618 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
something worth 100/- but as something—a living thing associated with him in life—something sacred. So he takes the cow as it is and would not like to get the money from the son if the son goes away from the family because the cow is something sacred—that is how we regard the cow as Mother cow.
Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra : Is there any father cow ?
Shri Krishna Chandra Sharma : Times have now changed and therefore that question of Joint Hindu Family does not hold good and is not to be regarded as so essential and therefore sacred as it was when Aryan society was first established in India and these customs came into existence.
The second point is that this is not applicable to agricultural lands. So far as agricultural lands are concerned, new acts are coming into existence and succession in those would go on the same basis.
With these words, I commend this Bill for the acceptance of this House.
- Shri B. M. Gupte (Bombay : General): Sir, I rise to accord qualified support to the measure before this house. This does not mean that I am opposed to many of the reforms that are proposed here. On the contrary I am prepared to say that they are in the right direction subject to certain modifications and adjustments. Adjustments are necessary. I will give only one example. The abolition of customary divorce is bound to entail much hardship to rural population of Bombay province because among the population there the practice of divorce is widely prevalent. In Bombay we have a Divorce Act but even that Act makes an exception of Customary divorce. I therefore say that certain adjustments are necessary. The provisions with regard to divorce, marriage and maintenance and minority— these may be proceeded with and made into law. I have no objection about them but I can’t lend my support to the enactment of the provisions embodied in parts 5, 6 and 7. They make fundamental changes. In fact they unsettle the entire law of inheritance of the Hindu Community. therefore the question arises whether this is the time quite opportune for such general unsettlement. We are in the midst of a political and economic situation which is characterised by unrest, turmoil, misery and disruption and therefore the question is whether we should complicate the situation still further by introducing revolutionary changes which affect the entire social structure of the country. Our Prime Minister often insists, and rightly insists, that in this emergency first things should come first and this is not the time for things which
*C.A. (Leg.) D., Vol. VI, Part II, 12th December 1949, pp. 502-504.