Vol. 13 · pages 1221–1225

province, Assam, without adding my own tribute to Dr. Ambedkar and the Drafting Committee for their great achievement in producing this Constitution. I think I am right in saying that everyone has some or the other criticism or grievance to air. The Constitution does not, and cannot satisfy every section from all points of view, but, taking everything from an all-India point of view, the Constitution is not disappointing and, in fact, the best that could have been framed under the difficult circumstances after Partition. It is not what has been put down in cold print in the Constitution, in the Articles, in the Schedules, that will matter. It will surely be the spirit in which the purpose of the Constitution is executed. If all sections co-operate honestly and unselfishly, I am certain India will progress along right lines.... *Shri Ari Bahadur Gurung : Mr. President, Sir, I associate myself with my colleagues in congratulating the Chairman and other members of the Drafting committee for having brought this stupendous task to a successful conclusion. I have only a few observations to make. Firstly, the criticism of the Constitution that it does not provide for the establishment of socialism is as irrelevant as the complaint that it is likely to open the way to dictatorship is futile. The real test of democracy is to give the right to people to decide for themselves the nature of the Government they would like to have. The question of dictatorship or totalitarian communism will depend entirely upon the manner in which the people will work the Constitution. The Constitution will be subject to a continuous series of modifications according to the will of the people. Such provisions have been provided already in the Constitution. Sir, I personally feel that a Constitution is something of a sacred character which inspires future generations. It is the embodiment of the living faith and philosophy. Therefore we must not forget this gospel.... ***** †Shri Manikya Lal Varma (United State of Rajasthan) : [Mr. President, first of all I take this opportunity to offer my thanks to the Honourable Dr. Ambedkar and the Members of this House.... ***** †Shrimati Purnima Banerji (United Provinces : General) : Sir, at the cost of a little repetition, I would at the outset like to associate myself with my colleagues in their expression of thanks to the *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 23rd November 1949, p. 868. † Ibid., 24th November 1949, p. 873. ‡ Ibid., p. 878. 1188 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

Members of the Drafting Committee, to you and to all others who played such an important and necessary role in the various stages of this Constitution. Without being open to the charge of making any invidious distinction, I would like to add a special word of thanks to you on behalf of the back-benchers of this House. For, at various stages of the Constitution, when we were rightly or wrongly exercised by certain doubts in regard to certain clauses of the Constitution, you used your good influence on our behalf with the Drafting Committee to clear these doubts. Sir, the Constitution of a country always is a very important and precious document, because it gives us an idea of how the great people of a country fashion their institutions, how they want to live, what are the political arrangements under which they exercise their judgment and what are the hopes and aspirations which they entertain for the future. ***** *Shri K. M. Jedhe (Bombay : General) : Mr. President, Sir, I stand here to congratulate Dr. Ambedkar and his colleagues for having taken great pains in framing India’s new Constitution. We have spent nearly three years and now we are completing our great work. Some Members while congratulating Dr. Ambedkar have called him the present Manu. I am certain that he would not like this appellation. I know he hates Manu, who has created four castes, the lowest of which is the untouchable class. I remember that he has publicly burnt Manu Smriti in the huge meeting of the untouchables at Mahad in 1929. He is the great leader of the Harijans and is greatly extolled by them as their champion and is worshipped as an idol. They are very proud of him. They call him Bhim and make it known to the public that he has framed Bhim Smriti. I also call it Bhim Smriti though I belong to the Sprasya Class. Dr. Ambedkar is a great lawyer and a man of great ability and intellect; nobody will doubt that. Untouchability has been removed by law and while framing the Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar was very keen and earnest in safeguarding the interests of the Harijans. All Harijans must be grateful to him. At the same time, we must also be grateful to our country’s Father, Mahatma Gandhi, who gave us independence. He was a great soul who made great efforts during his life-time to remove untouchability. His great wish was to bring the Harijans to the level of touchables. He is not among us to see his great *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 24th November 1949, p. 890. 1189DRAFT CONSTITUTION

