Vol. 14, Part II · pages 546–550

1326 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES To leave inequality between class and class, between sex and sex which is the soul of Hindu Society untouched and to go on passing legislation relating to economic problems is to make a farce of our Constitution and to build a palace on a dung heap. This is the significance I attached to the Hindu Code. It is for its sake that I stayed on notwithstanding my differences. So if I have committed a wrong it is in the hope of doing some good. Had I no ground for such a hope, for overcoming the obstructionist tactics of the opponents ? I would like in this connection to refer only to three of the statements made by the Prime Minister on the floor of the House. On 28th November, 1949 the Prime Minister gave the following assurance. He said : “What is more, the Government is committed to this thing (Hindu Code). It is going through with it.” * * * * “Government would proceed with that. It is for this House to accept a measure, but if a Government takes an important measure and the House rejects it, the House rejects that Government and the Government goes and another Government comes in its place. It should be clearly understood that this is one of the important measures to which the Government attaches importance and on which it will stand or fall.” Again on 19th December 1949, the Prime Minister said : “I do not wish the House to think in the slightest degree that we consider that this Hindu Code Bill is not of importance, because we do attach the greatest importance to it, as I said, not because of any particular clause or anything, but because of the basic approach to this vast problem in problems, economic and social. We have achieved political freedom in this country, political independence. That is a stage in the journey, and there are other stages, economic, social and other and if society is to advance, there must be this integrated advance on all fronts.” On the 26th September 1951 the Prime Minister said : “It is not necessary for me to assure the House of the desire of Government to proceed with this measure in so far as we can proceed with it within possibilities, and so far as we are concerned we consider this matter as adjourned till such time as the next opportunity—I hope it will be in this Parliament—offers itself.

1327 ANNEXURE I This was after the Prime Minister had announced the dropping of the Bill. Who could not have believed in these pronouncements of the Prime Minster ? If I did not think that there could be a difference between the promises and performances of the Prime Minister the fault is certainly not mine. My exit from the Cabinet may not be a matter of much concern to anybody in this country. But I must be true to myself and that I can be only by going out. Before I do so I wish to thank my colleagues for the kindness and courtesy they have shown to me during my membership of the Cabinet. While I am not resigning my membership of Parliament I also wish to express my gratitude to Members of Parliament for having shown great tolerance towards me. New Delhi, 10th October 1951 B. R. AMBEDKAR

Annexure II Government of India, through its Publication Division had published a book by name ‘Hindu Code Bill and its purpose’ in Hindi language during the 50s. This book contained two speeches of Dr. Ambedkar delivered in the Constituent Assembly, Press reports of the speeches against the Code by Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath and Swami Karpatriji; and the articles supporting the Code by an eminent Vedic Scholar Pandit Dharmadeo Vidyavachaspati. The book also included text of the Hindu Code along with the press-reports supporting it. It has been felt by the Committee Members that the inclusion of articles by Dharmadeo Vidyavachaspati from the Hindi book in the present volume would be of utmost help to the reader to understand how the reform introduced by Dr. Ambedkar had the support of the Hindu scriptures also. I hope students and scholars alike would benefit by these articles. —Editor