Question 1.
What were the ideals expressed in the Objectives Resolution?
Answer:
The “Objectives Resolution” outlined the ideals of the Constitution of Independent India as mentioned below:
- Independent sovereign republic: India will be an independent state without any foreign or internal control. Its head will be elected by the people.
- Justice, equality and freedom: It will guarantee its citizens justice, equality and freedom.
- Safeguards for minorities: It assured that “adequate safeguards shall be provided for minorities, backward and tribal areas, and Depressed and Other Backward Classes”.
Question 2.
How was the term minority defined by different groups?
Answer:
- N.G. Ranga, a socialist who had been a leader of the peasant movement, urged that the term minorities be interpreted in economic terms. The real minorities were the poor and the downtrodden.
- Some considered that the real minorities were the masses of our country who were so depressed and oppressed that they were to even able to take advantage of the ordinary civil rights. Singh spoke eloquently on the need to protect the tribes, and ensure conditions that could help them come up to the level of the general population.
Question 3.
What were the arguments in favour of greater power to the provinces?
Answer:
- K. Santharam, a member from the Madras defended the rights of the states in the Constituent Assembly. He emphasized the need to strengthen the states. He was not in favour of vesting more powers with the Centre.
- He was of the opinion the Centre would not be able to perform its duties efficiently in case it is over-burdened. The Centre will become automatically strong if all states are made stronger. He advocated that the Centre should be given less powers and states should be given more powers. Proposed allocation of powers between the Centre and States was also a matter of concern for K. Santharam. He felt that such a distribution of power would cripple the states.
Question 4.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi think Hindustani should be the national language?
Answer:
- Mahatma Gandhi thought that Hindustani should be the national language. It was a blend of Hindi and Urdu and was a popular language of a large section of the people of India. Over the years it had incorporated words and terms from very many different sources. It was understood by people from various regions.
- Mahatma Gandhi thought that this multi-cultural language would be the ideal language of communication between diverse communities. It could unify the Hindus and Muslims, and people of the north and the south. He also stated that to confine oneself to Hindi or Urdu would be a crime against intelligence and the spirit of patriotism.
Question 5.
What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution?
Answer:
- Following are some historical forces which shaped the vision of the Constitution. Certain basic values were accepted by all national leaders as a result of the Nehru Report and the Fundamental Rights Resolution passed the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress. Universal Adult Franchise, Right to Freedom and Equality and Protection of minority rights were these basic values.
- After the results of 1937 elections, the Congress and other political parties were able to form the governments in the provinces. This experience with legislative and political institutions helped in developing an agreement over institutional design. Many colonial laws were also the sources of the Indian Constitution. Government of India Act, 1935 was a major one.
- This wary, the Indian Constitution adopted many institutional details and procedures from the colonial laws. 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.
Question 6.
Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups.
Answer:
The different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups were as mentioned below:
- It was argued that the problem of the “Untouchables” could not be resolved through protection and safeguards alone. Their disabilities were caused by the social norms and the moral values of caste society that had used their services and labour but kept them at a social distance.
- J. Nagappa from Madras pointed out that the suffering of the Depressed Classes was i due to their systematic marginalization and not due to their numerical insignificance. They had no access to education, or share in the administration.
- K.J. Khanderkar from the Central Provinces argued that the Depressed Classes had been suppressed for thousands of years to such an extent that their bodies and minds we’re not able to march forward
Question 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:
The Constitution of India was framed between December 1946 and December 1949. It was a trouble-some time. There were riots and violence. There was the rising of the ratings of the Royal India Navy in Bombay and other cities in the spring of 1946. The violence culminated in the massacres that accompanied the transfer of populations when the Partition of India was announced. Some members of the Constituent Assembly made connection between the above political situation of the time and the need for a strong Centre as mentioned below:
- Referring to riots and violence in the country, many members had repeatedly stated that the powers of the Centre had to be greatly strengthened to enable it to stop the communal frenzy.
- Gopalaswami Ayyangar declared that “the Centre should be made as strong as possible”.
- Balakrishna Sharma from the United Provinces reasoned at length that only a strong Centre could plan for the well-being of the country, mobilise the available economic resources and establish a proper administration.
Question 8.
How did the Constituent Assembly seek to resolve the language controversy?
Answer:
There were two main views about the language of the nation as mentioned below:
- A plea for Hindi: R.V. Dhulekar, from the United Provinces made a strong plea that Hindi be used as the language of making the constitution. He wanted Hindi to be declared a National Language.
- The fear of domination: Shrimati Durgabai from Madras explained her worries. She informed the house that there was strong opposition against Hindi in the South. She stated that the erosion of inclusive and composite character of Hindustani was bound to create anxieties and fears amongst different language groups.
In view of the above differences, some members appealed for a spirit of accommodation and asked the members not to push the cause of Hindi aggressively. Thus, the language controversy was solved in the following way:
- Hindi in the Devanagari script would be the official language.
- Transition to Hindi would be gradual.
- For the first fifteen years, English would continue to be used for all official purposes.
- Each province was allowed to choose one of the regional languages for official work within the province.
Thus, referring to Hindi as the official rather that of the national language it was hoped that it would be acceptable to all.
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