342 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
whether Mr. Jinnah would be prepared to abide by the results of the plebiscite of the Non-Muslims elements in the Punjab and Bengal ?
(7) Does Mr. Jinnah want a corridor running through the U. P. and Bihar to connect up Eastern Pakistan to Western Pakistan ? It would have been a great gain if straight questions had been put to Mr. Jinnah and unequivocal answers obtained.”
After stating that the question of Pakistan was not an academic one and that discussion on it would have to be resumed. Dr. Ambedkar said : “the correspondence that passed between Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Jinnah suggests that Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Jinnah regard the Hindus and the Muslims as two necessary and proper parties to an agreement about Pakistan. It also suggests that Mr. Jinnah wants to have Pakistan with the provincial boundaries as they are and that without giving any say to the Non-Muslims in the Pakistan areas.
“I am bound to state that in proceeding on these assumption both Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Jinnah are making a serious mistake. Besides the Hindus and Muslims, the Seheduled Castes are a third necessary party. They are a necessary party to the dispute. Mr. Gandhi, nor the Congress, nor the Hindu Mahasabha is entitled to speak for them. Mr. Jinnah must know that he cannot be allowed to walk away with so large a population of the Scheduled Castes without their consent.
“As I am concerned in the question of Pakistan I must state my position that the Seheduled Castes could not be allowed to be included in Pakistan without their express consent either in the western zone or in the eastern zone, that consent being given expressly and in most positive terms such as a free referendum of their own.” [1]
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- : The Times of India : dated 5th October, 1944.