DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 1283
the Hindu code Bill, then that clash should not be regarded in the light that the custom is abolished, but it should be allowed to continue for ten years and after that period it should be regarded as finished. Amendment No. 420 by Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava means that those customs which are in accordance with the Hindu Code Bill should be regarded as abolished ; and those customs which are left, their power or their legality should be retained. Whatever has been said by my learned friend Shri Pande, I agee to that and this thing is right and very much heartening. The real purpose of the Hindu Code Bill was considered to be that this Bill was being brought forward to introduce some reforms in the country to remove the prevailing social evils from the society and to bring about some changes in it. How many people would be affected by it has to be taken into consideration and as he said I regard the imposition of this Hindu Code Bill from the backdoor upon those people of this country who were free from it uptil now, as an act of abuse of power.
Shri A. C. Shukla : Even if they do not want it they must have it.
Ch. Ranbir Singh : Shri Shukla has not understood the meaning of the word imposition used by me, or he has not heard it properly. If he says that the imposition which I have said is wrong then perhaps I would like to know from him whether he can quote any example in which any person from the Punjab, may he be a Hindu or a Sikh or a Muslim, has ever raised his voice that their customary law should be abolished and in place of that they should have the law of Manu, or of Yajnavalkya or of anybody else.
Shri A. C. Shukla : When they will become educated they would demand that.
Ch. Ranbir Singh: Perhaps Shri Shukla does not know how dynamic personalities have born in our Punjab who have challenged the authorities of our country, although, I do not support them but this is an historical fact that during the recent years nobody had been able to defeat a Congress candidate in the Hindu majority areas, but in the Punjab there was a constituecy in Haryana, which is a Hindu majority area, in which Ch. Chottu Ram had defeated a Congress candidate.
Dr. Ambedkar: Ch. Chottu Ram was a great friend of Hindus.
Ch. Ranbir Singh : In case the Hon. Dr. Ambedkar has got any document or any other proof about it, I am ready to accept that. But