Mr. President, Sir, we have been hearing the replies which the honourable Dr. Ambedkar has been giving to the various amendments moved by Mr. Chaliha, myself and others. Each time he has quoted the Premier of Assam and some other persons in his support. I would ask him whether there is anybody who had gone to him and said that this provision should remain in the new Constitution–the provision that no person who is not a member of the Scheduled Tribes resident in the district shall carry on wholesale or retail business in any commodity except under a licence issued in that behalf by the District Council? Is there anybody in this House who will support this discriminatory treatment between tribal and non-tribal people, in a place where they have been moving together for a very long time ? Even the British would have been put to shame by such a provision. Take Shillong where there is a large number of non-tribal people who are carrying on retail business. Do you mean to say that the tribals living in the town of Shillong will require no licence but non-tribals will require a licence ? Is there anybody who favours such a discriminatory treatment, I wonder ? If there is anybody who supports discrimination between tribals and non-tribals I would say that is useless to argue with him.
