720 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
(2) Rehabilitation Finance Corporation; (3) General Committees. Then there are other committees of which some members have told me just now. For instance, some Members have been serving as members of Committees appointed by the Manager of a railway system, or as Presidents of Chambers of Commerce. They are to that extent holding offices of profit under the Government. Will they all come in ? I want that this question should be beyond any doubt. If only five categories are mentioned, we shall have only two courses open : either to see that these persons are not exempted and they remain like us ; or that we are also exempted like them. I humbly submit that this House will not be justified in passing this Bill as it is. Either accept Mr. Sidhva’s amendment that on a certain principle all those Members should be exempted and include the Rehabilitation Advisor also in this category. Or lay down a principle which may be of general application and the holders of those posts may be regarded as not coming within the mischief of this rule. What Dr. Ambedkar has done is according to the exigencies of the situation as he understood them then. But now, so many new things have been brought to his notice and he will not be justified in getting this measure passed without including the other committees.
So far as the question of disqualification is concerned, . I submit that none of these persons has really incurred the disqualification, because none of these persons understood nor they had the full knowledge that as a matter of fact they were incurring a disqualification by accepting that post. When this is the position, they ought not to be taken as having incurred the disqualification. In regard to past things, it should be stated that those offices were offices in regard to which no disqualification was attached. Unless this is done, this indemnity Bill will not be an indemnity Bill, because you are not indemnifying persons, you are indemnifying offices. If you make the individuals also immune, then you would have done the right thing. That is my submssion.
Dr. Ambedkar: From the point of view of members of Parliament this Bill is certainly a very delicate Bill and I would begin by reminding hon. Members that they should