On 18th December 1946, at the Constituent Assembly Mr. R. K. Sidhwa [CP Berar General] spoke as follows;
“Sir— I come from the Minority Community, it is a very small minority comparatively an insignificant number but still that Community has the world knows although we are a lack of parties only – the Parsi Community known all over the whole World. Babu Purushothaman Das Tandon pointed out in seconding the Resolution [in Re Aims and Objects] the earlier days of this Country’s History whosoever came in this Country were welcome. 1300 years ago we were driven away from Iran, so the History say and we were wandering in the sea for 3 months nobody gave us a shelter excepting the Jadwa Rana of Sanjan in Gujarat. We grateful to him. We have had no grievances against the Hindu Community so long as we have been here the Parsis have taken prominent part in Politics, Social and industrial enterprises, amongst the Founders of Indian National Congress that great Dadabhai Naoroji was one [cheer!]. In 1909 from the Presidential Address in Calcutta we coined the word Swaraj, Parsis were the pioneers in Industry of ship building and textiles they were the first to introduce female education so in Charitable Organisation like Hospitals irrespective of caste and creed as recently as 30 years ago the iron and steel industry of India is the second largest in the whole world was founded by the Tata Family. I do not say all this to you to glorify my Community, all that I want to show is the majority community have never forgotten us and on our part we have not lagged behind in taking part. We were forced by the British people to ask for separate electorate we have refused. In the General Electorate our community’s interest are absolutely safe. I know of an instance where 30 years ago the mischief of separate representation was forced for the purpose upholding the British rule in this Country. In Sind we had in the local body general representation without any communal representation the then Commissioner Sind called some of the Musalman to the Government House and told them secretly “you give us a representation demanding separate Electorate and I shall recommend to the Government of Bombay. Such representation was given and ever since there are separate Electorate to our Sind Municipality thus we have seen with our own eyes how mischief is played by British by dividing one community against other. Parsi have been asked manier time to demand separate Electorate we have refused and replied we are quite safe with our majority community see the goodness the majority community in this very assembly.”
Comment: No wonder the Parsis Community succeeded in overcoming this historical isolation and joined the mainstream of Bharat life.