M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar
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EMINENT PARLIAMENTARIANS MONOGRAPH SERIES M. ANANTHASAYANAM AYYANGAR LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI 1991 LSS(PRIS-POL)/EPM/11 ©Lok Sabha Secretariat. 1991 February 1991 Price: Rs. 50.00 Pubhsneo under rule 382 of !tie Rules of p~ Mel Conduct 01 ..... in LOk Saona (Seventh EditIOn) and pnnted by the MeMger, ~ UnIL Government of India Press. MInto Road, New DelhI. Foreword It is only appropriate that the Indian Parliamentary Group decided to celebrate the birth anniversaries of eminent parliamentarians with a view to recalling and placing on record the contributions made by them to the country's parliamentary life and polity. As a part of this activity, a monograph series- known as the 'Eminent Parliamentarians Monograph Series' was started in March 1990 with a Monograph on Dr. Ram Manohar Lohla. This was followed by similar Monographs being brought out on nine other distinguished parliamentarians in connection with their birth anniversaries. The present Monograph-the eleventh in the series-is a modest attempt to recapitulate the services rendered to the society by the late Speaker Shri M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar who diStinguished himself not only as an impartial and respected presiding officer of First and Second Lok Sabha but also as an eminent lawyer, forceful orator and a fervent advocate of India's rapid industrialisation and planned development. The volume consists of two parts. Part I contains a brief profile of Shri M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar and Part II of the Monograph contains excerpts from some of the important speeches Shri Ayyangar delivered in the Central Legislative Assembly, the Constituent Assembly of India, the Provisional Parliament and the First Lok Sabha. ~ the occasion of his birth centenary we pay our respectful tributes to the memory of Shri Ayyangar and hope that this monograph would be read with interest and found useful. New Delhi; RAe I RAY February, 1991 Speaker, Lok Sabha and PresIdent. IndIan Parllame'1tary Group Contents FOREWORD PART ONE SHAI M. ANANTHASAYANAM AYYANGAA A ProfIle 1 (1 ) PART TWO His Ideas Excerpts from Select Speeches. of Sh" Ayyangar In the Central LegIslative Assembly. Constttuent Assembly (LegIslatIve). ProvIsIonal Parltament and F"st LaI< Sabha 2 ECONOMIC AND FINANCiAl MATTERS Tax on Profits of Business (25) Devaluation of the Rupee (34) Tax Evasion and Black Marketing (40) Composition of Finance Commission (46) 3 INDUSTRiAl DEVELOPMENT Industrial 0eve60pment (53) Industrial Finance Corporation (71 ) Road Transport Corporatiorll (81 ) (iii) 4 LABOUR AND EMPlOYMENT Trade Unions (91) 5 LEGAL. CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLmCAL ISSUES Prewenlive Delention (97) Codification d HIndu Law (112) Marriage and Divorce (128) Reorganisation of States on Unguistic Basis (140) IS TRADE AND COMMERCE Foreign Trade (147) PART ONE M. ANANTHASAYANAM A YY ANGAR: A PRORlE 1 Madabhooshi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar: A Profile A scholar of distinction, a colourful personality renowned for multifarious activities, a seasoned lawyer and a skilful par- liamentarian, Shri Madabhooshi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was bom on 4 February 1891 at Tiruchanur near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh in an orthodox Vaishanava Brat-min family. His father, Venkata Varadacharya was a Sanskrit scholar and the family, though poor, was respected for its scholarty traditions. Having completed his initial education in the Devasthanam High School, Tirupati, Shri Ayyangar took his B.A. degree from the Pachaiyappa's College, Madras. Having chosen legal profes- sion as a career, he obtained his law degree from Madras Law College in 1913. He married Choodamn'lal in 1919. In Legel Profession Shri Ayyangar was initiated into the legal profession, by Shri C. Doraiswami Ayyangar, a well-known advocate of his time. Though somewhat hesitant in the beginning he forged ahead as a professional lawyer and soon became ,. a walking digest of case laws". He had to suspend his legal practice for about a year during 1 921 -22 due to his participation in the national movement after which he joined the bar again at the Madras High Court. Shri Ayyangar did not treat the profession only as a..means to earn his livelihood. He was also deeply interested in p ~ the judicial system of the country to suit the needs and aspirations of the masses. He strongly advocated independence of the judiciary and urged the Govemment to raise the status Of 2 the Federal Court to that of a Supreme Court. He was very much concemed about the humiliation as also the hardships faced by our masses due to the vesting of ultimCl.te authority of our judicial·system in the hands of the Privy Council in England. His concem in this area is clearly evident in the .following statement made by him on 11 December, 1947 in the Con- stituent Assembly': I hope very