The Making of the Constitution Test - 3

The correct answer is Mahatma Gandhi.

Key Points

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbander in Gujarat.
• He is also known as the “father of India” and a “great soul”.
• Gandhi brought Satyagraha to India in 1915. He started the non-cooperation movement against the British Government due to the Jalliahwallah Massacre incident.
• Gandhi started the Civil disobedience movement on March 30, 1930.
• Gandhi started Dandi March with 78 followers to break the salt law.it was started from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, the west coast of Gujarat, where he and his acolytes harvested salt on the shores of the Arabian Sea.
• In 1942 he began the Quit India movement and told the British to leave India. his message was” Do and Die”.

Important Points

B.R Ambedkar

• BR Ambedkar is known as the “Father of Indian Constitution”.
• Babasaheb Ambedkar was Chairman of the Drafting Committee, which was given the responsibility to write India's new Constitution.
• The Constituent Assembly formally approved the draft Constitution on 26 November 1949.

Jawaharlal Nehru

• He was the First Prime Minister of India for 17 years.
• He was Chairman of the Union Power Committee and Union Constitution Committee of Constituent Assembly.
• “Over Resolution” is moved by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. It was laid down the fundamentals and philosophy of the constitution.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the first home minister of independent India.
• He was Chairman of the Provincial Constitution Committee.
• He was head of the Advisory Committee set up by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1947.
• He was responsible for minorities, tribal and excluded areas, fundamental rights, and provincial constitutions.

The correct answer is France.

Key Points

• The ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity enshrined in the Constitution of India are borrowed from the constitution of France.
• Liberty: The idea of Liberty refers to the freedom of the activities of Indian nationals.
• Equality: This envisages that no section of the society enjoys special privileges and individuals are provided with adequate opportunities without any discrimination.
• Fraternity: This refers to a feeling of brotherhood and a sense of belonging with the country among its people.
• Indian Constitution has absorbed many features from other nations' constitutions that suited Indian problems and aspirations.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2

Key Points

NG Ranga, a socialist and a leader of the peasant movement welcomed the Objective Resolution and urged that the term minority be interpreted in economic terms.

• The real minorities are poor and downtrodden. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• NG Ranga welcomed all legal and civil rights granted by the constitution to its citizen but said these rights can only be enjoyed when suitable conditions or opportunities are provided.
• Therefore to make the condition of the poor and downtrodden better and protect them, there is a need for much more than this resolution.
• Ranga also talked about the huge gap between the masses of India and their representatives in the assembly.
• Most members of the constituent assembly do not belong to the masses.
• But, they are representing them as their trustees, their companions, and trying their best to work for them.
• GB Pant in a debate said the separate electorate is not only harmful to the nation but also for minorities.
  • He said that the majority community had an obligation to try and understand the problem of minorities and empathize with their aspirations.
  • The demand for a separate electorate would permanently isolate the minorities and will make them vulnerable in addition it will deprive them of any effective say within government.
• All these arguments against a separate electorate were based on the unity of the nation, where every individual is a citizen of a state, and each group had to be assimilated within the nation. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

In 1934, the idea of a Constituent Assembly was put forward by the M.N. Roy and in 1935, the Indian National Congress(INC) for the first time, officially demanded a Constituent Assembly to frame the Constitution of India.

Important Points

The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.

• It held its first meeting on December 9, 1946.
• The Muslim League boycotted the meeting and insisted on a separate state of Pakistan.
• The Meeting was attended by 211 members.
• Following the French practice, Dr Sachchidananda Singh was elected as the temporary President of the Assembly as he was the oldest member.
• Later, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent President of the Assembly.
• H.C. Mookerjee and V.T. Krishnamachari were elected as the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly.
• Dr B. R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

As Dr Rajendra prasad was the permanent President of the Assembly, thus, we will say that the first President of the Constituent Assembly of India is Dr Rajendra Prasad.

The correct answer is It stated that India shall be a Union of erstwhile British Indian Territories  only.

Key Points

• The fundamental source of the philosophy of the Indian Constitution is the objective resolution it was as under:-

1. Constituent Assembly declares India as an Independent, sovereign, republic and to draw up for her future governance a constitution.
2. India shall be the union of states, consisting of all princely states and erstwhile British Indian Territories 
3. All powers and authority of India and the Government are derived from the people.
4. People will get guarantees about justice, equality, and liberty.
5. Adequate safeguards shall be provided for minorities, backward and depressed.
6. Whereby shall be maintained the integrity of the territory of the Republic.
7. The state will contribute to the promotion of the world's peace and the welfare of mankind. 

Additional Information

• Objective Resolution contained the basic ideology and philosophy upon which our Constitution is based. 
• The Objective Resolution was moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 December 1946.
• It defines the aim of the Constituent Assembly.
• The preamble of the Constitution is based on the Objective Resolution.
• The resolution was adopted by the Assembly unanimously on 22nd January 1947

The Cripps Mission was sent by the British government to India in March 1942 to obtain Indian cooperation for the British war efforts in the 2nd World War. It was headed by Sir Richard Stafford Cripps, a labour minister in Winston Churchill’s coalition government in Britain.

