628 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Mr. Chairman : May I know whether the hon. Member can finish his speech within three minutes more. I will give him minutes three now.
Shri Sita Ram S. Jajoo : I know, Madam, I have given an assurance. If you wish, I may sit down just now. But I thank you for giving me three minutes more.
Now, I was saying that Dr. Ambedkar is here. He will certainly convey our views. He is in charge of the Bill. It is no use cursing and blaming the present Government. After all, if we see the history of this Bill, this Bill was brought by our predecessor Government—a foreign government. At that time, we did not have the guts to fight it. Whenever social measures were brought forward by the foreign government ....
An Honourable Member : Don’t worry about history.
Shri Sita Ram S. Jajoo : I have to look into the history certainly, but let me proceed with my speech just now. When the British Government brought certain measures which affected the Hindu law, we accepted them at that time, because they did not touch the purses of the moneyed people— the capitalists. Here we feel the pinch, because it touches our pockets. We male members of this House are in a huge majority. I do not wish that the tyranny of the majority may be imposed on the minority, the female members of this House. The ladies in the country in general are illiterate; so we should not exploit them. A big tirade of propaganda is being carried on that this Bill aims only at one thing and that thing is divorce. All ladies are persuaded or dissuaded or influenced or canvassed by telling them that their husbands are going to divorce them after the Hindu Code is passed. This kind of misinterpretation of the provisions of the Hindu Code is going on. I want to tell all these people that there will hardly be a single man who would like to divorce unnecessarily ; similarly, there would hardly be a single Hindu wife who would like to divorce unnecessarily. There is enough good reason and sense in the courts, and the judiciary will definitely look into the whole case and see that justice is meted out. This is all I have to say.
The Assembly then adjourned till a Quarter to Eleven of the Clock on Tuesday, the 13th December, 1949.