942 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
up with powered face and all that. Am I to come home and beat my wife, just because she is not as pretty as the one I saw in the picture ? And the next day, am I to apply for a divorce ? No. Woman is the weaker sex. Perhaps they may quarrel with me for saying so. But you cannot get rid of these institutions unless you pray to God to have only women in the world or only men. These institutions are very necessary. They are necessary for the proper balancing of domestic life. They are necessary in the interest of economy in the interest of solidarity and in the interest of avoiding unemployment and in so many other interests. If the husband dies, there is the brother-in-law to take care of the widow. We have also the maintenance laws to give at least a temporary strength to the widow, to stand by herself. I am only opposing those ladies who want to take away a chunk of their father’s property and leave the husband alone. May God save us from them and from having an army of unmarried women.
Shri T. N. Singh (Uttar Pradesh) : Sir, I have an amendment in my name.
Mr. Speaker : All those who have tabled amendments and others also will get a chance.
- Shri Raj Bahadur : I have listened very patiently to the speeches of the hon. Members who have spoken before me, although I raised certain pertinent questions for them to throw light upon. [I find myself in complete agreement with the provisions of this Bill.] And my support is based not on any misplaced ethusiasm or the rashness of youth, but because I feel that this measure is necessary because of the exigencies of the moment and the situation created by the attainment of independence by our country. I feel that unless we have a measure of this kind and keep peace with the times, we are bound to fail.
It is well known that perhaps during the last three years no other Bill or legislative measure has provoked so much controversy as the Hindu Code Bill, and passion, prejudice, sentiment and superstition have all come in to cloud our judgments. It is a little difficult in an atmosphere so surcharged with superstiton and suspicion for the country and also for this House to come to a balanced conclusion, a balanced judgment on the merits and demerits of the Bill.
The critics of the measure can be divided into three categories. First of all there are the people who like the Hon. Deputy-Speaker genuinely and sincerely feel that we are definitely marching ahead
- P.D., Vol. VIII. Part II, 7th February 1951, pp. 2532-36.