Important Points Proposals of Cripps Mission:

• Setting up of an Indian dominion. This dominion would have the freedom to remain with the British Commonwealth or to secede from it. It would also be at liberty to take part in international organisations.
• A Constituent Assembly would be formed to frame a new constitution for the country. This Assembly would have members elected by the provincial assemblies and also nominated by the princes.
• Any province unwilling to join the Indian dominion could form a separate union and have a separate constitution.
• The transfer of power and the rights of minorities would be safeguarded by negotiations between the Constituent Assembly and the British government.
• In the meantime, until this new constitution came into force, India’s defence would be controlled by the British and the powers of the Governor-General would remain unaltered.

Thus, it is clear that the proposal for framing of the Constitution of India by an elected Constituent Assembly was made by Cripps Mission.

The incorrect answer option is the Union Constitution Committee: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Key Points

• Several committees were appointed by the constituent assembly to deal with the different task of constitution-making.
• 8 were major committees and others were minor committees.

List of Important Committees and their Chairperson:

The correct answer is option 3, i.e. Sachchidananda Sinha.

• Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the temporary President of the Constituent Assembly (following the French practice).
• The constituent assembly held its first meeting on December 9, 1946.
• Later on, on December 11, 1946, Dr Rajendra Prasad and H C Mukharjee were elected as the President and Vice-President of the Assembly respectively.
• Sir B N Rau was appointed as the Constitutional advisor to the Assembly.
• When it met as the legislative assembly, it was chaired by G V Mavlankar.
• G V Mavlankar was also the first speaker of Lok Sabha.

• Lord Mountbatten came to India as the last Viceroy and was assigned the task of a speedy transfer of power by the then British Prime Minister Clement Atlee.
• In May 1947, Mountbatten came up with a plan under which he proposed that the provinces be declared independent successor states and then be allowed to choose whether to join the constituent assembly or not.
• This plan was accepted by both the Congress and the Muslim League. By then, the Congress had also accepted the inevitability of the partition.
• This plan was put into action by the Indian Independence Act 1947 which was passed in the British Parliament and received royal assent on 18 July 1947.

Additional Information

• Provisions of the Mountbatten Plan
  • British India was to be partitioned into two dominions – India and Pakistan.
  • The constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly would not be applicable to the Muslim-majority areas (as these would become Pakistan). The question of a separate constituent assembly for the Muslim-majority areas would be decided by these provinces.
  • As per the plan, the legislative assemblies of Bengal and Punjab met and voted for the partition. Accordingly, it was decided to partition these two provinces along religious lines.
  • The legislative assembly of Sind would decide whether to join the Indian constituent assembly or not. It decided to go to Pakistan.
  • A referendum was to be held on NWFP (North-Western Frontier Province) to decide which dominion to join. NWFP decided to join Pakistan while Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan boycotted and rejected the referendum.

The correct answer is B. N. Rau.

• Benegal Narsimha Rau was an Indian Administrative Service officer and judge of the International Court of Justice.

Key Points

• He was also known as an advisor to the Indian Constitution.
• He and Sri Sachchidananda Sinha created the first draft of the Indian Constitution.
• He actively participated in drafting the Constitution of India.
• He has the distinction of being a permanent judge of the International Court of Justice.
• The constituent assembly was elected to frame the constitution of India and after India's Independence, its members were the members of India’s first parliament.
• The president of the constituent assembly was Rajendra Prasad and the chairman of the drafting committee was B.R. Ambedkar.

Additional Information

• Pattabhi Sitaramayya was a political leader of Andhra Pradesh and an Indian independence activist.
• In 1916, Lucknow session of the Congress, he demanded the formation of a separate Congress for Andhra which was opposed by Mahatma Gandhi. 
• Alladi Krishnaswamy was a lawyer and member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
• He was the advocate General of Madras from 1929 to 1944. 

Important Points

• The constituent assembly was set up on 6th December 1946.
  • It was formed under the provisions of the cabinet mission plan.
  • The constitution of India was framed by the constituent assembly.
  •  It took 2 years, 11 months​ , and 18 days to frame the constitution of India.
  • The first meeting of the constituent assembly was held on  9th December 1946.
  • Dr. Sachidanda Sinha was elected as the temporary president of the assembly during its first meeting.
  • Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent president of the constituent assembly on 11th December 1946.
  • H C Mukharjee and V. T. Krishnamachari was the vice president of the constituent assembly.
  • B. N Rao was the constitutional advisor of the constituent assembly.
• Dr.B. R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee.
• Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the objective resolution in the constituent assembly on 13th December 1946.
  • He was the chairman of the union constitution committee.
• Sardar Patel was the chairman of the committee on fundamental rights and minorities.