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Constituent Assembly of India: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Unicameral assembly for making the Constitution of India}} | {{short description|Unicameral assembly for making the Constitution of India}} | ||
{{More citations needed| date= March 2022}} | |||
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}} | {{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} | ||
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| legislature = | | legislature = | ||
| coa_pic = Seal of the Constituent Assembly of India.svg | | coa_pic = Seal of the Constituent Assembly of India.svg | ||
| coa_caption = Seal of the Constituent Assembly | | coa_caption = Seal of the Constituent Assembly | ||
| coa_res = | | coa_res = | ||
| coa_alt = | | coa_alt = | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
| body = | | body = | ||
| term_limits = | | term_limits = | ||
| foundation = {{Start date|df=yes|1946| | | foundation = {{Start date|df=yes|1946|12|09}} | ||
| disbanded = {{End date|df=yes|1950|01|25}} | | disbanded = {{End date|df=yes|1950|01|25}} | ||
| preceded_by = [[Imperial Legislative Council]] | | preceded_by = [[Imperial Legislative Council]] | ||
| succeeded_by = [[Parliament of India]] | | succeeded_by = [[Parliament of India]] (1950)<br />[[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] (1947) | ||
| new_session = | | new_session = | ||
| leader1_type = Temporary Chairman | | leader1_type = Temporary Chairman | ||
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| party2 = [[Indian National Congress|INC]] | | party2 = [[Indian National Congress|INC]] | ||
| leader3_type = Vice President | | leader3_type = Vice President | ||
| leader3 = [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee|H. C. Mookerjee]]<br />[[ | | leader3 = [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee|H. C. Mookerjee]]<br />[[V. T. Krishnamachari]] | ||
| party3 = | | party3 = | ||
| leader4_type = Chairman of the Drafting Committee | | leader4_type = Chairman of the Drafting Committee | ||
| leader4 = [[B. R. Ambedkar| | | leader4 = [[B. R. Ambedkar]] | ||
| party4 = [[Scheduled Castes Federation|SCF]] | |||
| leader5_type = Constitutional Advisor | | leader5_type = Constitutional Advisor | ||
|leader5 | | leader5 = [[B. N. Rau]] | ||
| seats = 389 <small>(December 1946 – June 1947)</small><br/>299 <small>(August 1947 – January 1950)</small> | |||
| seats = 389 <small>( | |||
| house1 = | | house1 = | ||
| structure1 = Constituent Assembly of India 1946.svg | | structure1 = Constituent Assembly of India 1946.svg | ||
| Line 48: | Line 47: | ||
| committees1 = | | committees1 = | ||
| joint_committees = | | joint_committees = | ||
| voting_system1 = Single | | voting_system1 = [[Single transferable vote]] | ||
| last_election1 = | | last_election1 = | ||
| next_election1 = | | next_election1 = | ||
| Line 58: | Line 57: | ||
| motto = | | motto = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''The Constituent Assembly of India''' was elected to frame the [[Constitution of India]]. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following [[India's independence]] from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as the 'Provisional Parliament of India'. | |||
The idea for a Constituent Assembly was proposed in December 1934 by [[M. N. Roy]], a pioneer of the [[Socialism in India|Communist movement in India]] and an advocate of [[radical democracy]]. It became an official demand of the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1935. The Indian National Congress held its session at Lucknow in April 1936 presided by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. The official demand for Constituent Assembly was raised and [[Government of India Act 1935|Government of India Act, 1935]] was rejected as it imposed the Constitution which was against the will of the Indians. [[C. Rajagopalachari]] voiced the demand for a Constituent Assembly on 15 November 1939 based on adult franchise, and was accepted by the British in August 1940. | |||
On 8 August 1940, a statement was made by [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|Viceroy Lord Linlithgow]] about the expansion of the [[Viceroy's Executive Council|Governor-General's Executive Council]] and the establishment of a War Advisory Council. This offer, known as the [[August Offer]], included giving full weight to minority opinions and allowing Indians to draft their own constitution. Under the [[Cabinet Mission Plan]] of 1946, elections were held for the first time for the Constituent Assembly. The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946. The members of the Constituent Assembly were elected by the provincial assemblies by a [[Single transferable vote|single, transferable-vote]] system of proportional representation. The total membership of the Constituent Assembly was 389 of which 292 were representatives of the provinces, 93 represented the [[princely state]]s and four were from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg and British Baluchistan. | On 8 August 1940, a statement was made by [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|Viceroy Lord Linlithgow]] about the expansion of the [[Viceroy's Executive Council|Governor-General's Executive Council]] and the establishment of a War Advisory Council. This offer, known as the [[August Offer]], included giving full weight to minority opinions and allowing Indians to draft their own constitution. Under the [[Cabinet Mission Plan]] of 1946, elections were held for the first time for the Constituent Assembly. The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946. The members of the Constituent Assembly were elected by the provincial assemblies by a [[Single transferable vote|single, transferable-vote]] system of proportional representation. The total membership of the Constituent Assembly was 389 of which 292 were representatives of the provinces, 93 represented the [[princely state]]s and four were from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg and British Baluchistan. | ||
