PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 885
measure that they adopted was to get it for a price. The price given was—I have got the figures with me.
Shri P. Sundarayya: A few pieces or silver.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: A very small price indeed for a huge territory. Goa is really nothing compared with it. Goa is just one of the towns of Louisiana. If the Prime Minister wishes to adopt it .............
Shri Jawaharlal Nehru: What is it ?
Mr. Chairman: Purchase it from Portugal .............
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Initiate discussion on that. I am suggesting alternative methods.
Mr. Chairman: That is one suggestion. What is the other ?
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: The other suggestion that I would like to put before the Prime Minister is that we can take Goa on lease. We all remember in our own country of the lease of Berar. Berar was the property of the Nizam. He had sovereignty over it, but the British Government in the year
1853 or so got Berar on a permanent lease. I do not know what amount of money they gave the Nizam. It might have been very small.
Shri B. Gupta: If we do that, we will have to mortgage India’s honour.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: I am sorry I Can’t follow him. It is very difficult for me to follow him.
Mr. Chairman: It is difficult to follow him.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: What I say is this. We are hot interested very much as to who is the nominal sovereign in this matter. What we are interested in getting possession of Goa, and in establishing our own administration there. We have here a case where in our own country a territory belonging to another sovereign was leased over, made permanently part of India with certain embellishments to indicate that there was a sovereign. I think his son was made Prince of Berar. That is another method which the Prime