Vol. 2 · pages 451–455

432 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES “These figures speak for themselves. It is suggested that the one-fifth of the entire population of British India should be allotted seven seats out of practically 800. It is true that in all the Councils there will be roughly a onesixth proportion of officials who may be expected to bear in mind the interests of the depressed (?); but that arrangement is not, in our opinion, what the Report on Reforms aims at. The authors stated that the Depressed Classes should also learn the lesson of self-protection. It is surely fanciful to hope that this result can be expected from including a single member of the Community in an Assembly where there are 60 to 90 Caste-Hindus. To make good the principles of paragraphs 151, 152, 154 and 155 of the Report we must treat the out-castes more generously.....” 4. The Sabha feels happy that it is not alone in its opinion as to the injustice done to the Depressed Classes by the framers of the Reforms Scheme of 1919. This opinion was also shared by the Muddiman Committee which was appointed two years afterwards to report upon the possibility of improving and enlarging the scheme of Reforms. That Committee admitted in its Report (Paragraph 64) that the representation granted to the Depressed Classes under the Scheme was inadequate. 5. Extent of Representation that must be granted to the Depressed classes.— What then should be the extent of the representation of the Depressed Classes which can be said to be adequate ? In the opinion of the Sabha the following scheme for the composition of the Legislative Council of Bombay assuming that Sind will be separated from the Presidency may be deemed to satisfy the demand of the Depressed Classes for adequate representation : Composition of the Bombay Legislative Council FOR I. BOMBAY PRESIDENCY WITHOUT SIND Constituencies Total No. of seats Reserved for the Depressed classes Reserved for Mohamedans Reserved for Marathas and allied castes I. GENERAL Same as now (a) URBAN 1. Bombay City North .. 5 1 1 2. Bombay City South .. 3 .... .... 3. Ahmedabad City .. .. 3 1 1 4. Surat City .. .. 1 .... .... 5. Sholapur City .. .. 3 1 1 6. Poona .. .. 1 .... .... (b) RURAL .. Northern Division .. 7. Ahmedabad District .. 5 1 1 8. Broach District .. .. 4 1 1 9. Kaira District .. .. 5 1 1 10. Panchmahals District .. 4 1 1 11. Surat District .. .. 5 1 1 12. Thana District .. .. 5 1 1

433SAFEGUARDS FOR DEPRESSED CLASSES Constituencies Total No. of seats Reserved for the Depressed classes Reserved for Mohamedans Reserved for Marathas and allied castes Central Division Same as now 13. Ahmednagar District .. 5 1 1 14. Khandesh East District .. 6 1 1 15. Khandesh West District .. 5 1 1 16. Nasik District .. .. 5 1 1 17. Poona District .. .. 6 1 1 18. SataraDistrict .. .. 6 1 1 19. Sholapur District .. 5 1 1 Southern Division .. 20. Belgaum District .. .. 5 1 1 21. Buapur District .. .. 5 1 1 22. Dharwar District .. 6 1 1 23. Kanara District .. .. 4 1 1 24. Kolaba District .. .. 4 1 1 25. Ratnagiri District .. 6 1 1 Total of General .. 112 22 22 II. SPECIAL 26. Labour Unions .. .. 4 27. University .. .. 3 28. Europeans .. .. 4 29. Millowners .. .. 2 30. Commerce .. .. 2 31. Agriculture .. .. 3 32. Inamdars .. .. 1 33. Officials .. .. 9 Total of Special .. 28 Grand Total .. 140 which should be the strength of the Bombay Legislative Council. 6. In case it is decided to keep Sind as part of the Bombay Presidency the Sabha would like to propose the following scheme for the composition of the Bombay Legislative Council : Composition of the Bombay Legislative Council FOR II. BOMBAY PRESIDENCY WITH SIND Constituencies No. of seats Reserved for Depressed classes Reserved for Marathas and allied castes I. NON-MOHAMEDAN Same as now (a) URBAN 1 Bombay City North .. .. 5 1 2 Bombay City South .. .. .. 4 ....

434 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Constituencies No. of seats Reserved for Depressed classes Reserved for Marathas and allied castes 3 Karachi City .. .. .. 1 .... Same as now 4 Ahmedabad City .. .. .. 3 1 5 Surat City .. .. .. 2 .... 6 Sholapur City .. .. .. 4 1 7 Poona City .. .. .. 2 .... (b) R URAL 8 Ahmedabad District .. .. .. 5 1 9 Broach District .. .. .. 4 1 10 Kaira District .. .. .. 4 1 11 Panch Mahals District .. .. .. 4 1 12 Surat District .. .. .. 4 1 13 Thana District .. .. .. 4 1 14 Ahmednagar District .. .. .. 4 1 15 Khandesh East District .. .. .. 5 1 16 Nasik District .. .. .. 4 1 17 Poona District .. .. .. 5 1 18 Satara District .. .. .. 5 1 19 Belgaum District .. .. .. 4 1 20 Bijapur District .. .. .. 4 1 21 Dharwar .. .. .. 4 1 22 Kanara District .. .. .. 4 1 23 Ratnagiri District .. .. .. 5 1 24 Eastern Sind District .. .. .. 2 .... 25 Western Sind District .. .. .. 2 .... 26 Sholapur District .. .. .. 4 1 27 Kolaba District .. .. .. 4 1 28 Khandesh West District .. .. .. 4 1 Total .. 86 22 II. MOHAMEDAN (a) URBAN 29 Bombay City .. .. .. 2 30 Karachi City .. .. .. 2 31 Ahmedabad City .. .. .. 1 32 Surat City .. .. .. 1 33 Poona City .. .. .. 1 34 Sholapur City .. .. .. 1 (b) R URAL 35 The Northern Division .. .. .. 2 36 The Central Division .. .. .. 3 37 The Southern Division .. .. .. 3 38 Hyderabad District .. .. .. 2 39 Karachi District .. .. .. 2 40 Larkana District .. .. .. 2 41 Sukkur District .. .. .. 2