The elections for the 296 seats assigned to the British Indian provinces were completed by August 1946. Congress won 208 seats, and the Muslim League 73. After this election, the Muslim League refused to cooperate with the Congress and the political situation deteriorated. Hindu-Muslim riots began, and the Muslim League demanded a separate constituent assembly for Muslims in India. On 3 June 1947 [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]], the last British Governor-General of India, announced his intention to scrap the Cabinet Mission Plan; this culminated in the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]] and the separate nations of India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act was passed on 18 July 1947 and, although it was earlier declared that India would become independent in June 1948, this event led to independence on 15 August 1947. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, reassembling on 14 August 1947 as a sovereign body and successor to the British parliament's authority in India. | The elections for the 296 seats assigned to the British Indian provinces were completed by August 1946. Congress won 208 seats, and the Muslim League 73. After this election, the Muslim League refused to cooperate with the Congress and the political situation deteriorated. Hindu-Muslim riots began, and the Muslim League demanded a separate constituent assembly for Muslims in India. On 3 June 1947 [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]], the last British Governor-General of India, announced his intention to scrap the Cabinet Mission Plan; this culminated in the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]] and the separate nations of India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act was passed on 18 July 1947 and, although it was earlier declared that India would become independent in June 1948, this event led to independence on 15 August 1947. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, reassembling on 14 August 1947 as a sovereign body and successor to the British parliament's authority in India. | ||
As a result of the partition, under the Mountbatten plan, a separate [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] was established on 3 June 1947. The representatives of the areas incorporated into Pakistan ceased to be members of the Constituent Assembly of India. New elections were held for the West Punjab and East Bengal (which became part of Pakistan, although East Bengal later [[Bangladesh Liberation War|seceded]] to become [[Bangladesh]]); the membership of the Constituent Assembly was 299 after the reorganization, and it met on 31 December 1947. | As a result of the partition, under the Mountbatten plan, a separate [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] was established on 3 June 1947. The representatives of the areas incorporated into Pakistan ceased to be members of the Constituent Assembly of India. New elections were held for the West Punjab and East Bengal (which became part of Pakistan, although East Bengal later [[Bangladesh Liberation War|seceded]] to become [[Bangladesh]]); the membership of the Constituent Assembly was 299 after the reorganization, and it met on 31 December 1947. | ||
The constitution was drafted by 299 delegates from different caste, region religion, gender etc. These delegates sat over 114 days spread over 3 years (2 years 11 months and 18 days to be precise) and discussed what the constitution should contain and what laws should be included. The Drafting Committee of the Constitution was chaired by [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. | The constitution was drafted by 299 delegates from different caste, region, religion, gender etc. These delegates sat over 114 days spread over 3 years (2 years 11 months and 18 days to be precise) and discussed what the constitution should contain and what laws should be included. The Drafting Committee of the Constitution was chaired by [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. | ||
==Description of the constituent assembly== | ==Description of the constituent assembly== | ||
The Constituent Assembly of India, consisting of indirectly elected representatives, was established to draft a constitution for India (including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh). It existed for approx | The Constituent Assembly of India, consisting of '''indirectly elected''' representatives, was established to draft a constitution for India (including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh). It existed for approx three years, the first parliament of India after independence in 1947. The Assembly was not elected based on universal adult suffrage, and Muslims and [[Sikhs]] received special representation as minorities. The Muslim League boycotted the Assembly after failing to prevent its creation. Although a large part of the Constituent Assembly was drawn from the Congress Party in a one-party environment, the Congress Party included a wide diversity of opinions—from conservative industrialists to radical Marxists, to Hindu revivalists. | ||
The Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December 1946, and its last session was held on 24 January 1950.<ref>M. Lakshmikanth, ''Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations'', 3rd ed., (New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, 2011), p. 2.3</ref> The hope of the Assembly was expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru: | The Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December 1946, and its last session was held on 24 January 1950.<ref>M. Lakshmikanth, ''Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations'', 3rd ed., (New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, 2011), p. 2.3</ref> The hope of the Assembly was expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru: | ||
{{ | {{Blockquote|text=The first task of this Assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people, and to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity. This is certainly a great task. Look at India today. We, are sitting here and there in despair in many places, and unrest in many cities. The atmosphere is surcharged with these quarrels and feuds which are called communal disturbances, and unfortunately we sometimes cannot avoid them. But at present the greatest and most important question in India is how to solve the problem of the poor and the starving. Wherever we turn, we are confronted with this problem. If we cannot solve this problem soon, all our paper constitutions will become useless and purposeless. Keeping this aspect in view, who could suggest to us to postpone and wait?|sign=[[Jawaharlal Nehru]]|source=[http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol2p3.htm Constituent Assembly Debates (Proceedings), Vol. II]}} | ||
==Background and election== | ==Background and election== | ||
India was still under British rule when the Constituent Assembly was established following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the [[1946 Cabinet Mission to India]] from the United Kingdom. [[1946 Indian provincial elections|Provincial assembly elections]] were held in early 1946. Constituent Assembly members were elected indirectly by members of the newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces that formed part of [[Pakistan]] (some of which are now in [[Bangladesh]]). The Constituent Assembly had 389 representatives, including fifteen<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dLi6ZIdW6CgswZCGdOA9VM/The-women-who-helped-draft-our-constitution.html|title=The women who helped draft our constitution|last=Ravichandran|first=Priyadarshini|date=11 March 2016|work= | India was still under British rule when the Constituent Assembly was established, following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the [[1946 Cabinet Mission to India]] from the United Kingdom. [[1946 Indian provincial elections|Provincial assembly elections]] were held in early 1946. Constituent Assembly members were elected indirectly by members of the newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces that formed part of [[Pakistan]] (some of which are now in [[Bangladesh]]). The Constituent Assembly had 389 representatives, including fifteen women.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dLi6ZIdW6CgswZCGdOA9VM/The-women-who-helped-draft-our-constitution.html|title=The women who helped draft our constitution|last=Ravichandran|first=Priyadarshini|date=11 March 2016|work=Mint|access-date=2 December 2018}}</ref> | ||
The [[Interim Government of India]] was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly. The [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] held a large majority in the Assembly (69 percent of the seats), and the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] held nearly all the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims. There were also members of smaller parties, such as the [[Scheduled Caste Federation]], the [[Communist Party of India]] and the [[Unionist Party (Punjab)|Unionist Party]]. | The [[Interim Government of India]] was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly. The [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] held a large majority in the Assembly (69 percent of the seats), and the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] held nearly all the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims. There were also members of smaller parties, such as the [[Scheduled Caste Federation]], the [[Communist Party of India]] and the [[Unionist Party (Punjab)|Unionist Party]].{{fact|date=June 2022}} | ||
In June 1947 delegations from [[Sindh]], [[East Bengal]], [[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioners Province)|Baluchistan]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|West Punjab]] and the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier Province]] withdrew to form the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]], meeting in [[Karachi]]. On 15 August 1947 the [[Dominion of India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan]] became independent nations, and members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi became [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]]. Twenty-eight members of the Muslim League joined the Indian Assembly, and 93 members were later nominated from the [[List of Indian Princely States|princely states]] | In June 1947 delegations from [[Sindh]], [[East Bengal]], [[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioners Province)|Baluchistan]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|West Punjab]] and the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier Province]] withdrew to form the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]], meeting in [[Karachi]]. On 15 August 1947 the [[Dominion of India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan]] became independent nations, and members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi became [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]]. Twenty-eight members of the Muslim League joined the Indian Assembly, and 93 members were later nominated from the [[List of Indian Princely States|princely states]]. | ||
