DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 1247
criticise the President or not. But my purpose is not to criticise the President at all. He is not to blame so far as my point is concerned. I bring the charge directly against Dr. Ambedkar, because he made an appeal to me and other Sikhs that we should not think in such separatist terms. But the blame lies on the other side. He has started this game and kept us at a distance when he was advising the President to make that order about scheduled castes. That is my complaint. Before he makes an appeal to me that I should change my mind, he should begin from his own sphere and remove that injustice. That was my first point.
The second point is when we submit that custom in Punjab is much simpler and much more easily understood by the average citizen, we are confronted with this question whether we want monogamy or not. That is not the question. Monogamy we do want. We support and welcome it. Everybody wants monogamy. Nobody is against it. Already public opinion is so strong that now normally all people are for monogamy. Moreover the economic condition of the country is such that nobody can now bear the burden of more than one wife. There is no denying the fact that it is not possible for an ordinary man now, except those that are placed in a privleged position like our Doctor himself, to have a second wife. Therefore no question arises about monogamy. Even if it comes we are not against monogamy, we welcome it. But the question is that there are other things that will follow. There are prohibited degrees. There are other ceremonies. So far as Punjab is concerned, our prohibited degrees are much fewer. You are contracting it by this Bill and you will have to contract it further. Though we are not passing the protion relating to inheritance at this moment, it is contemplated to pass it in the near future. If you want that the girl should have a share along with her
1 P.M. brother, then this long list of prohibited degrees cannot remain. Obviously we would be compelled to contract it more and more unless you give inheritance to our cousins and sisters and others ( Interruption ) like Muslims certainly. Both the things have to go together and already in the Punjab custom, there is a list of prohibited degrees which is recognized and permitted by custom and if you are doing anything against that progress which you claim you are helping to proceed, surely you are bringing us back when we have gone so far forward. ( An Hon. Member : Leading). Yes. We are leading the whole of India.