DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 641
So far as daughters are concerned, I am quite willing to and quite anxious that as liberal and as obligatory, a provision be made for the girls who are un-married. I have absolutely no difficulty in that matter. That is my proposal. It may be worth anything, it may not be worth anything, but that is my proposal.
An Honourable Member : What about the money from the mother?
Shri Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar : There is no use speaking about that. You take a census of the people who pay income-tax in this country? They are not many. This is a poverty stricken country. So there is no use of saying that that the mother has no property. Many are poor. They may have no property, but they cannot get away from social obligations. Those who have property may divide their property, but that may have repercussions upon the people who have no property, or very little property, but at the same time who are quite sensitive to the social and family obligations. Therefore, in any step that you take, you have to see that the social obligations are not retarded. That is the plea I make so far as this is concerned. In regard to the institution of joint family property, I differ from my friend the hon. Dr. Ambedkar. It is seldom I differ from him. And I am often influenced by him, and have occasionally influenced him. Therefore, I have no doubt that he will pay heed to some of the criticisms which those of my persuasion have offered. He may look obstinate, but there is none who yields to reason more than my friend Dr. Ambedkar. I know him very well and it has been a great asset to me, I mean my close acquaintance with him these three years. Well, that is my view, so far the institution of joint family and the rights of equal succession of sons and daughters is concerned.
The next aspect is with regard to Stridhana property, and on that, in so far as you remove all restrictions on the power of alienation, I am at one with the House, that is with the other Members of the House. This has merely led to unnecessary litigation, the reversionary filing suits for the declaration that alienations by the widow are invalid, going to this court and that court, and all sorts of evidence being let in. If only in the interest of unnecessary litigation being avoided, I am for the widow being given absolute powers of disposition during her life-time. But from that it does not necessarily follow that the course of devolution must be the same with regard to every kind of Stridhanam property. You call it Stridhanam and then begin to attach