435SAFEGUARDS FOR DEPRESSED CLASSES Constituencies No. of seats Reserved for Depressed classes Reserved for Marathas and allied castes 42 Thar and Parkar District .. .. 2 43 Nawabshah District .. .. .. 2 44 Upper Sind Frontier .. .. .. 2 Total .. 30 III. SPECIAL 45 Labour Unions .. .. .. 4 46 University .. .. .. .. 2 47 Europeans .. .. .. .. 4 48 Millowners .. .. .. .. 1 49 Commerce .. .. .. .. 1 50 Agriculture .. .. .. .. 1 51 Inamdars and Jaghirdars .. .. 2 52 Officials .. .. .. 9 Total for Special .. 24 Grand Total .. 140 which should be the total strength of the Council. 7. In either case the demand of the Sabha is for 22 representatives of the Depressed classes in a Council composed of 140 members. The Sabha desires to state emphatically that this much representation to the Depressed classes in a Council of 140 is only just. The Sabha is aware that some people are likely to call such a demand as a very large one. Such a view must however be deemed to be the result of prejudice against the Depressed classes. It cannot be said to be founded upon any definite reason. The Sabha thinks that an exact idea as to the population of the Depressed classes would be a sufficient corrective to views of this sort. For, it must be admitted that population is a measure by which to evaluate the representation that is to be granted to any community. The computation of the exact strength of the Depressed classes is therefore a matter of considerable importance. The Depressed classes of the Bombay Presidency have already suffered an injustice at the hands of the Southborough Committee in 1919. That Committee gave in its Report a grossly wrong figure* as to the exact -strength of the Depressed classes in the Bombay Presidency—a figure which was absolutely unwarranted by the Census of 1911. So small was the strength of the Depressed classes shown by the Southborough Committee that even the paltry suggestion of the Government of India to give two representatives to the Depressed classes in the Bombay Legislative Council failed to have any effect. Similar attempt is now being made in responsible quarters to whittle down the population of the Depressed classes. For instance, *The figure given by the Southborough Committee and adopted by the Government of India in the Table given above was 577,516. According to the authority relied upon by the Southborough Committee the population of the Depressed classes in the Bombay Presidency in 1911 was 2,145,208.

436 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Mr. Bajpai speaking on behalf of the Government of India in the Legislative Assembly on the 23rd February 1928 said “that the population of the Depressed classes in India was much exaggerated and that the real strength of the Depressed classes was only 28½ millions and not 60 millions” as used to be stated theretofore. The Sabha fears that the Commission may fall into the same error in which the Southborough Committee fell and may in consequence make proposals based upon such erroneous calculation. The Sabha therefore desires to draw the attention of the Commission to what the Director of the Census of India has to say in this connection. In Chapter XI of Volume I of the Census of India 1921 the Director observes : “Paragraph 193. It has been usual in recent years to speak of a certain section of the community as the ‘Depressed classes’. So far as I am aware the term has no final definition, nor is it certain exactly whom it covers. In the Quinquennial Review of the Progress of Education from 1912 to 1917 (Chapter XVIII paragraph 505), the Depressed classes are specifically dealt with the point of view of educational assistance and progress, and in Appendix XIII to that Report a list of the castes and tribes constituting this section of the community is given. The total population classed according to these lists as depressed amounted to 31 million persons or 19 p.c. of the Hindu and Tribal population of British India. There is undoubtedly some danger in giving offence by making in a public report social distinctions which may be deemed invidious ; but in view of the lists already prepared and the fact that the ‘depressed’ have especially in South India, attained a class consciousness and a class organization, are served by special missions, ‘raised’ by philanthropic societies and officially represented in the Legislative Assemblies, it certainly seems advisable to face the facts and to attempt to obtain some statistical estimate of their numbers. I. therefore, asked Provincial Superintendents to let me have an estimate based on Census figures of the approximate strength of the castes who were usually included in the category of ‘depressed’. I received lists of some sorts from all Provinces and States except the United Provinces, whose extreme delicacy of official sentiment shrank from facing the task of attempting even a rough estimate. The figures given are not based on exactly uniform criteria, as a different view is taken of the position of the same group in different parts of India, and I have had in some cases to modify the estimate on the basis of the figures in the educational report and of information from the 1911 reports and tables. They are also subject to the general deject which has already been explained, that the total strength of any caste is not recorded. The marginal statement [reproduced below] gives, however, a rough estimate of the minimum numbers which may be considered to form the ‘depressed classes’ of the Hindu Community. The total of these provincial figures adds up to about 53 millions. This, however, must be taken as a low and conservative estimate since it does not include (1) the full strength of the castes and tribes concerned and (2) the tribal aborigines most recently