DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 923
the Prime Minister stated that he stands or falls by this Code, and though that statement was made without the concurrence of the party, we have to stand by him. And we do stand by him, and I appeal to him and I do so through the Hon. Minister of Law……
Dr. Ambedkar : A bad medium.
Shri Syamnandan Sahaya : But that is the only medium left.
Shri Biswanath Das : If it is a bad medium, I leave it and I would appeal to you, Sir, for that is the only medium left to me now.
Mr. Deputy-Speaker : This medium is colourless.
Shri Biswanath Das : I appeal to him to eleminate the most controversial items in the Code so that there may be an easy passage. I have already stated, and I repeat it, that we cannot agree to this Code, and so far as I am concerned, even on my death-bed I will record my protest and say “no” to any attempt to constitute Hindu society on a rationalistic basis, as is being proposed in this Bill.
My hon. friend said that he was only making the legislation easy. As a student I knew, and most of my friends here also know that we were accustomed to read not text-books but “made easies”. Some of the professors of the Calcutta university used to make a lot of money by bringing out such “made easies” editions. And I know the terrible trouble that the students had to take because of this. Hon. Members will find reference in the Calcutta University Commission’s Report— I think it is the Sadler Commission’s Report—to the system of cramming. It is called the “crammig system” and I refuse to follow that cramming system in Hindu Code ; and I implore my hon. friend not to think of constituting any society—leave alone Hindu society—on the basis of—I have no other expression by which to call it—of cramming.
To give an illustration from ordinary life there are among Vaidyas both learned and quacks. The learned vaidya never takes to rasa or pashan: they dread them. But a quack throws open his batua and immediately treats you with rasa and pashan, such as mercury and arsenic. I refuse to have this arsenic treatment from my hon. friend and I would beg of him not to apply the treatment to a society which has lived thousands of years with harmony. Looking at the history of the world you will see that the Hindu family or the Hindu home is the only happy home you find. There may be difficulties in some cases, they are bound to arise in a society of 30 crores of people. But the fact remains that you do not have here the horrible and tragic