PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 485
You take Bihar. There again there are really 14 communities listed in the Order in Council under the Government of India Act, 1935 and here the number of communities that have been listed as scheduled is 21. What they have done is this. In Bihar certain communities were untouchables throughout the province but certain other communities were untouchables in parts of districts and not in others. Consequently they were listed separately. Probably the Home Department in making the notification thought that it was much better not to make this territorial distinction but to treat all of them as untouchables irrespective of the territorial distinction.
Take Bombay. There is no change at all. The old Order in Council mentions 34 communities. In this notification the communities listed are 36, which is two more.
I do not think it is necessary for me to go over the whole list. So far as Part A States are concerned I do not think there is any ground for complaint. With regard to Part B States it is not possible for me to give any such assurance, for the simple reason that no such lists were prepared under the Act of 1935 for Part B States. Consequently the lists are very new and it is possible that some errors might have crept in. I quite see that an important community like the Ballia whom I know, is not to be found in the list. So with regard to Part B States I have no basis for comparison. So far as Part A States are concerned the list is a fair list.
My friend referred to Delhi and produced some paper issued by the Union Public Service Commission. It is quite true that a larger number is mentioned in the list but I have checked it up, and I am prepared to say that compared to the list we have included in this Bill, I think you might as well say that, about 90 per cent, are included in our list. Some of them seem to me to be duplicate names, the same community called by two different names.
Dr. Deshmukh: Only 39 out of 64.
Dr. Ambedkar: Some people are called Ramdasias as also Ravidasias. Some others are called Dhanuk and Dhanu.