1008 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
progress. We must see the stage that society has reached. We are not living in an age when India had no contact with the outer world. We are living in an age when ideas have a knack of crossing the borders of countries. We are living in an age when certain theories of liberty and certain theories of freedom have crept into the minds of men and women, especially young men and women and, if we do not allow scope for the working of those ideas it is my fear that Hindus society as we know it today shall not long be able to maintain its existence.
Then some of my friends urged that the provincial laws were there and why we should not leave the matter to the provincial governments. That is exactly the reason why I urge that we should have a Central law. Marriage, divorce, adoption, succession and inheritance form part of item 5 of the Concurrent List. It is open to any State Legislature to Legislate on any of these matters and some States have legislated. Supposing we do not legislate, what would be the consequence ? The consequence would be that custom, for which Dr. Mookerjee shed so many tears, would be abrogated in all the different provinces by the provincial legislations and then you would have statutory laws differing from each other in all the provinces. If custom is the only vehicle of progress and development, that vehicle will be destroyed and there would be rigid compartmentalised law-26 or 30 laws, in fact as many laws as there are provinces or States in India. I shudder to think what will be the effect of that on Hindu society and ultimately on the strength of the nation, for a stable and uniform society is an essential ingredient of a strong and stable nation.
Then there is the question of inter-marriage. In previous times, people of one territory were born in their territories ; they grew up in their territories ; and they died in their territories. They were governed by the customs and usage of that territory. What do we find today ? In this Parliament, in the galleries of this Parliament, there are Members from all parts of the country.
Shri Kamath : On a point of order—can the galleries be referred to?
Shri B. K. P. Sinha : I am not addressing the galleries. If I can talk of the country, I can as well talk of the galleries.
Residents of various parts of the country are assembled here. Not only in this City, but in every important city of this country you find persons from different provinces—in Calcutta you find people from Travancore ; in Travancore you find people from Bihar and Calcutta.