530 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there any such restriction in the body of the Bill ?
Dr. Ambedkar: No such thing, but I am talking about the judicial interpretation of the phrase ‘election expense’
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does that mean ‘all expenses in anticipation of the election ?’
Dr. Ambedkar: The emphasis is on the word ‘election’ Election means an event which has a beginning and an end. Therefore, what I am saying is that we are only concerned with expenses incurred on an election which has a beginning and an end.
Shri Kamath: Everything has
Dr. Ambedkar: Some things probably have not. Some things are sanatan —they have no beginning and no end. But election is not sanatan. Having regard to this fact, any expenditure incurred before the commencement of the election, whether it is incurred by the candidate or whether it is incurred by the political party, does not come within the meaning of election expenses. A political party may be free to spend any amount of money before the election commences, because that would not be part of the election expenses. After the conclusion of the election, a political party or a candidate may do anything. A candidate, after he is elected, might invite people, subject of course to the food regulations, to a dinner in the Imperial Hotel. That is not part of the election expense. Therefore, barring these two things, a political party is free to incur any expenses. That is not barred by this clause.
Shri Sidhva: What about ‘during elections ? ’
Seth Govind Das : rose —
Dr. Ambedkar: Do not cross-examine me. Let me go on. If you have a complete idea of what I have to say, you will probably have no questions to ask at the end.
Now, I come to the point raised by my hon. friend Mr. Sidhva about the expenses during the event of elections. Let us examine the situation in a very concrete way, not theoretically. What happens when an election is on ? Two