PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 543
Dr. Ambedkar: So the remedy is there.
Shri Raj Bahadur : But Dr. Ambedkar is not at all clear.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: That has to be decided only by the President. That point may be disputed also in a court of law. If the Prince is not disqualified under the Constitution how can he be disqualified by this law ? Is it not a Fundamental Right, even if he does not come under article 102 ?
- Mr. Deputy Speaker: The hon. Member evidently means that under clause ( e ), “if he is so disqualified by or under any law made by Parliament”. It is open to Parliament to make a law.
Dr. Ambedkar: He must show some justification.
Shri Raj Bahadur: The justification is that he would overpower the common man. The justification is that in the U.K. the Lords were not allowed to contest seats in the House of Commons, because they would try to perpetuate vested interests and interfere with the rights of the common man. Similarly if you allow these people whose position is analogus to that of the Lords in U.K. they will interfere with the affairs of the common man and will side with reaction and prove impediments to the progress of the country.
** Shri Alagesan : ......But I should like to utter a warning here about the conception of independence by the Election Commission. This independence is meant to hold the scales even between various political parties that compete for power. The Commission has to see that one political party does not get any undue advantage over another. The independence of the Election Commission does not mean that it should cause inconvenience to all parties impartially. Here I should like to refer to the work of delimitation of constituencies for Parliament as well as the State Legislatures.
*P.D. Vol. 11, Part II, 10th May 1951, p. 8482.
**Ibid., p. 8485.