._Discuss_the_Perceptions_of_the_Constituent_Assembly_Regarding_the_Future_of_Indian_Polity.

.  Discuss the perceptions of the Constituent Assembly regarding the future of Indian Polity.   Introduction- To know the perceptions of the framers of the Indian Constitution about the future Indian Polity, we have to go back to Nehru Report which published in 1928. This report is the “Blue Print of the Indian Constitution”. In fact, Nehru Report was the outcome of the Indians themselves trying for the first time to frame their own Constitution. It embodied almost all the perceptions which later on were included in the Indian Constitution. On Dec 13’1946, Prof. J. Nehru presented the Objective Resolution before the Constitution Assembly. It included all those aims and aspirations of the Indian people upon which the future Constitution of the country was to be based. While introducing Resolution in the assembly Nehru stated that thee objectives were the ‘solemn pledge to the people’ made easier. This solemn pledge was redeemed when the objectives were included in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. Constitution Assembly & its perception of future Indian Polity – Let us discuss the following various aspects of future Indian polity Constituted by the Constituent Assembly:- A-     Popular Sovereignty- The framers of the Indian Constitution considered the people as the ultimate source of sovereignty. The supreme authority in India is vested in her people who exercise this authority through their elected representatives elected on the basis of universal adult franchise. They are empowered to change their representatives if they feel the necessity to do so. B-      Liberal Democracy- The framers of the Indian Constitution were greatly influenced by the liberal democratic traditions and institutions. This is the reason that when they were called upon to frame the Constitution of the country, they included a large number of liberal and democratic features in this constitution. For instance, the provision of multi-party system and of free competition among various political parties was made, the principle of majority rule has been accepted, and the Judiciary has been made independent and so on. C-      Democratic Socialism- The framers of the Indian constitution were considered that the solution to the social and economic problems of the country lay in the adoption of socialism. But we must know that the basis of Indian socialism is neither the philosophy of Marxian Socialism by democratic means nor the respect & dignity of the individual is of the highest value for us. Out target is to end all economic inequalities by democratic means & to meet the basic needs of all the people in the country. D-     Secularism- The framers of the Indian Constitution very well knew that the solution to the problems of different religions in India lay in the adoption of secularism. Secularism ensures the development of all religions. It teaches the people, the noble ideal of tolerance and co-existence and thus assures security to the religious minorities. Hence, because of the above cited factors the Indian Constitution grants freedom of religious to all its citizens. It also ensures the end of all sorts of discriminations based on religion. No tax in the name of religion can b derived by the state. Religious education in government educational institution has been banned. E-      Republic- The framers of the Indian Constitution, was to make India a republic. Republic is that form of government in which the supreme authority vests with the people and their representatives. The supreme executive head of the republic is elected directly or indirectly by the people of the state for a fixed tenure. Thus, we have rejected the idea of the establishment of a monarchial form of government in India. F-      Parliamentary Government- The framers of the Indian Constitution believed in the establishment of a Parliamentary form of government both at the centre and state level because the people of India had the experience of working the limited form of Parliamentary Government as established in India through the Government of India Acts of 1919 &1935. Further, the efficiency of this form of government can be put to test from time to time.  G-     Federal Polity With Strong Centre- The framers of the Indian Constitution were of the view that with the formation of separate state of Pakistan the demand for further separation will be end. Because of this factor the makers of the Constitution were in the beginning in favor of giving more powers to states than the one to the Centre and also favored the idea of giving the residuary powers to the federating units. But after the attainment of independence, such conditions arose that the separate tendencies again rose their ‘ugly head and the unity and integrity of the Indian Union was again endangered. Kashmir was attacked by the tribal raiders assisted by Pakistan. Many Princes of the Indian States also began thinking of declaring their independence. Thus, considering the above cited political environment, the framers of the Indian Constitution provided for a strong centre for the federal government. H-     Maintenance Of The Unity And Integrity Of The