Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the amendment moved by Mr. Suresh Chandra Banerjee and supported by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookherjee. The business of this Assembly, to borrow the phraseology of the House of Commons, would naturally include the business of its Sections and Committees. Therefore, if the words stood as they are, “Rules of Procedure of the Assembly,” there would be strictly no need to mention Sections and Committees. There is no doubt about that. But at the same time, we have not yet a clarification of the State Paper about this matter and it would be extremely unwise, I submit, Sir, to omit the words “Sections and Committees” because that would show that this Constituent Assembly is not a self-determining and self-governing institution which we insist it is. We may lay ourselves open to the argument that any part or any section of it or any Committee of it can function independently or frame its own rules. Acharya Kripalani himself mentioned that if we left the thing as it is, rules could be made, whereby we can lay down that the Sections and Committees will not have the power to make rules which are contrary to or inconsistent with the rules made by this Committee. That argument itself shows that it is competent for this Procedure Committee to regulate to some extent the procedure of the Sections and Committees. In view of the discussion which has already taken place here, it is much better that the words ‘Sections and Committees’ should stand rather than their absence lead to further discussion on the interpretation of our Resolution. I envisage a point of order. Suppose this Procedure Committee starts considering questions about Sections or even incorporating a rule, as Acharya Kripalani desired, a point of order is sure to be raised whether the word “Assembly” includes ‘Sections and Committees’. At that time, it would be the Chairman of the Procedure Committee who will have to give the ruling. It is better that that point should not be left merely to the decision of the Chairman of the Procedure Committee, who may be the permanent Chairman. It should be laid down definitely by this House that the Constituent Assembly is one and indivisible, that the sections as already pointed out are Sections of the Assembly, and that they do not form independent bodies which can provide for procedure inconsistently with the rules of the Constituent Assembly. I therefore submit that it is necessary, particularly now as the question has been raised on the floor of this House, that the scope and extent of this resolution should be made clear by adding the words “Rules of Procedure of the Assembly including its Sections and Committees”.
