138 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Dr. Ambedkar : This question was put to me in the morning. I was asked as to what would happen to those who come of age, that is to say, who become twenty one, after the present qualifying date.
Shri Sondhi : What about those who have been left out ?
Dr. Ambedkar : I am conscious of all that I have been saying. Please let me go on.
I had the matter examined by the Election Commissioner and my Ministry. The question is as to how much labour would be involved in the preparation of the supplementary electoral roll which would contain the names of persons who have come of age after the qualifying date that we have fixed. I am told that the number would be quite enormous. It would involve new work. We would have to have new machinery in addition to the one that would be necessary to revise the rolls that have already been prepared. This additional burden would certainly have the effect of postponing the target dates for certain stages that we have fixed. Therefore, unless this House is prepared to accept the proposition that there need be no cancellation on the date mentioned by the Prime Minister, it would not be possible to undertake this piece of work. I want to make that point quite clear. Unless the Select Committee is prepared to take the responsibility of recommending to Government that the work that has already been done be thrown overboard and be deemed to be of no value and that additional work be taken up notwithstanding the cost and the impossibility of providing additional material, my submission to the House is that the Select Committee cannot alter these provisions.
What are the other provisions in this Bill? The other provisions are only two. They are urgent matters and I have not seen any hon. Member making any kind of reference to them. One clause which is important and about which I myself feel that the Bill might do something more is with regard to delimitation of constituencies. Except one hon. Member, nobody had realized ……..