==Constitution and elections== | ==Constitution and elections== | ||
{{See also|Constitution of India}} | {{See also|Constitution of India}} | ||
At 11 | At 11 AM on 9 December 1946, the Assembly began its first session, with 211 members attending. The Assembly approved the draft constitution on 26 November 1949. On 26 January 1950, the constitution took effect (commemorated as [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day]]), and the Constituent Assembly became the Provisional Parliament of India (continuing until after the first elections under the new constitution in 1952). | ||
==Organization== | ==Organization== | ||
Dr. [[Rajendra Prasad]] was elected as the president and | Dr. [[Rajendra Prasad]] was elected as the president and [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]], a Christian from Bengal and former vice-chancellor of [[Calcutta University]], was vice-president. Mookerjee, additionally to chairing the assembly's Minorities Committee, was appointed governor of West Bengal after India became a republic. Jurist [[B. N. Rau]] was appointed constitutional adviser to the assembly; Rau prepared the original draft of the constitution and was later appointed a judge in the [[Permanent Court of International Justice]] in [[The Hague]]. | ||
The assembly's work had five stages: | The assembly's work had five stages: | ||
*Committees presented reports on issues. | *Committees presented reports on issues. | ||
*B.N. Rau prepared an initial draft based on the reports and his research into the constitutions of other nations. | *[[B. N. Rau]] prepared an initial draft based on the reports and his research into the constitutions of other nations. | ||
*The drafting committee, chaired by [[B. R. Ambedkar]], presented a detailed draft constitution which was published for public discussion. | *The drafting committee, chaired by [[B. R. Ambedkar]], presented a detailed draft constitution which was published for public discussion. | ||
*The draft constitution was discussed, and amendments proposed and enacted. | *The draft constitution was discussed, and amendments were proposed and enacted. | ||
*The constitution was adopted, with a committee of experts led by the Congress Party (known as the Congress Assembly Party) played a pivotal role.<ref name="parliamentofindia.nic.in">{{cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/facts.htm |title= | *The constitution was adopted, with a committee of experts led by the Congress Party (known as the Congress Assembly Party) played a pivotal role.<ref name="parliamentofindia.nic.in">{{cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/facts.htm |title=FIRST DAY IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY |access-date=12 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511104514/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/facts.htm |archive-date=11 May 2011|website=parliamentofindia.nic.in}}</ref> | ||
=='' | ==''Timeline of Formation of '[[Constitution of India|The Constitution of India]]'''== | ||
*''' | *'''9 December 1946:''' Formation of the Constituent Assembly (demanding a separate state, the Muslim League boycotted the meeting.) | ||
*'''11 December 1946:''' President Appointed | *'''11 December 1946:''' President Appointed – [[Rajendra Prasad]], vice-chairman [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]] and constitutional legal adviser [[B. N. Rau]] (initially 389 members in total, which declined to 299 after [[Partition of India|partition]]. Out of 389, 292 were from government provinces, 4 from chief commissioner provinces and 93 from princely states) | ||
*'''13 December 1946:''' An 'Objective Resolution' was presented by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], laying down the underlying principles of the constitution, which later became the [[Preamble to the Constitution of India|Preamble]] of the constitution. | *'''13 December 1946:''' An 'Objective Resolution' was presented by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], laying down the underlying principles of the constitution, which later became the [[Preamble to the Constitution of India|Preamble]] of the constitution. | ||
*'''22 January 1947:''' Objective resolution unanimously adopted. | *'''22 January 1947:''' Objective resolution unanimously adopted. | ||
*'''22 July 1947:''' [[Flag of India|National flag]] adopted. | *'''22 July 1947:''' [[Flag of India|National flag]] adopted. | ||
*'''15 August 1947:''' Achieved independence. India split into [[Dominion of India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. | *'''15 August 1947:''' Achieved independence. India split into [[Dominion of India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. | ||
*'''29 August 1947:''' Drafting Committee appointed with [[B. R. Ambedkar|Dr. B. R. Ambedkar]] as the | *'''29 August 1947:''' Drafting Committee appointed, with [[B. R. Ambedkar|Dr. B. R. Ambedkar]] as the chairman. Other 6 members of the committee were: [[Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi|K.M.Munshi]], [[Muhammed Saadulah]], [[Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer]], [[N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar|Gopala Swami Ayyangar]], [[N. Madhava Rao]] (He replaced B.L. Mitter who resigned due to ill-health), [[T. T. Krishnamachari]] (He replaced D.P. Khaitan who died in 1948). | ||
