DEPRESSED CLASSES.............SECOND CHAMBERS 233
electorates for the Federal Upper House was the Provincial Lower House and the elections were to be by the proportional system and the method of the single transferable vote. As in the Provincial Lower Chambers, the Depressed Classes were represented in sufficiently large numbers to give them the necessary quota to get one member of their own class elected at any rate in eight or nine Provinces, the Depressed Classes were sure of eight or nine seats in the Federal Upper House. This prospect has now been completely destroyed by the change in the system of election to the Federal Upper House proposed by the J.P.C.
Electoral Colleges
As I have pointed out, there will be no representatives of the Depressed Classes in the Provincial Second Chambers, which are to serve as electorates to the Federal Upper House in those Provinces where the legislatures are bicameral. Turning to the proposed electoral colleges in the Provinces, which will be unicameral, and examining their composition, it will be seen that there are no provisions for special electoral colleges for the Depressed Classes as there are for Sikhs and Muslims. Nor is any special provision similar to that made for Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans.
In regard to the constitution of special electoral colleges in unicameral Provinces the committee observes “The question of special provisions for the Depressed Classes among the General Seats requires special consideration especially in relation to the Central Provinces.
If special provision is necessary for the Depressed Classes of the Central Provinces why is special provision not necessary for the Depressed Classes in other unicameral Provinces? And if special provision is necessary for Depressed Classes in the Unicameral Provinces why is not special provision necessary in bicameral provinces ? The condition of the Depressed Classes is the same all over the country and it cannot be said that the position of the Depressed Classes in the Central Provinces is worse than that of their fellows in other parts of the country.