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Class 12 History – Chapter 15 | Framing and the Constitution NCERT CBSE Notes

 

🏛️ Class 12 History – Chapter 15

✳️ Framing and the Constitution || NCERT CBSE Notes

📜 Indian Constitution

🔹 The Indian Constitution is the largest written constitution in the world.
🔹 Drafted between 9 December 1946 – 28 November 1949, with 11 sessions and 165 days of sittings.
🔹 Took 2 years, 11 months, 18 days to prepare, costing around ₹64 lakh.
🔹 Defines the Indian system of governance, state-center relations, and functions of main organs of the state.
🔹 Crafted by leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – a monumental nation-building effort.

⚡ Period of Upheaval

🔹 The years before 26 January 1950 were turbulent yet hopeful:

  • Quit India Movement ✊

  • Azad Hind Fauj efforts 💣

  • Royal Indian Navy revolt (1946) ⚓

  • Workers & peasants movements 👩‍🌾👨‍🏭
    🔹 But the Hindu-Muslim riots and Partition 🕊️💔 were moments of disillusionment.
    🔹 The Constitution helped heal past wounds and united Indians across classes, castes & communities.

📝 Demands of the Constitution

🔹 Mahatma Gandhi (1922) – India’s political future must be decided by Indians themselves 🇮🇳.
🔹 Government of India Act (1935) – an attempt to fulfill Indian aspirations.
🔹 Congress demand (1935) – Constitution to be made without foreign interference.
🔹 1938-39 – Jawaharlal Nehru & Congress Working Committee demanded a Constituent Assembly of Indians.

🏛️ Formation of Constituent Assembly

🔹 Formed in 1946 as per Cabinet Mission Plan.
🔹 Total members: 389 → 296 from British India, 93 from princely states.
🔹 Seats proportional to population: 1 member per 1 million people.
🔹 Province-wise allocation (296 members):

  • General: 213

  • Muslims: 79

  • Sikhs: 4
    🔹 Members elected by provincial legislatures, not universal suffrage.

🌟 Political Composition

🔹 Congress dominated due to landslide victory in provincial elections.
🔹 Muslim League mostly boycotted and pursued Pakistan demand.
🔹 Socialists initially stayed away, viewing it as a British-created institution.
🔹 Result: 82% members were from Congress.
🔹 Congress members had diverse ideologies:

  • Some inspired by socialism ✊

  • Some supported Zamindari 🏡

  • Some close to communal parties, others staunchly secular ☮️

💬 Discussions in the Constituent Assembly

🔹 Debates in the Constituent Assembly were influenced by public opinion 🗣️.
🔹 Arguments of different parties were printed in newspapers 📰 and publicly debated.
🔹 Suggestions from citizens were invited to ensure collective participation 🤝.
🔹 Language minorities demanded protection of their mother tongues 🗣️.

🌟 Main Leaders / Key Voices

🔹 Total members: 300, but 6 leaders played a crucial role:

  • Jawaharlal Nehru 🇮🇳

  • Vallabhbhai Patel 💪

  • Rajendra Prasad 🏛️

  • B.R. Ambedkar 📜

  • K.M. Munshi ✒️

  • Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer ⚖️

🔹 Administrative officers:

  • B.N. Rao – Constitutional Adviser 📝

  • S.N. Mukherjee – Chief Planner 📊

📌 Important Facts About the Constitution

  • First meeting: 9 December 1946 (boycotted by Muslim League)

  • Provisional Speaker: Dr. Satchidanand Sinha

  • Second meeting: 11 December 1946

  • Permanent Chairman: Rajendra Prasad

  • Third meeting: 13 December 1946 – Nehru introduced Objectives Resolution

  • Members: 389

  • President: Dr. Rajendra Prasad

  • Drafting Committee Chairman: B.R. Ambedkar

  • Constitutional Adviser: B.N. Rao

  • Duration of Drafting: 2 years, 11 months, 18 days

  • Completed: 26 November 1949

  • Enacted: 26 January 1950

  • Sessions: 11 meetings, 165 days of sittings

  • Head of Interim Government: Jawaharlal Nehru

  • Muslim League joined Interim Government: 13 October 1946

🎯 Objectives Resolution (13 December 1946)

🔹 Presented by Jawaharlal Nehru:

  • Declared India an independent, sovereign republic 🇮🇳

  • Citizens guaranteed justice, equality & freedom ⚖️✊

  • Protective provisions for minorities, backward & tribal areas, and oppressed classes 🛡️