*'''16 July 1948:''' Along with [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]], [[V. T. Krishnamachari]] was also elected as the second vice-president of the Constituent Assembly. | *'''16 July 1948:''' Along with [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]], [[V. T. Krishnamachari]] was also elected as the second vice-president of the Constituent Assembly. | ||
*'''26 November 1949:''' 'Constitution of India' passed and adopted by the assembly. | *'''26 November 1949:''' 'Constitution of India' passed and adopted by the assembly. | ||
| Line 113: | Line 112: | ||
== {{anchor|Important Committees and their Chairman}}Committees of the Constituent Assembly == | == {{anchor|Important Committees and their Chairman}}Committees of the Constituent Assembly == | ||
The Constituent Assembly appointed a total of 22 committees to deal with different tasks of constitution-making. Out of these, | The Constituent Assembly appointed a total of 22 committees to deal with different tasks of constitution-making. Out of these, Eight were major committees and the others were minor committees. | ||
'''Major Committees''' | '''Major Committees''' | ||
# Drafting Committee – [[ | # Drafting Committee – [[Bhimrao Ambedkar]] | ||
# Union Power Committee – [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] | # Union Power Committee – [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] | ||
# Union Constitution Committee – [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] | # Union Constitution Committee – [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] | ||
| Line 125: | Line 124: | ||
## Minorities Sub-Committee – [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]], | ## Minorities Sub-Committee – [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee]], | ||
## North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee – [[Gopinath Bordoloi]] | ## North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee – [[Gopinath Bordoloi]] | ||
## Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas ( | ## Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Apart from those in Assam) Sub-Committee – [[Thakkar Bapa|A V Thakkar]] | ||
# Rules of Procedure Committee – [[Rajendra Prasad]] | # Rules of Procedure Committee – [[Rajendra Prasad]] | ||
# States Committee (Committee for negotiating with states) | # States Committee (Committee for negotiating with states) – [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] | ||
# Steering Committee – [[Rajendra Prasad]] | # Steering Committee – [[Rajendra Prasad]] | ||
# National Flag | # Adhoc Committee on the National Flag<ref>{{cite web | url=http://164.100.47.194/loksabha/constituent/facts.html#:~:text=Ad%20hoc%20Committee,Rajendra%20Prasad | title=Lok Sabha }}</ref> – [[Rajendra Prasad]] | ||
# Committee for the function of the Constitution | # Committee for the function of the Constitution Assembly – [[Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar|G V Mavlankar]] | ||
# House Committee | # House Committee – [[Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya|B Pattabhi Sitaramayya]] | ||
# Language Committee | # Language Committee – [[Moturi Satyanarayana]] | ||
# Order of Business Committee | # Order of Business Committee – [[K M Munshi]] | ||
== Criticism == | == Criticism == | ||
The constitution has been, in more recent times, critiqued on the basis of the fact that the members of the Constituent Assembly were chosen | The constitution has been, in more recent times, critiqued on the basis of the fact that the members of the Constituent Assembly were not truly chosen by universal suffrage, but rather were elected by provincial assemblies that themselves were not elected by universal suffrage. {{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} In his book ''The Constitution of India: Miracle, Surrender, Hope,'' [[Rajeev Dhavan]] has argued that the Indian people did not have much say in the making of the Constitution which was they had no choice but to accept.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Vanaik|first=Achin|date=1 May 2019|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/does-constitution-keep-promises|title=Does the Constitution deliver on its promises?|magazine=The Caravan|language=en|access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref> | ||
In his book ''The Constitution of India: Miracle, Surrender, Hope,'' [[Rajeev Dhavan]] has argued that the Indian people did not have much say in the making of the Constitution which was they had no choice but to accept.<ref>{{Cite | |||
==Prominent members== | ==Prominent members== | ||
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}} | {{Div col|colwidth=22em}}* [[Rajendra Prasad]], President of the Constituent Assembly | ||
* [[Bhim Rao Ambedkar]], Finance Minister of Bihar | |||
* [[N. Madhava Rao|Sir N. Madhava Rao]], [[Diwan of Mysore|Dewan of Mysore]] | |||
* [[Rajendra Prasad]], President of the Constituent Assembly | |||
* [[ | |||
* [[ | |||
* [[Deep Narayan Singh]], Cabinet Minister of Bihar | * [[Deep Narayan Singh]], Cabinet Minister of Bihar | ||
* [[Gopinath Bordoloi]], Chief Minister of Assam{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} | * [[Gopinath Bordoloi]], Chief Minister of Assam{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} | ||
| Line 171: | Line 151: | ||
* [[Durgabai Deshmukh]] | * [[Durgabai Deshmukh]] | ||
* [[K. M. Munshi]] | * [[K. M. Munshi]] | ||
* | * [[M. Mohammed Ismael]], President of the Indian Union Muslim League | ||
* [[K. B. Sahay|Krishna Ballabh Sahay]] | * [[K. B. Sahay|Krishna Ballabh Sahay]] | ||
