226 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
why the Cabinet Mission recognized the Muslims and the Sikhs as separate elements and why they refused to give the Scheduled Castes the same status ?
In the debate that took place in Parliament on the 18th of July 1946 on the proposals of the Cabinet Mission, Sir Stafford Cripps, Mr. Alexander and Lord Pethick-Lawrence tried to defend themselves against this criticism, Their argument was two-fold :—
(1) That, in the elections to the Provincial Legislature which took place in February last, the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes were captured by the Congress and that this shows that the Scheduled Castes were with the Congress and trusted their destiny to the Congress i.e. the Hindus and that there was no ground for separating them.
(2) That, there is to be an Advisory Committee on the minorities in which the Scheduled Castes will be represented and will have a voice in the framing of the safeguards necessary for them.
The second defence is worse than useless. The reasons are obvious. The status and powers of the Advisory Committee are not defined. The quantum of representation of the Scheduled Castes is not prescribed. The decisions of the Advisory Committee are left to be carried by a bare majority. Lastly, the Advisory Committee cannot be anything else than a mere reflection of the Constituent Assembly. The representatives of the Scheduled Castes in the Constituent Assembly all belong to the Congress Party and they do not represent the Scheduled Castes. They are, therefore, subject to the Mandate of the Congress Party. Those of them who will be put in the Advisory Committe will be subject to the same Party Mandate. They cannot put forth the real point of view of the Scheduled Castes either in the Constituent Assembly or on the Advisory Committee.
The principal line of defence used by the members of the Cabinet Mission in justification of their failure to give the Scheduled Castes separate and independent representation is that the Congress won the Scheduled Caste seats in the last election. Even, this line of defence cannot stand. It is true that in the final election the Congress did capture the Scheduled Castes seats. But the reply is