FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION

Chapter 4

ANSWER IN 100-150 WORDS 

1. What were the ideals expressed in the Objectives Resolution? 

Answer:- 

Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Resolution of Objectives to the Constituent Assembly on 13 December It briefly described the ideals and purposes of the Constitution. These are as follows:

        • India was declared an independent sovereign republic.

        • All citizens of India were assured of justice, equality and brotherhood.

        • Minorities were adequately protected. It also addressed the welfare of the backward and depressed classes.

        • This was designed with the intention that India would combine liberal ideas of democracy with socialist notions of economic justice.

        • India will accept the kind of government that is acceptable to its people. No imposition from the British will be acceptable to the people of India.

        • India will work for peace and human welfare.


2. How was the term minority defined by different groups?

Answer:-

Minorities were defined by various groups as follows:

        1. The socialist NG, who was the leader of the peasant movement. Ranga said that the term minority would be interpreted in economic terms. He emphasized that the real minorities are the poor and Dalits, that is, the people of this country. These include tribal people and poor villagers who are exploited by Mahajans, Zamindars, Malguzars and others.

        2. Jaipal Singh, an Adivasi, said the tribes were not a numerical minority but needed protection. They have been degradingly treated and neglected for the last 6,000 years. They have been considered primitive and backward.

        3. Dakshayani Velayudhana of Madras refused to believe that seventy million Harijans should be treated as minorities but their social disabilities should be removed.

        4. J. Nagappa from Madras pointed out that numerically the Depressed Castes were not a minority. They formed between 20 and 25 per cent of the total population. They suffered due to their systematic marginalisation.


3. What were the arguments in favour of greater power to the provinces? 

Answer:-

K. Santaram, a member from Madras, defended the rights of the States in the Constituent Assembly. He emphasized the need to strengthen the states. He was not in favor of delegating more powers with the Centre. He expressed the view that the Center would not be able to discharge its responsibilities efficiently in keeping the excessive burden. If all the states are strengthened, the center will automatically be strengthened. He advocated that less power should be given to the Center and more power to the States. The proposed allocation of powers between the Center and the States was also a matter of concern to Santaram. He felt that such a distribution of power would cripple the states.


4. Why did Mahatma Gandhi think Hindustani should be the national language? 

Answer:-

Mahatma Gandhi thought that Hindustani should be the national language. This was a mixture of Hindi and Urdu and was the popular language of a large section of the Indian population. For many years it included words and sounds from many different sources. This was understood by people in different regions. Mahatma Gandhi thought that this multicultural language would be the ideal language of communication between different communities. It can unite Hindus and Muslims, and northerners and southerners. He also said that to confine oneself to Hindi or Urdu would be an offense against intelligence and the spirit of patriotism.


Write a short essay (250-300 words) on the following: 

Answer:- 


5. What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution? 

Answer:- 

Below are some historical forces that shape the approach to the Constitution. As a result of the Nehru Report, all national leaders adopted certain basic values and the Fundamental Rights Resolution was passed at the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress. Universal adult franchise, the right to liberty and equality and the protection of minority rights were these basic values. After the results of the 1937 elections, the Congress and other political parties were able to form governments in the provinces. This experience with legal and political institutions helped develop an agreement on institutional design. Many colonial laws were the source of the Indian Constitution. The Government of India Act, 1935 was a major law. This ruling, the Indian Constitution adopted many institutional details and processes from colonial law.

The French Revolution also inspired the makers of the Constitution. The working of the Parliamentary democracy in Britain and the Bill of Rights in the USA also inspired the framers of the Constitution.

6. Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups. 

Answer:- 

It was felt that the oppressed classes like tribals and untouchables needed special attention and protection to raise their status and come up to the level of the general population.

Tribal people were considered backward. They were not well accepted in society. They were almost rejected. They needed to be assimilated into society for their advancement. They needed to be brought into the mainstream of society. So they were offered special protection and care.

