810 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Mr. Chairman: There are some amendments from the hon. Member Shri Gopinath Singh. They have come today. The rule in this House has been that unless the hon. Member in charge of the Bill consents, the Chair does not allow them. The notice has been received only today; I would ask the Hon. Dr. Ambedkar if he is willing to accept them.
Dr. Ambedkar: I have not got copies of those amendments at all and I cannot say anything.
*Shri Indra Vidyavachaspati: ( English translation of the Hindi Speech ) Sir, my amendment is that the Hindu Code Bill when passed, should be made applicable to every Indian. There should be no distinction of caste, creed or religion therein. This is my amendment. In the beginning, I would like to submit as to why I am speaking today, I have been a member of this Parliament for one year. But I have not taken a single minute of the House. It was because our Hon. Speaker had said that every minute of parliament costs fifty rupees. Thus I have saved thousands of rupees of this Parliament, but I am not inclined to make a saving today. The reason is that I have a fear lurking in my mind. The fear is that I feel there would be difficulties both if this bill is passed and if it is not. I am a staunch social reformer and I want that there should be such legislations for social reforms. The State has a right to frame laws for making reforms in the society. Therefore, what I want to point out is that it cannot be said that it is an interference with any religion. On the other hand I am of the opinion that the State and the legislature must take steps to provide for such legislations relating to social reforms. I do not say that this Bill should not be passed but I am afraid, this bill will not be passed in the form in which it has been presented although Dr. Ambedkar and our Prime Minister have repeatedly expressed the view that it would be passed. I think even in a long session as the Budget Session, we will not be able to pass it unless the guillotine is used. But it is not proper to use guillotine in the case of such bills which affect the whole country. So, this is the first difficulty. The other difficulty is that by passing the Bill in its present form, we will give encouragement to an evil which must not be there and against which we have always stood up. And that evil is communalism. If we pass the Hindu Code Bill, this evil of communalism will raise its head for ever. As this Bill is not applicable to all sections of the
- P.D., Vol. VIII, Part II, 5th February 1951, pp. 2387-92.