586 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
government, but as a Member of the House. I have great sympathy with the first two proposals, namely, the despatch of the voting card and the despatch of an election manifesto. With regard to the supply of the electoral roll, it seems to me that if Government were to undertake the despatching of a voting card to such individual voter, the necessity for the supply of electoral rolls on a concessional rate or more copies than one, does not appear to me to be urgent. After all what a candidate does after putting the electoral roll is to come into contact with the voter and tell him his number and also the polling booth at which the elections will take place.
Dr. Deshmukh : What about the canvassers ?
Dr. Ambedkar : Well, I do not know whether any particular candidate will be so lucky and fortunate as to have the means to employ such a large number of canvassers as to put the candidate actually in touch with each voter. It seems to me quite an impossible task. The candidate must rely upon his own individual personality and depend on how far he is known to the public, and if he is already not known, do something by which he becomes notorious in the district so that everybody may know him ( an Hon. Member : Notorious ?) Famous or notorious, whatever it may be.
I can quite understand that each candidate must have at least one set. Without that he cannot manage and that must not be prohibitive in price. Although I said that it involves financial consideration and I could give no assurance without consulting Government on this matter, I feel that the task of undertaking this responsibility has considerably eased on account of the suggestion made by Mr. Kapoor that there should be no great objection for distributing the cost between the Government and the candidate. I think that is a very reasonable and feasible proposal and I can assure the House that I will put this matter before Government and ask them to come to their own conclusions.
Dr. Deshmukh : Will this decision be announced during the course of the passage of this Bill ?