In the country it is the opinion that in the provinces there should not be second chamber and I am very glad that the Drafting Committee has taken note of it, but I am also sorry that they have not got courage to scrap article 148. If they had done so, it would have met the wishes of every one. The second chamber is again a great addition to our finances and it is not in the interests of the country at the present stage to add to our finances which are in a peculiar – I do not use any other word-condition today. Therefore while welcoming this amendment I do not want to fetter the Parliament by two-thirds of the members of the Assembly present and voting or by majority of the total membership. If the members present in the House even by a majority are against the second chamber it will be nullified by the total number of members of the House. I therefore contend that if it is the desire-and it is very clear from this additional article that has been brought by the Drafting Committee that then own views are changed because they are also flabbergasted as to what should be the composition of the second chamber and they could not come to any decision and so they felt ‘Throw it to Parliament and let it decide what it likes. All right, that is the lesser of the two evils. I am prepared to accept it because the House has accepted 148 and we do not want to change the article already passed by the House. It will be a bad precedent. But I do not want them to fetter the Parliament. If the House takes interest, six hundred members will be present; let them decide. Why insist upon two-thirds majority of the total members? It is very clear that you are not now as strong as you were before for the second chamber. I can understand second chamber for the Centre. It is very useful and needed. I am in favour of it because all-India Bills will be passed and a second chamber is needed; but in the provinces it is an old anachronism and I feel that it should not exist and therefore my amendment seeks that by a bare majority if the House desires that the second chamber should be there, it should not be there, and it should not be two-thirds majority of the total number of members. With these words I move the amendment.
