634 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Shri T. T. Krishnamachari: There is no point in proceeding with it now. It may be held over.
Clause 60. —( Prevention of personation ) .
Shri Shiv Charan Lal: I want to move my amendment No. 120 in the Supplementary List 1, asking for the deletion of the clause.
Mr. Chairman: That is a negative amendment.
Shri Shiv Charan Lal: Then I shall only speak on the clause.
This clause 60 requires the finger of the elector to be marked by some ink when the ballot paper is given to him……. There has been no such provision in our country till now and I do not think there is the slightest need for it even now. So we need not have this clause 60 .
Shri T. T. Krishnamachari: The position seems to be that the hon. Member has not understood the implication of clause 60. We are now experimenting with adult suffrage and we are not having registration of voters followed by giving them identification cards. I believe certain State Governments contemplated taking photographs of voters and giving them identification cards, but the cost involved was tremendous and so we have to make some other arrangements. False personation is an inevitable factor associated with votings, especially when such huge numbers are involved and so we have the method suggested in clause 60. There is nothing wrong shout it, when the rich man and the poor man have all to get their thumbs marked. There is nothing infra dig about it. Because of our poverty as a country we cannot give registration or identity cards to everybody and you cannot expect every voter to sign in a particular place either for purposes of identification as many would be illiterate. So we have this device—a temporary expedient as I hope—during the first two or three elections. There is no use importing sentiment into this matter. It is just a wholesome provision against impersonation which is a common feature in all elections where such large numbers are involved. Dishonesty has to be provided against and if for that purpose we have