Mr. Vice-President, Sir, we have provided that reservation be made for minorities under the present Constitution, reservation of seats, I mean. Certainly there are two methods only by which we can safeguard the interests of minorities. Up to now, the minorities have enjoyed separate electorates and some weightage as well. That has gone, because we have decided that on principle and basically that is a wrong method and no minority should have any weightage or any separate electorate. There are, as I said, only two methods, one recommended by the Minorities Committee, that there should be reservation of seats and that is also provided in the Draft Constitution, under articles 292 to 299. I agree with Pandit Thakur Dass Bhargava when he said that it would be better if both these clauses were taken together, and the discussion of this part of article 67 taken up at the time when article 292 was also being discussed. The amendments that are now before the House, by Mr. Karimuddin and another honourable Member, certainly are the opposite or the alternative of the reservation of seats, provided in those sections. Sir I am of opinion that if separate electorates have perpetuated communalism, which is so detestable and reprehensible, this reservation of seats, does no less (hear, hear). I think it is rather more harmful for the minorities, and it does not safeguard their interests. But it is, on the other hand, beneficial to the majority. When you are reserving, say 30 per cent, for the minorities, indirectly you are reserving 70 per cent for the majority. This allowance or concession or option to contest unreserved seats as well, is in my opinion, very illusory when it is brought into actual practice. Further, this reservation, though it is not just now before the House, because the two methods are to be discussed side by side. I am taking it,–and I crave the indulgence of the House in listening to me patiently,–this reservation of seats is rather harmful and would create the same atmosphere that we abhor so much. When the minorities see that certain Members of their own community, offensive to them, are being pushed up and backed by the majority community, certainly the relations would get strained and our object would not be fulfilled at all. And secondly, under this reservation of seats, the majority would be able to secure some Members from the minorities of their own choice, while there will be a certain proportion that would be returned by the minorities themselves. So there will be two sections and a further rift would be created between the sections of the minority community itself.