Country- The framers of the Indian Constitution, considered the unity and integrity of the country more important than the freedom to the citizens. While the Federal Republics have been embodied in the Indian Constitution it is also provided that the state can limit these rights in order to safeguard the unity & integrity of the country or to maintain public peace and order. In addition to this, the right to legislate on a subject of national importance has been given to the Parliament. Also in the event of a danger to the unity & integrity of India and financial instability, the President of India has been empowered to declare an emergency during which he wields vast powers. I-        Decentralization Of Powers- Although the Constitution of India has made many provisions to strengthen Centre vis-à-vis the states but at the same time under the influence of M.K. Gandhi, the makers of the Indian Constitution did not ignore to strengthen democracy at the gram-root level. In order to fulfill this objective, the Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of village Panchayat Raj institutions. Thus, provisions have been made for the decentralization of power down up to the village level. J-       Mixed Economy- The framers of the Indian Constitution adopted mixed economy so that a state of competition may prevail between the private and the public sectors. They gave to the individual, the right to acquire, hold and dispose to property, but at the same time made a provision that the state would be able to acquire, hold and dispose of property to safeguard the public interests and those of the government. Thus, the provision for the public sector co-existing with the private sector has been made. For example:- the industrial policy of independent India declared in 1948 has also provided for a mixed economy. K-      Provides Social, Economic And Political Justice- A perusal of the ‘Objective Resolution’ of the Constituent Assembly and the “Preamble’ of the Indian Constitution clearly reveals that the framers of the Indian Constitution were determined to give social, economic and political justice to the people of the country, with social justice Article- 14-18 of the Indian Constitution make provisions for the abolition of social inequalities. For the fulfillment of economic justice Articles-38, 39, & 41 have been included in the chapters of DPSP. For achieving political justice, the Constitution empowers each adult citizen of the country with the right to caste vote, contest election, & to criticize government, etc. L-       Protection Of The Interests Of SCs & STs- The members of the SCs & STs had been discriminated against from their very moment of birth; this led to their backwardness in various fields of life. The Constituent Assembly was faced with the problem of giving justice to these people so that they too may be able to enjoy the fruits of the Independence of the country, thus, in order to protect the interests of the members of SCs & STs, elaborate provisions have been made in the present Constitution. M-   Protection Of The Interests Of Minorities- A number of minorities based on religion and language exist in India. After 1947, when the Muslims got a separate state of Pakistan, a sense of insecurity was created in minds of the minorities of India. The Muslim leaders also propagated that India is primarily a Hindu majority state and it created a sense of insecurity in the minds of the various Indian minorities based on religion and language. They also asserted that the interests of minorities will not be safe in a Hindu India. Besides this, some people in India were also advocating the establishment of a Hindu state which also creates a sense of insecurity among minorities. The framers of the Indian Constitution were very well acquainted with the above- cited facts. Therefore, they included Article- 25- 30 in the Constitution in order to safeguard the interests of the minorities in the country. Articles- 25 - 28 give religious freedom and Articles- 29 - 30 provide for cultural and educational rights to the minorities in the country. N-     Promotion Of World Peace- The national leaders had been always criticizing imperialism, colonialism & racialism and stood for internal peace and brotherhood. They were not even in favor of protecting the national interests at the cost of internal peace & unity. Thus, they were bound to promote co-operation and friendship among various countries of the world. The evidence of their belief in promotion of internal peace is vested in Article- 51 of the Constitution. Conclusion- We have narrated above those perceptions which were like solemn pledges for the makers of the Indian Constitution. In fact, during the course of the freedom struggle, the Indian national leaders had formed a sort of perceptions about independent India. After the attainment of Political Independence of the country they had got the opportunity to transmute those perceptions into reality in Independent India. They termed their utmost to frame a Constitution for the country which would assure all sorts of justice to the centuries and down-trodden people of India needless to state that they were able to achieve this goal to a considerable extent.      | |