* [[Frank Anthony]], Anglo-Indian representative | * [[Frank Anthony]], Anglo-Indian representative | ||
| Line 181: | Line 161: | ||
* [[Jaipal Singh Munda]], Former Indian Hockey captain, and Tribal leader | * [[Jaipal Singh Munda]], Former Indian Hockey captain, and Tribal leader | ||
* [[Hargovind Pant]] | * [[Hargovind Pant]] | ||
* [[Kala Venkata Rao]], Freedom fighter, AICC general secretary, minister of Madras and later Andhra Pradesh | |||
* [[Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi]], Islamic scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement. | * [[Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi]], Islamic scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement. | ||
* [[Ranbir Singh Hooda]] | |||
{{div col end}} | {{div col end}} | ||
| Line 189: | Line 171: | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] | ! [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] | ||
| | | [[O. V. Alagesan]], [[Ammu Swaminathan]], [[M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar]], [[Moturi Satyanarayana]], [[Dakshayani Velayudhan]], [[G. Durgabai]], [[Kala Venkatarao]], [[N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar]], [[D. Govinda Das]], [[Jerome D'Souza]], [[P. Kakkan]], [[T. M. Kaliannan]], [[K. Kamaraj]], [[V. C. Kesava Rao]], [[T. T. Krishnamachari]], [[Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer]], [[L. Krishnaswami Bharathi]], [[P. Kunhiraman]], [[Mosalikanti Thirumala Rao]], [[V. I. Munuswamy Pillai]], [[M. A. Muthiah Chettiar]], [[V. Nadimuthu Pillai]], [[S. Nagappa]], [[P. L. Narasimha Raju]], [[B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya]], [[C. Perumalswamy Reddy]], [[T. Prakasam]], [[S. H. Prater]], [[Raja Swetachalapati]], [[R. K. Shanmukham Chetty]], [[T. A. Ramalingam Chettiar]], [[Ramnath Goenka]], [[O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar]], [[N. G. Ranga]], [[Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy]], [[Sheik Galib Sahib]], [[K. Santhanam]], [[B. Shiva Rao]], [[Kallur Subba Rao]], [[U. Srinivas Mallya]], [[P. Subbarayan]], [[C. Subramaniam]], [[V. Subramaniam]], [[M. C. Veerabahu Pillai]], [[P. M. Velayudapan]], [[A. K. Menon]], [[T. J. M. Wilson]], [[M. Muhammad Ismail]], [[K. T. M. Ahmed Ibrahim]], [[Mahboob Ali Baig Sahib Bahadur]], [[B. Pocker Sahib Bahadur]], [[V. Ramaiah]], [[Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili|Ramakrishna Ranga Rao]], [[V Kodandarama Reddy]],<ref>https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/782468/1/publication_whoswho_eng_pp_1950.pdf</ref>[[P.Ranga Reddy]],[[D.Sanjeevaiyaa]]<ref>https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/782468/1/publication_whoswho_eng_pp_1950.pdf</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]] | ![[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]] | ||
| Balchandra Maheshwar Gupte, [[Hansa Mehta]], [[Hari Vinayak Pataskar]], [[Dr. B. R. Ambedkar]], Joseph Alban D'Souza, Kanayalal Nanabhai Desai, [[Keshavrao Jedhe]], [[Khandubhai Kasanji Desai]], [[B. G. Kher]], [[Minoo Masani]], [[K.M. Munshi]], [[Narahar Vishnu Gadgil]], [[S. Nijalingappa]], [[S. K. Patil]], Ramchandra Manohar Nalavade, [[R. R. Diwakar]], [[Shankarrao Deo]], [[G. V. Mavalankar]] | |[[Balchandra Maheshwar Gupte]], [[Hansa Mehta]], [[Hari Vinayak Pataskar]], [[Dr. B. R. Ambedkar]], [[Joseph Alban D'Souza]], [[Kanayalal Nanabhai Desai]], [[Keshavrao Jedhe]], [[Khandubhai Kasanji Desai]], [[B. G. Kher]], [[Minoo Masani]], [[K.M. Munshi]], [[Narahar Vishnu Gadgil]], [[S. Nijalingappa]], [[S. K. Patil]], [[Ramchandra Manohar Nalavade]], [[R. R. Diwakar]], [[Shankarrao Deo]], [[G. V. Mavalankar]], [[Vallabhbhai Patel]], [[Abdul Kadar Mohammad Shaikh]], [[Abdul Kadir Abdul Aziz Khan]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] | ! [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] | ||
| [[Mono Mohan Das]], [[Arun Chandra Guha]], [[Lakshmi Kanta Maitra]], Mihir Lal Chattopadhyay, Satis Chandra Samanta, Suresh Chandra Majumdar, Upendranath Barman, Prabhudayal Himatsingka, [[Basanta Kumar Das]], [[Renuka Ray]], [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee|H. C. Mookerjee]], Surendra Mohan Ghose, [[Syama Prasad Mookerjee]], Ari Bahadur Gurung, R. E. Platel, [[K. C. Neogy]], Raghib Ahsan, [[Somnath Lahiri]], Jasimuddin Ahmad, Naziruddin Ahmad, Abdul Hamid, [[Abdul Halim Ghaznavi]] | | [[Mono Mohan Das]], [[Arun Chandra Guha]], [[Lakshmi Kanta Maitra]], [[Mihir Lal Chattopadhyay]], [[Satish Chandra Samanta|Satis Chandra Samanta]], [[Suresh Chandra Majumdar]], [[Upendranath Barman]], [[Prabhu Dayal Himatsingka|Prabhudayal Himatsingka]], [[Basanta Kumar Das (Indian politician)|Basanta Kumar Das]], [[Renuka Ray]], [[Harendra Coomar Mookerjee|H. C. Mookerjee]], [[Surendra Mohan Ghose]], [[Syama Prasad Mookerjee]], [[Ari Bahadur Gurung]], [[R. E. Platel]], [[K. C. Neogy]], [[Raghib Ahsan]], [[Somnath Lahiri]], [[Jasimuddin Ahmad (politician)|Jasimuddin Ahmad]], [[Naziruddin Ahmad]], [[Abdul Hamid (politician, born 1886)|Abdul Hamid]], [[Abdul Halim Ghaznavi]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]] | ! [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]] | ||
| [[Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi]], [[Ajit Prasad Jain]], Rai Bahadur Raghubir Narain Singh, [[Algu Rai Shastri]], [[Balkrishna Sharma]], Banshi Dhar Misra, Bhagwan Din, Damodar Swarup Seth, Dayal Das Bhagat, [[Dharam Prakash]], [[A. Dharam Dass]], [[Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar|R. V. Dhulekar]], [[Feroz Gandhi]], Gopal Narain, [[Krishna Chandra Sharma]], [[Govind Ballabh Pant]], [[Govind Malviya]], [[Har Govind Pant]], [[Harihar Nath Shastri]], [[Hriday Nath Kunzru]], [[Jaspat Roy Kapoor]], Jagannath Baksh Singh, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Jogendra Singh (politician)|Jogendra Singh]], [[Jugal Kishore (UP politician)|Jugal Kishore]], [[Jwala Prasad Srivastava]], [[B V Keskar|B. V. Keskar]], | | [[Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi]], [[Ajit Prasad Jain]], [[Rai Bahadur Raghubir Narain Singh]], [[Algu Rai Shastri]], [[Balkrishna Sharma]], [[Banshi Dhar Misra]], [[Bhagwan Din]], [[Damodar Swarup Seth]], [[Dayal Das Bhagat]], [[Dharam Prakash]], [[A. Dharam Dass]], [[Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar|R. V. Dhulekar]], [[Feroz Gandhi]], [[Gopal Narain]], [[Krishna Chandra Sharma]], [[Govind Ballabh Pant]], [[Govind Malviya]], [[Har Govind Pant]], [[Harihar Nath Shastri]], [[Hriday Nath Kunzru]], [[Jaspat Roy Kapoor]], [[Jagannath Baksh Singh]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Jogendra Singh (politician)|Jogendra Singh]], [[Jugal Kishore (UP politician)|Jugal Kishore]], [[Jwala Prasad Srivastava]], [[B V Keskar|B. V. Keskar]], [[Kamla Chaudhry]], [[Kamalapati Tripathi]], [[J. B. Kripalani]], [[Mahavir Tyagi]], [[Khurshed Lal]], [[Masuriya Din]], [[Mohanlal Saksena]], [[Padampat Singhania]], Phool Singh, [[Paragi Lal]], [[Purnima Banerjee]], [[Purushottam Das Tandon]], [[Hira Vallabha Tripathi]], [[Ram Chandra Gupta]], [[Shibban Lal Saxena]], [[Satish Chandra]], [[John Matthai]], [[Sucheta Kripalani]], [[Sunder Lall]], [[Venkatesh Narayan Tiwari]], [[Mohanlal Gautam]], [[Vishwambhar Dayal Tripathi]], [[Vishnu Sharan Dublish]], [[Begum Aizaz Rasul]], Hyder Hussain, [[Hasrat Mohani]], [[Abul Kalam Azad]], [[Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan]], [[Rafi Ahmad Kidwai]], [[Z H Lari]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] (Now East Punjab) | ! [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] (Now East Punjab) | ||
| Bakshi Tek Chand, [[Jairamdas Daulatram]], | |[[Bakshi Tek Chand]], [[Jairamdas Daulatram]], [[Thakur Das Bhargava]], [[Bikramlal Sondhi]], [[Yashwant Rai]], [[Ranbir Singh Hooda]], [[Lala Achint Ram]], [[Nand Lal]], [[Baldev Singh]], [[Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir]], [[Sardar Hukam Singh]], [[Sardar Bhopinder Singh Mann]], [[Sardar Rattan Singh Lohgarh,[[Sardar Partap Singh Kairon]], Chaudhry Suraj Mal]], [[Begum Aizaz Rasul]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Bihar Province|Bihar]] | ! [[Bihar Province|Bihar]] | ||
| Amiyo Kumar Ghosh, [[Anugrah Narayan Sinha]], [[Banarsi Prasad Jhunjhunwala]], Bhagwat Prasad, Boniface Lakra, [[Brajeshwar Prasad]], [[Chandika Ram]], [[K. T. Shah]], Devendra Nath Samanta, Dip Narain Sinha, Guptanath Singh, Jadubans Sahay, [[Jagat Narain Lal]], [[Jagjivan Ram]], [[Jaipal Singh Munda]], [[Kameshwar Singh]] of Darbhanga, Kamaleshwari Prasad Yadav, Mahesh Prasad Sinha, [[K B Sahay|Krishna Ballabh Sahay]], Raghunandan Prasad, [[Rajendra Prasad]], [[Rameshwar Prasad Sinha]], [[Ramnarayan Singh]], [[Sachchidananda Sinha]], [[Sarangdhar Sinha]], Satyanarayan Sinha, [[Binodanand Jha]], [[P. K. Sen]], [[Sri Krishna Sinha]], Sri Narayan Mahtha, | | [[Amiyo Kumar Ghosh]], [[Anugrah Narayan Sinha]], [[Banarsi Prasad Jhunjhunwala]], [[Bhagwat Prasad]], [[Boniface Lakra]], [[Brajeshwar Prasad]], [[Chandika Ram]], [[K. T. Shah]], [[Devendra Nath Samanta]], [[Dip Narain Sinha]], [[Guptanath Singh]], [[Jadubans Sahay]], [[Jagat Narain Lal]], [[Jagjivan Ram]], [[Jaipal Singh Munda]], [[Kameshwar Singh]] of Darbhanga, [[Kamleshwari Prasad Yadav|Kamaleshwari Prasad Yadav]], [[Mahesh Prasad Sinha]], [[K B Sahay|Krishna Ballabh Sahay]], [[Raghunandan Prasad]], [[Rajendra Prasad]], [[Rameshwar Prasad Sinha]], [[Ramnarayan Singh]], [[Sachchidananda Sinha]], [[Sarangdhar Sinha]], [[Satyanarayan Sinha]], [[Binodanand Jha]], [[P. K. Sen]], [[Sri Krishna Sinha]], Sri [[Narayan Mahtha]], [[Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra]], [[Hussain Imam]], [[Jafar Imam|Syed Jaffer Imam]], [[S. M. Latifur Rahman]], [[Mohammad Tahir (politician)|Mohd Tahir Hussain]], [[Tajamul Husain|Tajamul Hussain]], [[Choudhry Abid Hussain]], [[Hargovind Mishra]]. | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width: 140px;" |[[Central Provinces and Berar]] | ! style="width: 140px;" |[[Central Provinces and Berar]] | ||
| Ambica Charan Shukla, [[Raghu Vira]], [[Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]], [[Bhagwantrao Mandloi]], [[Brijlal Biyani]], Thakur Cheedilal, [[Seth Govind Das]], [[Hari Singh Gour]], Hari Vishnu Kamath, Hemchandra Jagobaji Khandekar, [[ | | [[Ambica Charan Shukla]], [[Raghu Vira]], [[Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]], [[Bhagwantrao Mandloi]], [[Brijlal Biyani]], [[Thakur Cheedilal]], [[Seth Govind Das]], [[Hari Singh Gour]], [[Hari Vishnu Kamath]], [[Hemchandra Jagobaji Khandekar]], [[Ghanshyam Singh Gupta]], [[Laxman Shrawan Bhatkar]], [[Panjabrao Deshmukh]], [[Ravi Shankar Shukla]], [[R. K. Sidhva]], [[Dada Dharmadhikari]], [[Frank Anthony]], [[Kazi Syed Karimuddin]], [[Ganpatrao Dani]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Assam Province|Assam]] | ! [[Assam Province|Assam]] | ||
| [[Nibaran Chandra Laskar]], Dharanidhar Basu-Matari, [[Gopinath Bardoloi]], [[J. J. M. Nichols-Roy]], [[Kuladhar Chaliha]], [[Rohini Kumar Chaudhury]], [[Muhammad Saadulla]], Abdur Rouf | | [[Nibaran Chandra Laskar]], [[Dharanidhar Basumatari|Dharanidhar Basu-Matari]], [[Gopinath Bardoloi]], [[J. J. M. Nichols-Roy]], [[Kuladhar Chaliha]], [[Rohini Kumar Chaudhury]], [[Muhammad Saadulla]], [[Abdur Rouf (Assamese politician)|Abdur Rouf]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Orissa Province|Orissa]] | ! [[Orissa Province|Orissa]] | ||
