826 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
On the 27th September I received the following letter of resignation :
“For a long time I have been thinking of resigning my seat from the Cabinet. The only thing that had held me back from giving effect to my intention was the hope that it would be possible to give effect to the Hindu Code Bill before the life of the present Parliament came to an end. I even agreed to break up the Bill and restrict it to marriage and divorce in the fond hope that at least this much of our labour may bear fruit. But even this part of the Bill has been killed. I see no purpose in my continuing to be a member of your Cabinet.
I would like my resignation to take effect immediately. The only possible consideration that may come in the way of your accepting my resignation is the fact that there are certain Bills and Motions standing in my name and which have not yet been finished. But I feel that my absence may not be felt because these Bills and Motions can be put through by any other Minister of your Cabinet. However, if you wish that I should put then through before my resignation takes effect, I shall be prepared to stay on till they are finished but only till then. For I do not wish to deny the civility I owe to you and the Cabinet. In that event I would request that the Bills and Motions standing in my name should be given priority over others.”
My reply dated the same day, that is the 27th September:—
“I have your letter of the 27th September. Two days ago news of your resignation appeared in the press and I was rather mystified. At the beginning of the session you spoke to me about your illhealth and I know of course that you have not been keeping well.
In view of your ill-health and your desire to resign from the Cabinet. I cannot press you to stay on. I should like to express, however, my appreciation of our comradeship during these years since we have worked together in the Cabinet. We have differed sometimes, but that has not affected my appreciation of the good work that you had done. I am sorry indeed that you will be going away.
I can quite understand your great disappointment at the fact that the Hindu Code Bill could not be passed in this session and that even the Marriage and Divorce part of it had ultimately to be postponed. I know very well how hard you have laboured at it and how keenly you have felt about it. Although I have not been intimately connected with this Bill, I have been long convinced of its necessity and I was anxious that it should be passed. I tried my utmost, but the fates and the rules of Parliament were against us. It seemed clear to me that nothing that we could do could get it through during this session. Personally, I shall not give up this fight because I think it is intimately connected with any progress on any front that we desire to make.