wish fulfilled and bless us, because he fell a victim to a cruel and villainous plot.... ***** *Shri Jaipal Singh (Bihar : General) : Mr. President, Sir, may I venture to ignore your counsel against repetition and add my own tribute, unqualified tribute, for the tremendous work Dr. Ambedkar and his hard-worked team have put in the making of the new Constitution and also, Sir, may I humbly add, for the inexhaustible patience you yourself have shown in guiding our deliberations.... †Shri A. Thanu Pillai : ...In conclusion, Sir, from what I have been able to see of the procedure of this Assembly, I must tell you I am amazed at the patience you have been showing. Even if it be a question of our communication with the Moon, if the rules permitted it, you were prepared to put it to the vote. (2) This was the extent of patience that we witnessed here on your part. I must also be permitted to add one word of thankfulness to all those concerned, for the ability of Dr. Ambedkar and Mr. Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, for the extreme interest that Mr. T. T. Krishnamachari and Mr. Santhanam and others took in the framing of the Constitution—when I mention a few of these names, it does not mean that there are no other names to be mentioned. Everybody concerned has functioned well.... ‡Shri O. V. Alagesan (Madras : General) : Mr. President, Sir, the Drafting Committee and all those that have been connected with its labours have been rightly congratulated and we are sure to miss the stentorian voice of Dr. Ambedkar explaining in a crystal clear manner the provisions of the Constitution and also the shrill voice of my Friend Mr. T. T. Krishnamachari whose contribution to the making of this Constitution everybody acknowledges.... @...Sir, another charge is that this Constitution is full of checks and safeguards, and it curtails freedom of the individual and restricts State autonomy. I do not take it in that light. These safeguards are there only as fences intended to protect the infant freedom and democracy from stray cattle. A tiger cannot say, for instance, that it should be free to kill the lambs and take them away. This is my reply when the cry that civil liberty is in danger is raised and all these provisions are thrown in our face.... *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 24th November 1949, p. 893. † Ibid., p. 898. ‡ Ibid., pp. 898-899. @ Ibid., p. 901. 1190 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

Sir, under this Constitution, the foundations of a secular democracy have been well and truly laid, and if we are true to ourselves and to our traditions, and to our leader Mahatma Gandhi, we can safely hope that we will march from progress to progress and convert this Constitution into a blessing for this ancient land. ***** *Shri L. Krishnaswami Bharathi : Sir, no period in the history of India has contributed more memorable events than the short space of the past three years. Looking back upon the past three years since we commenced the stupendous task of framing this Constitution, one is bound to be struck by the kaleidoscopic changes that have happened in the history of our country. Five memorable events of great magnitude and significance marked out this eventful period. To state them seriatim, they are : 1. the partition of our country, 2. the achievement of independence, 3. the passing away of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, 4. the integration of what are known as Indian States, and last but not least 5. the setting of the Constitution of free India.... ***** †Shri Sarangdhar Das : ...I disagree with most of my friends, particularly the Hindu friends who expatiate on the existence of the republican system of government, i.e., republices in our old Hindu polity. I disagree with them. My contention is that our lower classes, the lower castes of our society, whom we call Harijans, have all along been kept in a depressed condition. Consequently, there was no democracy, If there was democracy, if there was a republic, it was amongst the higher classes, what we call the higher castes, If you look at the Constitution from that point of view. I think the removal of untouchability and the introduction of adult franchise are two of the very best elements that have been introduced in this Constitution. I may remind you, Sir, that in the American Constitution, the franchise was given only to free white citizens, because in those days, there were also white people who were slaves, working as slaves in the West Indies and the Caribbean Islands. They were debarred from the franchise. The black people, the Negroes, were nowhere. They were denied the vote. They came only in the time of Abraham Lincoln, when they were enfranchised. So, I say, in our Constitution, the conceding of adult franchise, of equality of women and of the removal of untouchability, these three things are the best in the Constitution.... *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 24th November 1949, p. 903. † Ibid., p. 913. 1191DRAFT CONSTITUTION

*Smt. Ammu Swaminathan : ...We have also to pay our tribute to Dr. Ambedkar and the members of the Drafting Committee and the Secretariat of the Constituent Assembly for the very hard work that they had put in for so many weeks and months. I know their task has not been an easy one but they have overcome all difficulties and thus we are today on the eve of passing this great Constitution of our country. ... †Shri L. S. Bhatkar (C. P. & Berar : General) : @[Mr. President, I congratulate Dr. Ambedkar and other members of the Drafting committee for preparing this Draft Constitution with so much labour and industry after our country had achieved its freedom.... Article 17 provides for the abolition of untouchability for which I congratulate the Drafting Committee.... ‡Article 338 refers to justice for the Scheduled Castes. Mr. President, I wish to tell you that the position of Harijans in the services hitherto is as follows : C. P. & BERAR Population (1931 Census) Gazetted posts (1) (2) (3) Brahmans ... ... .5,42,556 448 Marathas & others ... ... .18,82,654 17 Scheduled Castes ... ... .30,51,413 3 Muslims ... ... .7,83,697 99 Sikhs .... ... .14,996 13 580 Honourable Shri B. G. Kher gave the following figures in reply to a question in the Bombay Legislative Assembly by Shri R. M Nalwade :— Community Population in 1931 No. of Gazetted Officers No. of Non-Gazetted Officers i.e. Clerks (1) (2) (3) (4) Depressed classes ... 18,55,148 14 8,201 Marathas & others ... 42,07,159 606 43,360 Brahmans ... 9,18,120 1,370 21,448 Muslims ... 19,20,368 201 13.797 Others ... ... .886 18,658 *CAD, Official Report, Vol. XI, 24th November 1949, p. 914. † Ibid., p. 915. @Translation of Hindustani speech. ‡ Ibid., p. 916. 1192 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES