As I said while discussing the last article, I feel that in this Chapter the Ultimate authority of Parliament in regard to financial matters has been made secondary to the authority of the President. I regard this to be against the principles of democracy. Here we are appointing a Finance Commission which shall be charged with powers to make recommendations for allotments between the Union and the various States, for making grants-in-aid to various States, for even modifying terms of any agreement entered into by the Union, and in respect to any other matter which may be referred to it by the President. Such are the wide powers which have been given to this Commission. Now this Commission will make a report after touring the country, after investigating the entire financial position and will submit its report to the President. I want to know whether the Parliament is the final authority to accept or reject any of the recommendations made by the Commission or the President is the final authority. I feel that it is a matter of deep consequence and cuts at the root of democracy if Parliament does not have the final say on this important question. I have therefore in this amendment suggested that after the report of the Commission is received the President shall lay a memorandum containing his advice to the legislature as to how far these recommendations should be accepted but the ultimate authority for accepting those proposals or rejecting them must be vested in the House of People. Mr. Kamath said that both the Houses of Parliament should vote upon such a Bill. Any Bill containing recommendations of the Finance Commission will be a financial Bill which can only be subject to the vote of the House of the People and not to the vote of the Upper House. Therefore I have here omitted the Upper House. I have said that the House of the People shall have the right to amend the proposals made by the President by a Resolution passed by the House of the people. It is the House of the People that will determine whether the recommendations made by the Finance Commission on the proposals made by the President should be amended in some form or not. Normally when there is Parliamentary Democracy the Prime Minister will have a majority in the House of the People, and therefore whatever proposals the President will submit will surely be on the advice of the Prime Minister and therefore they will have the support of the majority of the House. There should therefore be no difficulty in getting them through, but the discussion in the Parliament will give the Opposition an opportunity to examine the proposals, to suggest amendments, to bring to the notice of Government another point of view which probably the Government may accept. If we deny the Opposition the right to bring forward amendments or criticise, the proposals, I do not think we are carrying on the form of democracy which we have accepted. I do not see how Dr. Ambedkar can get this article passed as it is. He is trying to give the power to the President, all along, of course with two or three exceptions which make him all the more inconsistent. I have said that the authority of Parliament should be supreme in financial matters because on the proper control of finances depends the prosperity of the country. I therefore think that my amendment is a simple one and I hope the House will accept it.
