Vol. 15 · pages 996–1000

977PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES will be as a symbol of the revolt against all the oppressive features of Hindu society. He used language sometimes which hurt people. He sometimes said things which were perhaps not wholly justified. But, let us forget that. The main thing was that he rebelled against something against which all ought to rebel and we have, in fact, rebelled in various degrees. This Parliament itself represents in the legislation which it has framed, its repudiation of those customs or legacies from the past which kept down a large section of our people from enjoying their normal rights. When I think of Dr. Ambedkar, many things come to my mind, because he was a highly controversial figure. He was not a person of soft speech. But, behind all that was this powerful reaction and an act of rebellion against something that repressed our society for so long. Fortunately, that rebellion had the support, not perhaps in the exact way he wanted it, but in a large measure, the principle underlaying that rebellion had the support of Parliament, and, I believe, every group and party represented here. Both in our public activities and in our legislative activities, we did out utmost to remove that stigma on Hindu society. One cannot remove it completely by law, because custom is more deep-rooted and, I am afraid, it still continue in many parts of the country even though it may be considered illegal. That is true. But, I have no doubt that it is something that is in its last stages and may take a little time to vanish away. When both law and public opinion become more and more determined to put an end to state of affairs, it cannot last long. Anyhow, Dr. Ambedkar, as I said, became prominent in his own way and a most prominent symbol of that rebellion. I have no doubt that, whether we agree with him or not in many matters, that perseverance, that persistence and that, if I may use the word, sometime virulence of his opposition to all this did keep the people’s mind awake and did not allow them to become complacent about matters which could not be forgotten, and helped in rousing up those groups in our country which had suffered for so long in the past. It is, therefore, sad that such a prominent champion of the oppressed and depressed in India

978 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES and one who took such an important part in our activities, has passed away, As the House knows, he was a Minister, a member of our Cabinet, for many years, and I had the privilege of co-operating with him in our Governmental work. I had heard of him and, of course, met him previously on various occasions. But, I had hot come into any intimate contact with him. It was at the time of the Constituent Assembly that I got to know him a little better. I invited him to join the Government. Some people were surprised that I should do so, because, it was thought that his normal activities were of the opposition type rather than of the governmental type. Nevertheless, I felt at that time that he had played an important and very constructive role in the making of the Constitution and that he could continue to play a constructive role in governmental activities. Indeed, he did. In spite of some minor differences here and there, chiefly, if I may say so, not due to any matters of principle, but rather linguistic matters and language used, we co-operated in the Government for several years to our mutual advantage, I think. Anyhow, a very leaning and prominent personality, who has left his mark in our public affairs and on the Indian scene, has passed away, a personality who was known to nearly all of us here, I suppose, and I feel sure that all of us feel very sad. We know him well. He had been unwell for a long time. Nevertheless, the passing of a person is painful. I am sure that you, Sir and the House will be pleased to convey our deep condolences and sympathy to his family. There are various rules laid down in our Rules of Procedure in regard to such occurrences, in regard to adjournment of the House. Normally speaking, those rules apply to Members of the House. Dr. Ambedkar was not a Member of this House. He was a Member of the Rajya Sabha. He was an ex-Member of this House. The rule says that in such cases, a reference may be made in the House, but there may be no adjournment unless he comes in the category of outstanding personalities, in which case, total adjournment may be made. There can be no doubt that he comes under the category of outstanding

979PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES personalities. According to the strict rule, it says, token adjournment may be made. I submit that, without doing any violence to this rule or to the spirit underlying this rule, the present case deserves for some reasons which I have mentioned and others which I have not mentioned that the House do adjourn for the day. That is subject to your wishes and the wishes of the House. Shrimati Renu Chakravartty: Sir, I join the Leader of the House in requesting you to convey to the members of the family of Dr. Ambedkar the condolences of our party and our colleagues. We, younger Members, never had the privilege of working with him. We had also our difference. But, to-day, we all of us cannot forget how he brought to the forefront of our people’s conscience the disabilities suffered by a section of our people owing to our oppressive social system. Personally I feel that, although we have passed the Hindu Code Bill in parts, the principles which Dr. Ambedkar had embodied in his original draft were wiser in many aspects. We also pay our tribute to his outstanding intellect which rose against social inequality and narrow prejudices, and he became one of those who were known as the architects of our Constitution, and I am sure the country will remember him embodied in that constitution. I also join with the leader of the House in requesting you to adjourn this House as a mark of respect to his memory. Shri Asoka Mehta (Bhandara): I wish to associate myself with the tribute that has been paid to Dr. Ambedkar. I was privileged to be associated with him on more than one occasion and in his remarkable and fascinating career, there were many facets. We who come from Bombay remember him as a teacher, we remember him as an economist, we remember him as a labour leader, we remember him as political leader. Apart from the great work that he did in this House and as a Member of the Government, as far as my part of the country is concerned, he brought a new awakening. It was because of him the large sections of people on our side were given a sense of social significance, they were given a

980 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES sense of confidence. I believe if he had not been there, perhaps my part of the country would not have been what it is today. I am sure in paying our respect to his memory and in trying to do honour to him by adjourning to day, we only pay the great debt that many of us owe to him for the great services that he has rendered to our society. Jh- fo- ?k- ns'kikaMs (xquk) % vè;{k egksn;] eSa le>rk gqa fd Mk- vEcsMdj ds fu/u lekpkj ls dsoy laln~ esa gh ugha cfYd leqps jk"Vª Hkj esa ,d nq[k dh ygj iSQy tk;sxh A Mk- vEcsMdj us Hkkjr dk fc/ku cuk;k Fkk vkSj mldks rS;kj djus esa mUgkssaus vf/d ifjJe vkSj ;ksX;rk dk ifjp; fn;k A blds vfrfjDr Mk- vEcsMdj fgUnw lekt ds ,d egku usrk Fks gkykafd Mk- vEcsMdj us fgUnw lekt ij cMs+ izgkj fd,s] rh[ks vkSj dM+os izgkj fd;s] ysfdu eSa le>rk gwwa fd mldk Hkh ,d dkj.k Fkk fd] Mk- vEcsMdj dk tUe ftl tkfr esa gqvk Fkk mlds izfr lo.kZ fgUnqvksa us cgqr iki fd;s gS vkSj mu ikiksa dks ns[kus ds i'pkr Mk- vEcsMdj dk dHkh bruk rh{.k gksuk le> esa vk ldrk gS vkSj ;g Hkh gekjs ikiksa dk iQy gS ,slk eSa ekurk gwa A Mk- vEcsMdj dh ;ksX;rk vkSj ikafMR; bruk Åapk Fkk vkSj bruk egku Fkk fd eSa le>rk gwa fd nwljs fdl dkj.k ls ugha rks blfy, fd mudk O;fDrRo bruk egku Fkk fd ftl dks ys dj mUgksaus vLi`';rk ds fojQ¼ bruk ?kksj laxzke fd;k] Mk- vEcsMdj dks eku nsuk vR;ko';d Fkk A Mk- vEcsMdj us vLi`';rk fuokj.k ds fy, tks thou i;ZUr iz;Ru fd;s og dHkh Hkqyk;s ugha tk ldrs vkSj gkykafd muds igys ls vLi`';rk fuokj.k dk vkUnksyu fdlh u fdlh jQi esa bl ns'k esa pyrk vk;k gS ij vLi`'; yksxksa dks ,d euq"; ds ukrs [kMs+ gks dj yM+us vkSj >xM+us dk dke vxj fdlh us fl[kk;k rks ;g Mk- vEcsMdj us fl[kk;k vkSj mUgksaus fgUnw lekt ds bl innfyr oxZ dks mBk;k vkSj mudks cuk;k fd os Hkh nwljksa dh rjg bUlku gSa vkSj bl ukrs vLi`'; yksxksa ds izfr dh xbZ mudh lsokvksa dks ns'k dHkh ugha Hkqyk ldsxk A vkt gekjs chp ls ,d egku usrk mB x;k gS vkSj eSa le>rk gwa fd mudh e`R;q ls tks LFkku fjDr gqvk gS mldh iw£r fudV Hkfo"; esa gksuh] eqf'dy utj vkrh gS A lnu ds usrk us tks mudh e`R;q ij nq%[k izn£'kr fd;k gS mlesa eSa iwjh rjg mudk lkFk nsrk gaw A Shri Frank Anthony (Nominated Ango-Indian): I would like to associate the Independent Group with the sentiments that have fallen from the Leader of the House. It has been my privilege to know Dr. Ambedkar for many years, and I feel that no adequate tribute can be paid to him in the course of a few minutes. He was a versatile mind. He was not only a deep, but a profound scholar, and, as the Leader of the House said, he was a controversial figure. But what

981PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES I believe was the dominant characteristic of the complex personality was the characteristic of being an indomitable fighter, and it was that indomitable spirit which enable him to triumph over personal disabilities which perhaps would have crushed persons of less tenacious character. We may not have agreed with his politics. Perhaps we did not agree sometimes with the way that things were said by him, but having heard from him the bitter personal disabilities with which he was confronted from his earliest life, I would not presume to judge the fact that perhaps in some respects the iron had entered his soul and his bitterness to that extent, if not justified, at least was understandable. There is no doubt that Dr. Ambedkar started from the humblest beginning, but his name will be writ large on the scroll of Indian history, and I believe not only his community, but that the country has reason to be proud of a very great son. I would ask you to convey our condolences to his family. Jh- dktjksydj (cEcbZ uxj&mÙkj&jf{kr&vuqlwfpr tkfr;ka) % vè;{k egksn;] vkt dk fnu lEiw.kZ Hkkjr ds fy;s vkSj fo'ks"k djds ge gfjtuksa ds fy, cM+k nq[kn vkSj va/dkj dk fnu gS A Mk- ckcklkgsc vEcsMdj Hkkjr ds cMs+ egku usrk Fks vkSj mUgksus ns'k dh dbZ :iksa esa lsok dh gS A ns'k ds os egku usrk Fks gh ysfdu ge gfjtuksa ds rks os izk.k gh Fks vkSj gfjtu lnk muds Í.kh jgsaxs A mUgksaus ftUnxh Hkj gfjtuksa dks mij mBkus ds fy, iz;Ru fd;k vkSj vkt ds fnu gfjtuksa dh tks voLFkk esa lq/kj gqvk gS vkSj ge dqN Åij mBs gS] mldk eq[; Js; ckcklkgc dks gh gS A ckcklkgc dk tUe ,d xjhc vNwr ?kjkus esa gqvk Fkk vkSj mudks vius thou esa vusd dfBukb;ksa dk lkeuk djuk iM+k ysfdu mUgksaus fgEer ugha gkjh vkSj mUgksaus liQyrkiwoZd lkjh dfBukb;ksa dk lkeuk fd;k vkSj mu ij fot; ikbZ A mUgksaus thou Hkj bl vLi`';rk ds dyad dks fgUnq tkfr ds ekFks ij ls gVkus dk iz;Ru fd;k vkSj vLi`';rk fuokj.k ds fy;s ?kksj laxzke fd;k A vkf[kj mUgksaus ;g fu'p; fd;k fd esjk tUe rks ml fgUnw /EkZ esa gqvk ysfdu eSa ,sls fgUnw /eZ dks tks fd vLi`';rk dks ekurk gS] viuk /eZ ugha ekuwxk vkSj geus ns[kk fd mUgksaus viuh ;g izfrKk iwjh Hkh dh A Hkxoku ls esjh izkFkZuk gS fd mudh vkRek dks 'kkafr feys vkSj eSa le>rk gaw fd mudh vkRek dks lPph vkSj okLrfod 'kkafr rHkh feysxh tc fd ;g vLi`';rk dk dyad fgUnw tkfr ls feV tk;sxk A Shri Gadgil (Poona Central): Normally after the Leader of the house and my party has spoken, there is no justification for me to speak, but I plead this justification that I had the privilege of Dr. Ambedkar’s friendship for over 35 years. He was