DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 805
Dr. Ambedkar : And apply sanctions to Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad !
Shri Sarwate : Sir, at the outset an objection has been raised that my amendment would enlarge the scope of the Bill. In the course of my speech, I shall try to show that if it does so at all, it is not being inconsistent either with the object of this Bill or with the provisions of the Constitution.
[ P ANDIT T HAKUR D AS B HARGAVA in the Chair .]
As far as I know, there has been no one definition of “Hindu”. The connotation and denotation of the term “Hindu” has varied from time to time and from place to place. Possibly, there would be a time when it would come to mean what I have suggested in my amendment. I may quote certain instances where the term “Hindu” is interpreted variously. Satyarthaprakash, I am told, does say that “Hindu” means : “whosoever resides in India”. Savarkar, reformer of Bombay has suggested that whosoever is born in India and who holds her as his sacred land is a Hindu. He has suggested:
आ सिंधु सिंधु पर्यता, यस्य भारत भूमिका ।
पितृभू: पुण्यभूश्चैव, सर्वे हिन्दुरिति स्मृत: ।।
That is to say, one who considers India to be his homeland and also as his sacred land should be considered as Hindu. I need not point out that in America and also probably in South Africa everybody who comes from India is known as “Hindu”. Therefore, my amendment does not seek to do anything novel but is in conformity with the interpretation which has been tried to put on this term “Hindu”. Again, I may point out that in this Bill itself, the term “Hindu” is not restricted to Hindu law, whatever that may mean. In sub-clause (a) of the definitions, it is said to apply:
“to all Hindus, that is to say, to all persons professing the Hindu religion”,
and in (b):
“to any person who is Buddhist, Jain or Sikh by religion”.
So, this Bill seeks to extend the provisions to Hindus plus Sikhs plus Buddhists plus Jains. I need not go into the history of the Hindu religion. Jainism was certainly at one time opposed to and contradictory to the Hindu religion, if that means Sanatana Vedic Dharma, Whereas Sanatana Vedic Dharma relied on the Vedas Jainism did not rely on