1278 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Babu Ramnarayan Singh: He came only to give a sermon to us. He did not speak on any clause in particular.
Babu Ramnarayan Singh: You deserve it.
Shri Jangde: I have been doing work of social reform among these 90 per cent of the people and I know them thoroughly. I know their marriage and divorce customs very well. The people who are speaking on their behalf do not know them. They speak only to place obstructions in the progress of this Bill. It has been said that easy divorce is a very good thing. I want to tell you sir, that the custom of divorce among the Shudras has become so old and useless that it is being highly misused. Today the honour of our mothers and sisters is at stake on account of this. They are sold in Calcutta and Bombay and they embrace other faiths. Today among the Shudras a woman does not enjoy even as much respect as a cow does. A cow is sold only once, but women are sold many times. The custom now prevailing among them has become the custom of the high-handed and is no longer the custom of the poor. You say that if this custom is abolished, people will have to incur much expenditure in the Law Court, but I cannot help praising the wisdom of Dr. Ambedkar who has suggested the remedy that the decisions of the Panch of the caste shall not be binding until the sanction of the Government is obtained. Today what we do is to marry, perform the custom of Saptapadi, and to sell her (the wife) after two or three days. People become ready to sell and divorce her. In this case, what is the meaning of sacramental marriage and Saptapadi ? The old customs have become rotten. You want to maintain them. You want to keep them in the name of Hindu religion. But I want to tell you that 90 per cent, people of Hindu society are becoming opposed to them. Women are not shown any respect. They are labouring under difficulties. You say that we regard them as Devis and Saubhagya Lakshmi, but this is all wrongly put by you.
Just now some hon. Members said that they did not want divorce for the Dwijas and why should they be compelled to adopt it. This is the opinion of many of the hon. Members. You want to place the lion and the cow in the same category. Should the hunter and his prey be placed together ? Do you want to unite the East and the West ? They can never meet. On the one hand you say that there should be no divorce among the Dwijas, on the other, you say that loose divorce should be maintained among the Shudras. This anomoly is