(23) General Elections - Page 1045

1026 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

against the postponement of the elections to NovemberDecember 1951.

Prof. S. N. Mishra : May I know what were the main reasons for postponing the elections to November-December

1951?

Shri Dwivedi: May I know whether Government are going to ban party and religious flags during the elections ?

Dr. Ambedkar : I suppose that everything that is necessary to ensure fair elections will be done.

Shri Joachim Alva: Is Government devising any machinery of propaganda by which elections may be run on proper lines and malpractices may be avoided ?

Dr. Ambedkar : I think that it had better be left to the political parties themselves.

Shri Jainarain Vyas : Will Government impose any levy on the different States to meet the election expenditure ?

Dr. Ambedkar : Yes. There has already been an agreement between the Centre and the various States as to the proportion in which the election expenses would be borne.

Dr. M. M. Das: May I know whether any State Government has sent any deputation and if so, what is the result ?

Dr. Ambedkar : Deputation for what ?

Dr. M. M. Das: For postponing the elections.

Dr. Ambedkar : No. I do not remember to have received any deputation.

Shri R. Velayudhan: Which is the single State which has protested against the postponement of the elections ?

Dr. Ambedkar : I did not say that the representations were from the States. They may have been from individuals and not necessarily from the States. I have not got the name of the particular representative who sent the representation against the postponement of elections.

Shri B. K. P. Sinha : Is it a fact that certain parties which were nervous at the approach of the elections are now passing resolutions to the effect that Government have done a great harm by postponing the elections ?