DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 1071
I challenge the hon. Member to produce a single Member of the Sikh community who is in favour of this Bill completely and totally ?
Shri A. C. Shukla : What about those outside the House ?
Sardar B. S. Man : Again and again on the floor of this House, speaker after speaker has pleaded, let us not proceed with the majority of the Members here. Let us conduct a referendum of the people outside. If that is what you want, let it be referred to a referendum of the Sikh community. Till then it should not be passed with the majority of the Hindu Mebers here. I am not a Hindu. I have never followed the Hindu Law. I am constrained to say that this law is a conversion law for the Sikhs. You are bringing in totally obnoxious principles, certain novel innovations which have never been followed and which in the villages have never been heard of and you are forcing down our throats something alien to us. Even the ladies here, though few, are consulted and listened to and we the seven Members are unanimous about Sikh opinion that certain provisions which are retrograde and obnoxious should not be forced on us. My friend asks whether they have passed any resolution to that effect. My grievance is that Sikh opinion has not been consulted. The very fact that Dr. Ambedkar has not received the memoranda of the Sikh societies and S.G.P.C, which is an authentic body to speak on behalf of the Sikh community so far as their personal law is concerned as also their religious precepts shows that the Sikh community has not been consulted.......
Sardar Hukam Singh (Punjab) : Resolutions have also been passed in certain Sikh conferences against this Code.
Sardar B. S. Man : My hon. friend Sardar Hukam Singh enlightens me that there have been resolutions. At the time of the original introduction of the Bill or at the time of the formation of the Select Committee no Sikh Member was either consulted or represented on the Committee. Dr. Ambedkar says that Gyani Gurmukh Singh Musafir was there. Would be then listen to his advice, if he was there ? If there had been a single Member of the Sikh community would he give due weight to his opinion ? He was not a member of the Select Committee then but when the House adjourned and later when Dr. Ambedkar agreed to consult more pandits and he had a sort of informal conference, incidentally then Sardar Gurmukh Singh Musafir was asked to give his opinion. If as he says that he consulted Sikh opinion in the person of Sardar Gurmukh Singh Musafir then please listen to his advice so far as the Sikh community is concerned. But the Government did not think