Sir, I rise to oppose the Amendment moved by Dr. Ambedkar. I do not blame him personally for the Amendment but he has to conform to outside opinion. I submit that this Amendment will frustrate the very object of having a Second Chamber. The avowed object of a Second Chamber is revision and delay. This is often very necessary in a popular House consisting of a large number of members. Especially when the House has no experience, it ought to have the benefit of Bills getting a second thought and consideration at the hands of the Upper House. The function of the Upper House is to give Bills a sober second thought. After proper consideration it suggestsAmendments which are often acceptable to the Lower House. I have had some experience of the working of the Upper House. I have found there is initially some understandable impatience on the part of the Lower House about the Second Chamber. They think that the Upper House is an interloper and that its object is to frustrate the object of the Lower House. It is not so. Speaking from my experience in Bengal, I think that a Second Chamber has proved to be necessary and its utility has been appreciated by a critical Lower House in the long run. Sir, if the Upper House is to function, it must be given sufficient opportunities to discharge its duties. Sub-clause (b) of clause (1) provides that if a Bill passed by the Lower House is not passed by the Upper House within two months from the date it is laid before the Council, then it comes back to the Lower House for further consideration. I submit that if we put down a strict and rigid limit of two months, then it may be that the Upper House in many cases will not be able to exercise its functions at all. I will cite an example. If, for instance, a Bill is passed by the Lower House and is laid before the Upper House towards the end of a session, and then there is a long adjournment; the House does not meet for two months. In these circumstances, the Upper House will not be able to get a chance to consider the matter, and the Upper House with its membership and staff will remain idle without having anything to do. If the Upper House is to function, it should get sufficient time so as to enable it to give Bills due consideration and thought. I submit therefore that the two months’ limit, rigid as it is, will frustrate the very object of the Second Chamber and it may be that the expense, trouble and bother will come to nothing.
