The last point I have to deal with is the question of reform. It
3 P . M . is in the field of marriage there is any real attempt at reform. It is partly permissive and partly compulsory. The one