Untouchables were considered as workers in society. Society used their services but did not give them respectable status. They were considered outcasts and isolated. Their suffering was due to their systematic alignment.

Tribal people have been confiscated their land and deprived of their forests and pastures. Tribals and untouchables had no access to education. They did not participate in the administration. So some laws were needed to improve their situation.

7. What connection did some of the members of the Constituent Assembly make between the political situation of the time and the need for a strong Centre? 

Answer:-

India gained independence from British rule on 15 August It was declared an independent country. But this freedom was also painful. India was partitioned and Pakistan came into existence. This division was marred by sectarian violence. Many leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar were in favor of a strong central government for India. For their perspective, they cited riots and violence that tore the country apart.

It was also felt that a strong center time was needed. Most members of the Constituent Assembly also supported this view. Any deviation from this could jeopardize the interests of the state. Peace, prosperity and political stability were not possible with a weak centre. it would fail to coordinate important issues of general concern.

Gopalaswamy Iyengar therefore urged all members of the Constituent Assembly to "make the Center as strong as possible."

It was also felt that only a strong and united Center could plan for the welfare of the country. Balakrishna Sharma expressed a similar view. It was also felt that it would concentrate all resources, ensure a strong defense against any aggressor, and establish a proper administration.

Almost all members of the Constituent Assembly supported a strong central government. They felt that it was necessary to control the disorder, communal violence and start the economic development of the country.


8. How did the Constituent Assembly seek to resolve the language controversy? 

Map work 

Answer:- India is a very big country. It has different regions. Different types of people live here and speak different languages. Therefore, for a new state like India, it was necessary to pay proper attention to the complexity of different languages.

Hindustani: Hindustani was a choice for the Congress and Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress had already decided to adopt Hindustani as the national language of the country. Mahatma Gandhi also favored the adoption of Hindustani as the national language and strongly supported this vision. he argued that everyone should speak a language that most ordinary people understood. Hindustani was not a new language. This was a mixture of Hindi and Urdu. This was enriched by the exchange of different cultures and most people in the country said.

Hindi: R.V. Dhulekar requested for the adoption of Hindi as the national language. He came from the United Provinces and was a congressman. He wanted Hindi to be used as the language of constitution making. He even said that those who do not know Hindustani are not eligible to be members of the Constituent Assembly.

Language Committee Report: The Language Committee of the Constituent Assembly recommended a compromise formula in its report. This suggested that Hindi in Devanagari script should be the official language of the country and tried to solve the problem. It also recommended that the transition from English to Hindi should be gradual. It was also suggested that during the first fifteen years after the adoption of the Constitution, English would continue to serve for official purposes. It was clear, therefore, that the Language Committee referred to Hindi as the official language, not as the national language.

Threat to the South: Members of the Constituent Assembly, which included South India, were apprehensive about this approach. They felt that Hindi would be a threat to their provincial language. Shankar Rao from Bombay. Madras T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar and Smt. Durgabai suggested that the issue of language must be strictly and controlled. Hindi should not be insisted upon the people of South India.



9. On a present-day political map of India, indicate the different languages spoken in each state and mark out the one that is designated as the language for official communication. Compare the present map with a map of the early 1950s. What differences do you notice? Do the differences say something about the relationship between language and the organisation of the states? 

Answer:-


Project (Choose One) 

10. Choose any one important constitutional change that has happened in recent years. Find out why the change was made, what different arguments were put forward for the change, and the historical background to the change. If you can, try and look at the Constitutional Assembly Debates (http:// parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/debates.htm) to see how the issue was discussed at that time. Write about your findings. 

Answer:-


11. Compare the Constitution of America, France or South Africa with the Indian Constitution, focusing on any two of the following themes: secularism, minority rights, realtions between the Centre and the states. Find out how these differences and similarities are linked to the histories of the regions. 

Answer:-



Type By- Bikash Bora

DABP006769