The first basic principle of our constitution should be that the poor man should have full right to rise to the highest station in life, he should have the facilities to do so, not out of somebody’s compassion, but by his own strength and the assistance of society. Very respectfully, I submit not by way of criticism but because I feel that we included many things in our constitution, laid down many principles and made an effort to solve many national and international questions, but we did not write even a word for removing the poverty of the poor. Except for goodwill, no other word is found in the whole constitution. Except for the right of vote, the poor man has not yet got any other right under the constitution. Being a representative of the poor I am grateful for this right to vote, but this is not enough. Therefore, I submit very humbly that we should make such rules and regulations as may make it clear and necessary that when our constitution will be ready an acted upon, it will not result in the rule of a few capitalists and vested interests and they alone will not dominate the administration and the people would not be dependent on them. There are a few friends of mine who feel irritated at the very word socialism. I do not want to irritate them and in fact there is no need of irritating them by making a mention of socialism. But I simply love this word. A time will come when socialism will reign supreme both in our country as well as in the world as was remarked by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru while speaking on the Objectives Resolution. Even then, if there are some who feel irrigated at I, I am not so petty as to use this word repeatedly to annoy my colleagues and friends. Therefore, if you dislike the word socialism, let it go, do not use it. But you must make such regulations as may prevent the domination of vested interests, capitalists and those who desire to keep the poor under subjugation. I would request you at least to prevent the capitalists and vested interests from standing for the membership of the legislature or from holding high posts or those in the Ministry. I am sorry to say so, but whatever I have said is not by way of criticism. When I go to old or New Delhi, I hear people wondering how such and such men have got into such and such committees. The public is suspecting as to whether the Constitution that is being framed is for the poor people or for vested interests. The names of those people generally appear for these committees who represent the vested interests and not of those who made tremendous sacrifices for their country during the last thirty years. I do not know what we should tell the people. We admit that up to a certain stage we may require the capitalists but it is not proper that they should wield influence under the Constitution. The country will never approve of it and I know that our leaders also who have suffered for our country do not approve of it. And if they also will not approve of it, some such provision should be included as may prevent these capitalists subsequently from gaining power. This is very necessary and it can be done in either of these two ways. You can either provide that our constitution our future social structure will be on socialistic lines. If however, you do not wish to use the word socialism, you can provide that you are not prepared to retained, capitalism in any form, and so long as capitalism has to be retained, you may provide that no one who is engaged in profit-making can occupy high Governmental position. You can know who joins the Government with profit motive and how he takes unfair advantage of his position. You people understand the ways in which people take unfair advantage. I therefore respectfully submit that it is very necessary that we include some such provision in these fundamental rights as may be a safeguard against these dangers. Until we make such a provision, the poor people of this country will not be benefited by this constitution. Today we are engaged in fixing the salaries of Governors and Ministers and the allowances of members. But the greatest need at present is that of finding out ways and means to increase his income out of somebody’s charity but we have to make such provision as may help him in making his life happy and in increasing his income. This is the foremost and the most important task facing us. Today when we go out we find people asking us as to what place we are giving to the poor in the Constitution and what we are doing for them, and they openly point out that unless some thing is done for them, this Constitution is useless for them.
