Democracy of India
Democracy of India: People of India declared themselves our Indian Nation, that is Bharat, as a Sovereign Democratic Republic on 26 January 1950. The Constituent Assembly made up of 274 elected representatives conducted extensive deliberations for 165 days while formulating the Constitution of India. Ultimately the Constituent Assembly adopted India’s Constitution on November 26, 1949 which took effect on 26th January, 1950.
It is important to mention that until December 1929, Congress solely campaigned for ‘Swaraj’, requesting Dominion status similar to that of Canada and Australia within the British Empire. Yet, with the arrival of young individuals such as Bose and Nehru, circumstances have shifted. They have convinced Gandhi and Patel to alter the approach of the freedom struggle to completely expel the British from India permanently. Finally, Congress proclaimed Poorna Swaraj as its exclusive objective on 19th December 1929 at its Lahore session of AICC.
And it is also vital to recall that there was not a single Englishman in the Constituent Assembly. The Indian people elected all of the representatives. Also, the Constituent Assembly convened for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946, and held sessions till November 26, 1949, during which time it extensively debated every article. And ultimately adopted the Constitution on 26th January 1950, declaring India a Sovereign Democratic Republic.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s address to Constituent Assembly
Sachchidananda Sinha served as the temporary chairman of the inaugural Constitutional Assembly meeting, which took place on December 13, 1946. Jawaharlal Nehru outlined the Assembly’s objectives at the time as follows: “The first task for this Assembly is to free India through a new Constitution, to feed the starving people, to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity.” This is undoubtedly a fantastic task.
Take a look at India now. In many regions, we are sitting in despair, and in many cities, there is unrest. These disputes and feuds, which are referred to as communal disturbances, are prevalent in the atmosphere and, regrettably, are sometimes unavoidable. However, how to address the issue of starvation and poverty is currently India’s biggest and most pressing concern. Wherever we turn, we are confronted with this problem. If we cannot solve this problem soon, all our paper Constitutions will become useless and purposeless. Keeping this aspect in view, who could suggest to us to postpone and wait?”
Federal structure
The initial draft of the Indian Constitution was written by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sachchidananda Sinha. And as an advisor to the Constituent Assembly, B N Rau also provided a draft constitution. It is important to keep in mind that B N Rau played a significant role in the Government of India Act 1935, which addressed the Indian Union’s federal structure.
A resolution put forth by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and approved by the Legislative Council on December 13, 1946, outlined the objectives and purposes of the Indian Constitution throughout its preparation. The Karachi AICC resolution from 1931, which was written by Jawaharlal Nehru, served as the model for this resolution.
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Karachi resolution
The Karachi resolution’s main tenets were as follows:
India should be declared an independent sovereign republic by Resolve.
To create a democratic Community with equitable self-government to all its component members.
The people give the union government and the governments of the constituent elements all of their power and authority.
To ensure and safeguard the safety of all Indians. Moral, fiscal, and political justice are all important.
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Benegal Narsimha Rau, B N Rau
In fact, Benegal Narsimha Rau was designated as an advisor for the creation of the Constitution, and he played a key role in establishing the guidelines for the Indian Union’s federal structure. He traveled to a number of nations to research their federal systems, including France and the United States. After discussions, debates, and revisions, B.N. Rau’s draft, which had 243 articles and 13 schedules, was reduced to 395 articles and 8 schedules.
In his closing remarks to the constituent assembly on November 25, 1949, B. R. Ambedkar said, “The credit that is given to me does not really belong to me.” A rough copy of the Constitution was created by Sir B.N. Rau, the Constituent Assembly’s Constitutional Advisor, for the Drafting Committee to review.
The Committees on Union Constitution, Union Powers, and States Committee were led by Jawaharlal Nehru. The Provincial Constitution Committee was led by Sardar Patel.
Additionally, Dr. Rajendra Prasad led the Steering Committee. Moreover, he served as both the President of India and the President of the Constituent Assembly.
Dr. B R Ambedkar
The Constituent Assembly’s drafting committee was chaired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, K.M. Munshi, Mohammad Saadulla, B.L. Mitter (later replaced by N. Madhava Rau), and D.P. Khaitan (later replaced by T.T. Krishnamachari) are additional members of the drafting committee.
Constituent Assembly
M.N. Roy originally put forward the idea of a Constituent Assembly in 1934. In 1928, Motilal Nehru made a constitutional proposal known as the Nehru Report. In actuality, the Government of India Act of 1935 was based on this report. Benegal Narsimha Rau contributed substantially to the 1935 Act’s drafting, especially with dealing with the Constitution’s federal framework.
Out of the total 274 members of the Constituent Assembly, 210 members were elected from Provinces, and 64 members were nominated by the Princely States. Every issue to be incorporated in the Constitution was debated and discussed, and later voted on at the end of the discussion by the Constituent Assembly.
Between 1946 and 1950, the Assembly sat for a total of 165 days. 46 days were devoted to the Assembly’s preliminary discussion, and 101 days were dedicated to the draft Constitution’s clause-by-clause discussion. For 16 days, the subject of fundamental rights was examined.
To read, click this link: Citizen’s Fundamental Rights.