🔹 Nehru emphasized framework of democracy emerging from discussions, not borrowed from elsewhere 🌐.
🔹 Proposed National Flag 🇮🇳: tricolor – saffron, white, dark green, with dark blue circle (Ashoka Chakra) in the center.
🔹 Vallabhbhai Patel – key behind-the-scenes role in drafting reports & consensus-building 🤝

📜 Role of B.R. Ambedkar & Drafting Committee

🔹 Eminent jurist & economist B.R. Ambedkar – Chairman of the Drafting Committee 🏛️
🔹 Assisted by K.M. Munshi (Gujarat) & Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer (Madras) ✒️
🔹 Responsible for getting the draft passed in Assembly – took 3 years 📚
🔹 Printed records of discussions published in huge volumes 📖

🟥 Communist Member – Somnath Lahiri

🔹 Communist member Somnath Lahiri ⚒️ highlighted British influence in the Assembly.
🔹 In 1946–47, discussions occurred while British were still in India 🏴
🔹 Interim Government, led by Nehru, functioned under Viceroy & London supervision 🌐
🔹 Lahiri warned that the Assembly was originally created by British and was implementing British plans 🧐

⚖️ The Problem of Separate Electorates

🔹 On 27 August 1947, B. Pokar Bahadur (Madras) gave a speech supporting separate electorates 🗳️.
🔹 Most nationalist leaders strongly opposed it, calling it fatal for the nation:

  • RV Dhulekar, Sarkar Patel, Govind Vallabh Pant, Begum Aijaz Rasool ✊
    🔹 Sardar Patel: “Separate electorate is a poison that has permeated politics. If you want peace, remove it immediately.” ☠️
    🔹 G.B. Pant: It harms both the nation and minorities. Majority communities must understand and support minority aspirations 💞.
    🔹 Outcome: By 1949, majority of Muslim members agreed against separate electorates. Muslims were encouraged to actively participate in democracy 🗳️.

🌿 Tribals and Their Rights

🔹 Jaipal Singh, an Adivasi leader, highlighted exploitation, oppression, and discrimination faced by tribals ⚡.
🔹 Emphasized integration into mainstream and reservation of seats in legislature 🏛️ to amplify their voices.

🟢 Provisions for Depressed Classes

🔹 Depressed Classes = 20–25% of population, historically marginalized 🧑‍🤝‍🧑.
🔹 Faced untouchability, denial of education & jobs, and exclusion from public places ❌.
🔹 Constitutional provisions:

  • Untouchability abolished 🚫

  • Hindu temples opened to all 🛕

  • Reservation in legislature and government jobs 🏛️
    🔹 Goal: Behavioral & social change to ensure inclusion 💪.

🏢 Powers of the State

🔹 Debates on division of power between central & state governments.
🔹 Constitution provides 3 lists of subjects:

  1. Central List – Central Government laws 🏛️

  2. State List – State Government laws 🏞️

  3. Concurrent List – Both can legislate ⚖️
    🔹 Central govt more powerful – ensures peace, security & international representation 🌐.
    🔹 States have powers for land/property taxes, sales tax, liquor tax 💰.

🏛️ Santhanam's View on Powers

🔹 K. Santhanam emphasized strong center with empowered states ⚖️.
🔹 States must have financial autonomy 💵 to function independently.
🔹 Warning: Excessive centralization could lead to rebellion & instability ⚠️.

💪 Need for Strong Government

🔹 Post-Partition events reinforced strong central government.
🔹 Leaders like Nehru, Ambedkar, Gopalaswami Iyer advocated strong centre 🏛️.
🔹 Pre-Partition agreements giving autonomy to provinces were reconsidered.

🗣️ National Language Debate

🔹 Debates in the Constituent Assembly were intense & emotional 💬.
🔹 Hindi accepted as national language by 1930s (Gandhi & Congress) 🇮🇳.
🔹 Hindi = combination of Sanskrit, Urdu, regional languages ✒️.
🔹 Gradually Hindi & Urdu separated, with Hindi taking more Sanskrit words 📝.

🟡 Arguments for Hindi

🔹 R.V. Dhulekar argued for Hindi as national & official language 📜.
🔹 Languages Committee Report:

  • Hindi (Devanagari script) official language

  • Transition gradual – first 15 years post-independence, English also used 🌐

  • Provinces can choose own official language 🏞️

⚠️ Fear of Hindi Domination

🔹 S.G. Durgabai highlighted protests in South India 🗣️.
🔹 Fear: Hindi might suppress provincial languages & cultural heritage ⚠️.
🔹 Need for mutual understanding among all linguistic communities 🤝.




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