APPENDIX—V
COMMENTS ON ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE AND POONA - PACT
1
Joint Select Committee of Parliament:
“Communal Award And Poona Pact”
The Committee are definite in their opinion that communal representation is inevitable at the present time. They describe as well-thought out and well-balanced the arrangement for the composition of Provincial Assemblies embodied in the Communal Award.
As regards the Poona Pact, the Committee express the view that in their opinion the original proposals of His Majesty’s Goverment were a more equitable settlement of the general communal question, and more advantageous to the Depressed Classes in their present stage of development. But, since the Pact has been accepted as an authoritative modification of the Award, the Committee are clear that it cannot now be rejected. They are however, disposed to think that if by agreement some reduction were made in the number of seats reserved for the Depressed Classes in Bengal, possibly with a compensatory increase in the number of their seats in other Provinces, the working of the new Constittuion in Bengal would be facilitated.” (A Summary of the Report of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament on the proposals contained in the White Paper on Indian Constitutional Reforms, page
4, dated 22nd November, 1934.) [1]
2
Joachim Alwa stated in his book “Men and Supermen of Hindustan” :
“He (Dr. B. R. Ambedkar) just became bold and literally adopted Spencer’s maxim ‘Be bolde ! be bolde and ever more be bolde !’ He learnt that by daring and reckless courage, great fears & weaknesses are removed. He was most powerfully
1 : Reprinted, Khairmode, Vol. 5. Pp. 65-66.