Vol. 13 · pages 386–390

are so bad, that the finances are so inadequate that we cannot even make an effort in the direction in which the Constitution asks us to go. I think my friend Mr. Tyagi will see that the word ‘strive’ in this context is of great importance and it would be very wrong to delete it. As to the rest of the amendments, I am afraid I have to oppose them. Mr. Vice-President : Only two amendments have been moved : I shall put them to vote. The first is amendment No. 863 by Shri Damodar Swamp Seth. The amendment was negatived. Shri H. V. Kamath : I am not pressing my amendment, Sir. Mr. Vice-President : The next one is amendment No. 867 by Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad....... The amendment was negatived. *Shri L. Krishnaswami Kharathi (Madras : General) : Sir, Mr. Kamath must have the leave of the House to withdraw his amendment. Mr. Hussain Imam : The Mover has accepted the amendment ! Mr. Vice-President : Does the House give him leave to withdraw ? Several Honourable Members : Yes. Shri L. Krishnaswami Bharathi : I object to leave being granted. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : If he wants to withdraw, I have no objection ; let him withdraw. Shri H. V. Kamath : There seems to be some conflict in the House over this. One Honourable Member thinks that Dr. Ambedkar has accepted it. I did not know that he had accepted it. If he has accepted it, then, no question of withdrawal arises. Mr. Vice-President : Do you wish to withdraw ? Shri H. V. Kamath : Yes. The amendment was, by leave of the Assembly, withdrawn. Article 30 was added to the Constitution. ARTICLE 30-A †Mr. Vice-President (Dr. H. C. Mookherjee) : ......We shall now resume discussion on new Article 30-A. Does any member want to speak on amendment No. 872 ? ***** *CAD, (Official Report), Vol. VII, 10th November 1948, p. 495. †Ibid., 22nd November 1948, p. 501. 353DRAFT CONSTITUTION

*The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (Bombay : General) : Sir, I have not followed exactly what it is, hut if it is a matter which relates to prohibition... Mr. Vice-President : Yes. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Then, it has been agreed between myself and Mr. Tyagi that he will move an amendment to Article 38, and I propose to accept his amendment. So, this matter may be postponed until we come to the consideration of Article 38. Mr. Vice-President : Then we shall pass on to the next amendment No. 873. ***** †Mr. Vice-President : I have not been able to make out whether this amendment (No. 874) has been formally moved. Shri Raj Bahadur : I have not formally moved it. I have simply had my say on it, to invoke the attention of the House on this question. Shri H. V. Kamath (C.P. & Berar : General) : ...... I do not want to traverse the ground which I covered in the course of my speech on Dr. Ambedkar’s motion. I would only express the hope that where the type of capitalist, parliamentary democracy typified by Europe and America and the centralised socialism typified by the Soviet Union have failed to bring peace, happiness and prosperity to mankind, we in India might be able to set up a new political and economic pattern, and that we would be able to realise the vision of Mahatma Gandhi’s Panchayat Raj and, through this system of decentralised socialism, we will lead mankind and the world to the goal of peace and happiness. I, therefore with your leave formally move this amendment and make a personal request to you to hold this over till such time as the other amendments to this Article are ready for discussion, I shall read my amendment. “That after article 30, the following new article he inserted : ‘30-A. The State shall endeavour to promote the healthy development of Gram Panchayats with a view to ultimately constituting them as basic units of administration.’.” Mr. Vice-President : Does Dr. Ambedkar wish to say anything on this amendment ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I move that this matter do stand over. *CAD, (Official Report), Vol. VII, 22nd November 1948, p. 501 . †Ibid., pp. 503-04 354 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

Mr. Vice President : I find that there is an amendment, to add a new article 31-A, numbered 927 in the list, standing in the name of Shri K. Santhanam. This, as well as that amendment may be considered together. Is it the wish of the House that this may be done ? Honourable Members : Yes. ARTICLE 31 ***** *Mr. Vice-President : The House will now take up article 31, for discussion. Mr. Naziruddin Ahmad (West Bengal : Muslim) : Sir, I beg to move : “That in clause (i) of article 31, the words ‘men and women equally’ be omitted.” ***** The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I oppose the amendment, Sir. ***** †Shri S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao (Mysore) : Sir, I move : “That in clause (v) of article 31, for the words ‘that the strength and health’ the words ‘that the health and strength’ be substituted.” My amendment is only in order to rearrange the phraseology. My only justification is that strength follows health and the phraseology sounds better, Sir, I move. ***** ‡Shri Brajeshwar Prasad (Bihar : General) : May I speak, Sir ? Mr. Vice-President: I am very sorry. I think there has been sufficient discussion. Dr. Ambedkar. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Mr. Vice-President, Sir, of the many amendments that have been moved to this particular article, there are only four that remain for consideration. I will first take up the amendment of Mr. Krishnamoorthy Rao. It is a mere verbal amendment and I say straightaway that I am quite prepared to accept that amendment. Then there remain the three amendments moved by my friend, Professor K. T. Shah. His first amendment is to substitute the words “every citizen” for the words “the citizens”. Now, if that was the *CAD, (Official Report. Vol. VII, 22nd November 1948. p. 504. †Ibid., p. 513. ‡Ibid., p. 518. 355DRAFT CONSTITUTION

only amendment he was moving, I would not have found myself in very great difficulty in accepting his amendment, but he also proposes to remove the words “men and women equally” to which I have considerable objection. I would therefore ask him not to press this particular amendment on the assurance that, when the Constitution is gone through in this House and is remitted back to the Drafting Committee for the consideration of verbal changes, I shall be quite prepared to incorporate his feelings as I can quite understand that “every citizen” is better phraseology than the words “the citizens”. With regard to his other amendments, viz., substitution of his own clauses for sub-clauses (ii) and (iii) of Article 31, all I want to say is this that I would have been quite prepared to consider the amendment of Professor Shah if he had shown that what be intended to do by the substitution of his own clauses was not possible to be done under the language as it stands. So far as I am able to see, I think the language that has been used in the Draft is a much more extensive language which also includes the particular propositions which have been moved by Professor Shah, and I therefore do not see the necessity for substituting these limited particular clauses for the clauses which have been drafted in general language deliberately for a set purpose. I therefore oppose his second and third amendments. Mr. Vice-President : I shall now put the amendments to the vote, one by one. ***** [In all eight amendments were negatived. One was dropped. Only one amendment, that of Mr. Krishnamoorthy Rao was accepted and adopted. Article 31 was accordingly amended and added to the Constitution.] ***** ARTICLE 31-A ***** †Mr. Vice-President : Let Mr. Santhanam move. The Honourable Shri K. Santhanam : Sir, I beg to move : “That alter article 31. the following new article he added: — “31-A. The State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-Government.” The Honourable Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Sir, I accept the amendment. *CAD, (Official Report), Vol. VII, 22nd November 1948, pp. 518-19 †Ibid., p. 520. 356 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

***** *The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Sir, as I accept the amendment. I have nothing more to add. (An Honourable Member rose to speak.) Mr. Vice-President : In this matter my decision is final. I have not yet found anybody who has opposed the motion put forward by Mr. Santhanam. There might be different ways of praising it, but at bottom and fundamentally, these speeches are nothing but praising the amendment. The motion was adopted. Article 31-A was added to the Constitution. ARTICLE 32 †Shri Syamanandan Sahay (Bihar : General) : Sir, I will move amendments Nos. 933 and 934 together with your permission. I move : “(i) That in the article 32 after the word ‘education’ a comma and the words ‘to medical aid’ be added ; and (b) that for the words ‘of undeserved want’ the words “deserving relief be substituted.” ***** ‡The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (Bombay : General) : Sir, I oppose the amendments. Mr. Vice-President (Dr. H. C. Mookherjee) : I put the amendments to vote. [Amendments Nos. 933 and 934, and 936 as further amended were negatived.] ARTICLE 34 ***** #Mr. Vice-President: The amendment of Mr. Ramalingam Chettiar runs as follows : “And in particular the State shall endeavour to promote cottage industries on co operative lines in rural areas.” That is the language of the amendment moved by Mr. Chettiar. Therefore, it is in order. Now the article is open for general discussion. ***** $Shri S. Nagappa (Madras : General) : Sir, I do not want to take time of the House. I just want to make an amendment. After the words ‘to all workers, industrial’, the word ‘agricultural’ may be added. *CAD, (Official Report). Vol. VII, 22nd November 1948. p. 527. †Ibid., 23rd November 1948. p. 329. ‡Ibid., p. 529. #Ibid., p. 532. $Ibid., pp. 534-35. 357DRAFT CONSTITUTION