Therefore it is a question of faith, a question of confidence and a question of goodwill. I would like to say that if this work is not done during this period it may be that the scheduled classes will go against the Hindu society and against the general community. Therefore there may not be any general improvement which we envisage within ten years. I do not care much for the period; I care much for the work. I know that even in the last 25 to 30 years Mahatmaji and other people who have been working for this cause in this country, could not make much progress regarding removal of untouchability. You know in the rural areas, it is as bad today as it was before and I know among the educated classes in towns and the people with English education, there has been a change and it is this fact that has given us encouragement. And we know that the provincial Governments are passing some enactments to remove this disability. It is a good thing for us, for the country and for this august Assembly that we have passed article 11 to remove untouchability for ever. But only passing a legislation for the purpose, or appointing ministers and allocating some portfolio will not do. If the whole amount of work has to be done, it is to be done by having funds at our disposed and my appeal to both Central and Provincial Governments is to allot enough funds, so that educationally they may be raised and economically their condition may be bettered. Regarding their social disability we know that in social matters, we should not hurry. In social matters it is all a matter of change of heart. I know that persons who are prepared to hang themselves for the cause of the country, they are not ready to remove this untouchability from their houses or from the members of their family, because it is a social custom, it is a social manner from time immemorial, it has come into the blood of these caste-Hindus and the Hindu society as a whole because these have been written in many books of Shastras, Vedas, and all that.
