PR ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATIONS: ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATION-170

Sir, I would like to say that, in my opinion, the present Government is not competent to undertake this piece of legislation. The Government is aware that the present system of administration is a discredited system. I am not using that in any critical sense. I am only trying to depict the facts as we know them. Sir, no section of the population of this country is satisfied with the administration and the working of this Government. Indeed, if one wants to state facts as they are, there is a powerful section in this country which is not prepared to admit and to acknowledge the moral authority of this Government to rule. Sir, we also know that we are on¹²⁰ the threshold of a new constitution. We know that the Constitution of India for a government of the people, by¹⁴⁰ the people and for the people is on the anvil. We all know and I think we are justified in¹⁶⁰ hoping that this new constitution will be forged within the short period of a year or two, and that a new government, supported fully by all sections of the community, will be installed. Sir, having regard to that consideration, I would like to point out to the honourable Minister and to those honourable members who are occupying the Treasury Bench that they in their present position are no better than caretakers. Sir, by common consent a caretaker cannot undertake substantial²⁴⁰ alterations in the premises he is appointed to look after. At the most, during the interval before the real occupant comes to occupy his abode, he may undertake repairs in order to keep the building in working order. I would²⁸⁰ also like to point out to the honourable Minister the analogy of parliamentary life. In England where parliamentary system has been in operation for centuries now, when a Ministry is defeated and when the defeated Ministry does not resign outright³²⁰ and allow the reins to pass into the hands of the Opposition but chooses to make its appeal to the electorate, it is an accepted convention of the Constitution that the Ministry so situated must not undertake any legislation of³⁶⁰ any consequential importance. All that they can do is to look after the administration pending the decision of the electorate so that the new Government may not be embarrassed by anything that may be undertaken by such a Government. I ask the honourable Minister whether he does not wish to abide by the conventions of the parliamentary constitution. I leave⁴²⁰ it to him to decide.

Sir, I do not find any reason why the honourable Minister should rush with this measure with such terrific speed with only seven days’ notice. I do not find that there is any great urge, any great necessity, any urgent call upon him by the people of this Presidency to introduce this measure. So far as⁴⁸⁰ I am aware, no political party in this country has made this measure a party cry. I do not know that the Liberals, the Responsivists or the Congress members who were in this House during the last Legislative Council had ever insisted that they looked upon the introduction of the village panchayats as a fundamental part of their programme. Not only that, but I do not find that the masses themselves are clamouring for this measure. If you read⁵⁶⁰ the report of the Committee made in 1925 on this question appointed to report upon the working of the Village Panchayat Act of 1920, what do you find? You find that there are in this Presidency as many as 30,000 villages,⁶⁰⁰ on a rough calculation. The Act was passed in 1920 permitting the people to apply for the application of that Act voluntarily. What is the result? The result is that we do not find a single village panchayat instituted in⁶⁴⁰ the province of Sindh. In the Presidency proper, there is a paltry figure of 323 or something like that. I submit that it is a sad commentary on the civic spirit of the people. Apart from that, it is a proof that the people are not anxious for the introduction of village panchayats. I do not wish⁷⁰⁰ to go into the reasons of that at this stage, but I am certain that my honourable friend the Minister for Local Self-Government⁷²⁰ will accept that it is a correct analysis of the situation. Not only that, but I would like to suggest that the reason why he has added the judicial functions to the village panchayats is to sweeten the pill so that it may be swallowed more readily. In view of these considerations, I think it would be advisable for the honourable Minister to postpone the Bill sine die so that it may be considered in all its implications on its⁸⁰⁰ merits by a new Government which will be fully representative of the people of this Presidency.

Coming to the merits of the Bill itself, I find that the Bill has two parts. The first part deals with the⁸⁴⁰ functions of the panchayat as a body for local self-government. I should like to say at once that I have no objection in principle to the policy of devolution. If it is found that the local boards of this Presidency are overburdened by the functions which are placed upon them by the Local Board Act and if by reason of that they are unable to discharge their functions efficiently, then by all means you should institute village panchayats so as to disburden the local boards. If the desire is to constitute panchayats for their own sake, then to my mind it is a reversion to a very dangerous system. Many have eulogized the ancient system of village panchayats. Some have called them⁹⁶⁰ “rural republics”. Whatever be the merits of these rural republics, I have not the slightest hesitation in saying⁹⁸⁰ that they have been the bane of public life of India. If India has not succeeded in producing nationalism, if India has not succeeded in building up a national spirit, the chief reason for that in my opinion is the existence of the village system. It made all people saturated with local patriotism. It left no room for larger civic spirit. Under the ancient village panchayats, India, instead of being a country of a united people, became a loose conglomeration of village communities with no common tie except common allegiance to a common King. I am glad to say that this is not¹⁰⁸⁰ my opinion alone. A member of the committee which was appointed in 1925 expressed himself in that same strain. In these days when you are striving for bringing about a national spirit, in these days when you¹¹²⁰ are striving for bringing about a common nationality and a common sense of Indian citizenship, in my opinion we ought to do nothing which will nullify and which will dilute that sense. I would like to leave this aspect of the matter at that so far as I am concerned.

My next objection is to the constitution of the panchayats themselves. The Bill provides that the village panchayats shall be elected on the basis of adult suffrage both for males and females.¹²⁰⁰ I should like to make it clear to the honourable Minister that, speaking for the depressed classes, I have not the slightest hesitation in saying that adult suffrage is not sufficient for us. The honourable Minister has forgotten that the depressed classes are in a miserable minority in every village, and assuming that he adopts adult suffrage, he will¹²⁶⁰ readily admit that adult suffrage cannot convert a minority into a majority. Consequentially, I am bound to insist that if these¹²⁸⁰ village panchayats come, there shall be special representation for the minorities. At any rate, there shall be special representation for the depressed classes, and others of course will speak for themselves. I know that there is a section in this House who will at once jump and say that this is communalism. Now I agree that this is communalism. But I am also convinced that communalism must be my policy. I am not ashamed of it. I will say that India cannot proceed on the path of political progress without communalism. Without communalism, there can be no self-government for India. That is the proposition that I would assert without fear of challenge. Sir, in respect of this, I am¹⁴⁰⁰ glad to find that two members of the committee which was set up in 1925 to discuss this question supported the plea of the depressed classes for special representation. In this connection, I would also like to draw the attention of¹⁴⁴⁰ the Hindu members of this honourable House to the recent events that have happened. I refer to the Poona Pact between the Caste Hindus and the Depressed Classes that was signed on the 24th of last month. I am sure many members must have read the terms of that Pact, but I should like to draw particular attention to one section of it. In that section it has been agreed that the right of the depressed classes to representation in all local bodies shall be accepted and an endeavour shall be made in order to give effect to that part of the agreement. Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the Hindu members to that part of the Pact and I am sure whatever may have been the opinions before 24th of last month, they will now loyally abide by the terms of that Pact.¹⁵⁸⁷