A very pertinent question has been raised by our esteemed Friend Mr. Brajeshwar Prasad in yesterday’s meeting. My Friend Mr. Brajeshwar Prasad shed much tears I should say over the pitiable conditions of the scheduled castes and the scheduled Tribes. But he failed to see what part this reservation of seats would play towards the amelioration of the conditions of these classes. He thought that it will lead to the exploitation of these classes and it will give rise to fissiparous tendencies among them. If any “exploitation” he means economic exploitation, then I can not understand how a few seats in the Central Legislature or in the Provincial Legislature will lead to the exploitation of the Scheduled Castes and the scheduled Tribes. If he mean by “exploitation” political exploitation, then I must remind him that a leader who has more capacity to appeal to our sentiments and reasoning is more able, to exploit us. It is a matter of common knowledge with the Members of this House as to how many times we have been compelled to revise our decisions by the convincing and eloquent reasonings of Dr. Ambedkar or our Prime Minister. So, if by “exploitation” he means that the political leaders will bring these Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under their own influence, I will say to him that this is the case everywhere.
