Vol. 15 · pages 841–845

822 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES the house usually the person gives me a copy. I do not know the reasons why he declined to do so. When he wanted to make a statement I said that he may make a statement without any reserve at 6 O’clock but he did not choose to do so. I am, therefore, sorry that he did not avail himself of the opportunity. I wanted to clear a misunderstanding. I had also asked him before he stood on his legs to furnish me with a copy, which unfortunately he could not furnish. At 6 O’clock whether he furnished me with a copy of the statement or not I would have allowed him to make a statement orally in this House. He has not chosen to do so. Shri Jnani Ram (Bihar): The statement has already appeard in the press. Mr. Deputy Speaker: I do not know. The House will not take any notice of it. . The Prime Minister (Shri Jawaharlal Nehru): May I say a few words in this connection. It is a matter of regret to me, if for no other reason, for the fact that an old colleague should part company in the way that he has done today. I do not wish to go into the various matters that have arisen to which you have referred. I got a copy of that statement at 9-30 a.m. as I was sitting in my place here, about 45 minutes before he actually rose to make it. I read it with some surprise, because it was not the kind of statement that I had expected from a Minister resigning. However, there it was and it was my intention when he made that statement to say a few words, because it was not desirable nor permissible under the rules to have a debate on such a matter. I should just like, with your permission, to read out the letter of resignation sent to me and a few other letters exchanged before and after. The first letter which I received from him. Dr. Deshmukh (Madhya Pradesh): On a point of order, if it was the desire of the Chair to give Dr. Ambedkar another opportunity then I think instead of the Prime Minister making any statement on this issue just now, it would be better to wait to see if Dr. Ambedkar is prepared to avail himself of the opportunity.

823PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES Khwaja Inait Ullah (Bihar): We have already got a copy in our hands... Dr. Deshmukh: If an opportunity is proposed to be given... Mr. Deputy Speaker: I do not know whether any hon. Member can speak on behalf of another Member and I do not know whether Dr. Deshmukh has any authority from Dr. Ambedkar... Dr. Deshmukh: Not at all. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Though he might have resigned as a Minister he is still a Member of the House. We expect in fairness that when he asked the Deputy Speaker to waive notice and the Deputy Speaker had agreed to waive notice and fixed 6 O’clock for the statement, we expected him to be here and make his representation. It was open to him to make the statement or not, but he is not in his seat at all. The prime Minister wants to make a statement... Shri Jawaharlal Nehru: I wish to read out to the House his letter of resignation because normally a statement by a Minister is related to his letter of resignation. Dr. Deshmukh: How does it arise, since the statement is not there ? Mr. Deputy Speaker: It arises this way. We have Ministers introduced to the House when a Minister is appointed under the direction or on the advice of the Prime Minister. It is open to the Prime Minister to read the letter of resignation to the House. Dr. Deshmukh : It is the privilege of a Member to make a statement. If that is lacking I do not know under what rules you are proposing to act and how the necessity for any other statement arises. Mr. Deputy Speaker: It is always open to the Chair to allow any statement to be made on behalf of the Government.

824 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Dr. Deshmukh: I do not object to that. I want to point out how it arises out of the situation that arose this morning. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The Government wants to make an explanation regarding a particular matter and where all persons are interested an opportunity should be given. Shri Jawaharlal Nehru : As you know, Sir, so far as I am concerned I was expecting him to make his statement and if I may say so with all respect. I did not know that the statement would not be made then or that you would fix another time for it. I did not expect the developments as they occurred. But since this has happened and the statement has been published in the press or is going to be, I think the House would be interested greatly in the letters exchanged. I am not referring to the statement in the least, but I am referring to the letters exchanged between Dr. Ambedkar and myself. The first letter he wrote to me does not refer to his resignation and is dated the 10th August 1951. It reads : New Delhi. 10th August 1951. My dear Prime Minister, My health is causing a great deal of anxiety to me and to my doctors. They have been pressing that I must allow them a longer period of about a month for continuous treatment and that such treatment cannot now be postponed without giving rise to further complications. I am most anxious that the Hindu Code Bill should be disposed of before I put myself in the hands of my doctors. I would, therefore, like to give the Hindu Code Bill a higher priority by taking it up on the 16th of August and finish it by the 1st of September if opponents do not practice obstructive tactics. You know I attach the greatest importance to this measure and would be prepared to undergo any strain on my health to get the Bill through. But if the strain could be avoided by getting through the Bill earlier I am sure you will have no objection. In proposing 16th August, I am allowing priority to all urgent Bills such as those relating to the Punjab, the Ordinances and Shri Gopalaswami Ayyangar’s Bill relating to Part C. States.

825PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES I write this because I heard that in the last Party meeting you are reported to have said that the Bill may be taken up in the first week of September. I am sure that that was merely your suggestion. It was not your decision. With kind regards. Yours sincerly, Sd/- B. R Ambedkar. I wrote to him the same day : 10th August 1951. My dear Ambedkar, I wrote to you yesterday about the Hindu Code Bill. Today I got your letter of the 10th. I am sorry that your health is causing anxiety. I suggest that you take things a little easy. About the Hindu Code Bill, you know that we have a good deal of opposition not only inside the House but outside. With the best will in the world, we cannot brush aside this opposition and get things done quickly. They have it in their power to delay a great deal. We must therefore proceed with some tact and with a view to achieve results. I am anxious that the Bill should be passed in this Session. The Cabinet decision was, and I think it was recorded in the minutes, that the Bill should be taken up at the beginning of September. I mentioned that at the Party Meeting and they agreed. For us to try to hasten it and bring it earlier would needlessly give a handle to our opponents and create trouble. Also it would be far more advantageous to have it early in September, after we have finished with some of the important Bills—the ordinances, the Part C States Bill, the Industry Bill. If we try to have the Hindu Code Bill before any of these, again that will create a furore and give a handle to others. I think that, taking everything into consideration, it is far better to stick to the dates we have announced and then go ahead with it. We shall be able to do so then with greater vigour and somewhat less opposition. Parliament is going to sit till at least the 1st week of October. So there is plenty of time. Yours sincerly, Sd/-Jawaharlal Nehru.

826 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES On the 27th September I received the following letter of resignation : “For a long time I have been thinking of resigning my seat from the Cabinet. The only thing that had held me back from giving effect to my intention was the hope that it would be possible to give effect to the Hindu Code Bill before the life of the present Parliament came to an end. I even agreed to break up the Bill and restrict it to marriage and divorce in the fond hope that at least this much of our labour may bear fruit. But even this part of the Bill has been killed. I see no purpose in my continuing to be a member of your Cabinet. I would like my resignation to take effect immediately. The only possible consideration that may come in the way of your accepting my resignation is the fact that there are certain Bills and Motions standing in my name and which have not yet been finished. But I feel that my absence may not be felt because these Bills and Motions can be put through by any other Minister of your Cabinet. However, if you wish that I should put then through before my resignation takes effect, I shall be prepared to stay on till they are finished but only till then. For I do not wish to deny the civility I owe to you and the Cabinet. In that event I would request that the Bills and Motions standing in my name should be given priority over others.” My reply dated the same day, that is the 27th September:— “I have your letter of the 27th September. Two days ago news of your resignation appeared in the press and I was rather mystified. At the beginning of the session you spoke to me about your illhealth and I know of course that you have not been keeping well. In view of your ill-health and your desire to resign from the Cabinet. I cannot press you to stay on. I should like to express, however, my appreciation of our comradeship during these years since we have worked together in the Cabinet. We have differed sometimes, but that has not affected my appreciation of the good work that you had done. I am sorry indeed that you will be going away. I can quite understand your great disappointment at the fact that the Hindu Code Bill could not be passed in this session and that even the Marriage and Divorce part of it had ultimately to be postponed. I know very well how hard you have laboured at it and how keenly you have felt about it. Although I have not been intimately connected with this Bill, I have been long convinced of its necessity and I was anxious that it should be passed. I tried my utmost, but the fates and the rules of Parliament were against us. It seemed clear to me that nothing that we could do could get it through during this session. Personally, I shall not give up this fight because I think it is intimately connected with any progress on any front that we desire to make.