soon we will have a Supreme Court established in this country and do away with the Privy Council. We ought not to be satisfied with this and prolong the agony of going to a foreign court. They may not understand many cases where religious matters are involved and what the kind of mart< is put on an idol. Muslim Waqf cases go thera. They do not know any of our cases. They want to hold supreme authority over us, and it is for that reason that, though the Judges there may be impartial, they do not feel one with the Community here. Therefore, he alone would be wise who understands the manner in which the social trends work in a particular· community. Th8refore, Sir, without the least disrespect to the Privy Council, I would urge upon our Minister and our Government to introduce a Bill immediately to raise the status of the Federal Court to that of a Supreme Court so that we may have independence in the matter of our own legal institutions at least as early as possible. As • Freedom Fighter Shri Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was a man not to be circumscribed by the limitation of one's individual and family life. He was conscious of his duties towards the motherland. Consequently, from a very young age, he started taking active part in the activities of the Indian National Congress which was ~ spearheading the national movement for the liberation of our motherland from the clutches of British colonialism. He took part in the non-cooperation movement of 1921-22. When th-:- Con- grMS withdrew its policy of boycott of Councils and decided to contest the elections for the Central Legislative Assembly in 1934, Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was elected to the House 1 C.A. (Leg.) Deb., 11 July 1947, p. 1726. 3 with an overwhelming majority. He took his seat along with stalwarts like Bhulabhai Desai, Govind Ballabh Pant, Moham- mad Ali Jinnah and Satyamurti, whose object was to fight the government from within. By his vigilance and innate ability he soon made a mark as a forceful debater. From the back- benches he moved on to the front benches and then came a time when not a single day passed without his saying some- thing in the Assembly which was damaging to the Government. No wonder one European writer in the Asiatic ReView befittingly referred to him as "the Emden of the Assembly", alluding to the German ship of that name which caused untold havoc to the Allied Navy in World War II. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar enlisted himself in the individual satyagraha campaign started by Gandhiji in 1940 and was immediately jailed for eight months. Later he joined the "Quit India" agitation launched in August 1942 and suffered imprison- ment till 4 December 1944. Apart from taking active part in the fight for liberation of the country, Shri Ayyangar was also a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi's constructive programme for fighting social evils like untouchability which were prevalent at that time and were destroying our social fabric. He always advocated the upliftment of Harijans, particularly their right to temple entry and the abolition of untouchability. As a Parliamentarian Shri Ananthasayanam Ayyangar would be remembered by posterity as a great parliamentarian. His career as a parliamen- tarian started long before independence when he took a seat in the Central Legislative Assembly in the year 1934. He proved to be on"of its indefatigable members with a vast treasure of knowledge and experience. Apan from his ability and popularity, Shri Ayyangar possessed an abundanLfund of ttul"{lQjJJ which stood him in very good stead and helped cllanging..the heated atmosphere of the House from time to time into something bracing and tolerable. As a dedicated parliamentarian, he always took keen interest in the business of the House. He 4 used to come fully prepared for parliamentary debates and discussions and his speeches in the Lok Sabha ~ gave new tums and twists to the discussion <:.nd provided real food for l.lought. Shri Ayyangar was aware of the onerous task the members, as people's representatives, had to perform. Speaking about the responsibilities of the members of the Parliament, he statect2: In my view, they (Members of the Parliament) ought to function as a two-way channel of communication between the people and the government. It is not enough for them merely to voice the interests and reactions of their constituencies, they have also to go back and interpret the policy and measures of the Government to the people so that they know what is happening around them and feel a sense of participa- tion and partnership in the administration of the country. In recognition of his long parliamentary experience Shri Ananthasayanam Ayyanger was unanimously elected Deputy Speaker in 1948. His un-opposed election on 30 May, 1952 as the Deputy Speaker of the First Lok Sabha was a signal tribute to his ability and popularity. While thanking the members for electing him unanimously to the office of Deputy Speaker, Shri Ayyangar said 3: ..