| [[Bishwanath Das]], [[Krishna Chandra Gajapati Narayana Dev]], [[Harekrushna Mahatab]], [[Laxminarayan Sahu]], Lokanath Mishra, Nandkishore Das, Rajkrishna Bose | | [[Bishwanath Das]], [[Krishna Chandra Gajapati Narayana Dev]], [[Harekrushna Mahatab]], [[Laxminarayan Sahu]], [[Lokenath Mishra|Lokanath Mishra]], [[Nandkishore Das]], [[Rajkrishna Bose]], [[Santanu Kumar Das]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Delhi]] | ![[Delhi]] | ||
| Line 225: | Line 207: | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Mysore State|Mysore]] | ![[Mysore State|Mysore]] | ||
| [[K.C. Reddy]], T. | | [[K.C. Reddy]], [[T. Siddalingaya]], [[H. R. Guruv Reddy]], [[S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao]], [[K. Hanumanthaiya]], [[H. Siddhaveerappa]], [[T. Channiah]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] | ![[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] | ||
| [[Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah]], Motiram Baigra, [[Mirza | | [[Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah]], [[Motiram Baigra]], [[Mirza Afzal Beg]], [[Maulana Mohammad Sayeed Masoodi]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Travancore-Cochin]] | ![[Travancore-Cochin]] | ||
| [[Pattom A. Thanu Pillai]], [[R. Sankar]], [[P. T. Chacko]], [[Panampilly Govinda Menon]], [[Annie Mascarene]], P.S. Nataraja Pillai, K.A. Mohamed, P.K.Lekshmanan | | [[Pattom A. Thanu Pillai]], [[R. Sankar]], [[P. T. Chacko]], [[Panampilly Govinda Menon]], [[Annie Mascarene]], [[P. S. Nataraja Pillai]], [[K.A. Mohamed]], [[P.K.Lekshmanan]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Madhya Bharat]] | ! [[Madhya Bharat]] | ||
| [[Vinayak Sitaram Sarwate]], Brijraj Narain, Gopikrishna Vijayavargiya, Ram Sahai, Kusum Kant Jain, Radhavallabh | | [[Vinayak Sitaram Sarwate]], [[Brijraj Narain]], [[Gopikrishna Vijayavargiya]], [[Ram Sahai]], [[Kusum Kant Jain]], [[Radhavallabh Vijayvargiya]], [[Sitaram Jajoo]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Saurashtra (state)|Saurashtra]] | ![[Saurashtra (state)|Saurashtra]] | ||
| [[Balwantrai Mehta]], [[Jaisukhlal Hathi]], [[Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar]], Chimanlal Chakubhai Shah, [[Samaldas Gandhi]] | | [[Balwantrai Mehta]], [[Jaisukhlal Hathi]], [[Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar]], [[Chimanlal Chakubhai Shah]], [[Samaldas Gandhi]] | ||
|- | |||
! [[Rajputana]] | |||
| [[V. T. Krishnamachari]], [[Hiralal Shastri]], [[Sardar Singhjhi of Khetri]], [[Jaswant Singhji]], [[Raj Bhadur]], [[Manikya Lal Varma]], [[Gokul Lal Asava]], [[Ramchandra Upadhyaya]], [[Balwant Singh Mehta]], [[Dalel Singh]], [[Jainarain Vyas]] | |||
|- | |||
![[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]] | |||
|[[Ranjit Singh (politician)|Ranjit Singh]], [[Sochet Singh Aujla]], [[Bhagwant Roy]] | |||
|- | |||
!Bombay States | |||
|[[Vinayakrao Balshankar Vaidya]], [[B.N. Munavalli]], [[Gokulbhai Bhatt]], [[Jivraj Narayan Mehta]], [[Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai]], [[Paranlal Thakurlal Munshi]], [[Balasaheb Hanumantrao Khardekar]], [[Ratnappa Kumbhar]] | |||
|- | |||
!Orissa States | |||
|[[Lal Mohan Pati]], [[N. Madhava Rau]], [[Raj Kunwar]], [[Sarangadhar Das]], [[Yudhishthir Misra]] | |||
|- | |||
![[Central Provinces and Berar|Central Provinces States]] | |||
|[[Ratanlal Kishorilal Malviya]], [[Kishori Mohan Tripathi]], [[Thakur Ramprasad Potai]] | |||
|- | |- | ||
! | !United Provinces States | ||
| [[ | |[[Bashir Hussain Zaidi]], [[Krishna Singh (politician)|Krishna Singh]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! | !Madras States | ||
| | |[[V. Ramaiah]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Vindhya Pradesh]] | ![[Vindhya Pradesh]] | ||
| | | [[Awadhesh Pratap Singh]], [[Shambu Nath Shukla]], [[Ram Sahai Tiwary]], [[Manoolal Dwivedi]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Cooch Behar State|Cooch Behar]] | ! [[Cooch Behar State|Cooch Behar]] | ||
| Himmat Singh K. Maheshwari | | [[Himmat Singh K. Maheshwari]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Tripura (princely state)|Tripura]] and [[Manipur (princely state)|Manipur]] | ! [[Tripura (princely state)|Tripura]] and [[Manipur (princely state)|Manipur]] | ||
| | | [[Girija Shankar Guha]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Bhopal State (1949–56)|Bhopal]] | ! [[Bhopal State (1949–56)|Bhopal]] | ||
| Lal Singh | | [[Lal Singh]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Kutch State|Kutch]] | ! [[Kutch State|Kutch]] | ||
| | | [[Bhavanji Arjan Khimji]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Himachal Pradesh]] | ! [[Himachal Pradesh]] | ||
| Line 269: | Line 266: | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] (Now East Bengal) | ! [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] (Now East Bengal) | ||
| [[Abdullah al Mahmood]], Maulana Mohammad Abdullah el Baqui, [[Abdul Hamid]], [[Abdul Kasem Khan]], [[Mohammad Akram Khan]], [[Azizuddin Ahmad]], [[Muhammad Habibullah Bahar]], [[Prem Hari Barma]], [[Raj Kumar Chakraverty]], [[Sris Chandra Chattopadhyaya]], [[Abdul Matin Chaudhary]], [[Murtaza Raza Choudhry]], [[Hamidul Haq Chowdhury]], [[Akhay Kumar Das]], [[Dhirendra Nath Datta]], [[Bhupendra Kumar Datta]], | | [[Abdullah al Mahmood]], [[Maulana Mohammad Abdullah el Baqui]], [[Abdul Hamid]], [[Abdul Kasem Khan]], [[Mohammad Akram Khan]], [[Azizuddin Ahmad]], [[Muhammad Habibullah Bahar]], [[Prem Hari Barma]], [[Raj Kumar Chakraverty]], [[Sris Chandra Chattopadhyaya]], [[Abdul Matin Chaudhary]], [[Murtaza Raza Choudhry]], [[Hamidul Haq Chowdhury]], [[Akhay Kumar Das]], [[Dhirendra Nath Datta]], [[Bhupendra Kumar Datta]], Ebrahim Khan, [[Fazlul Huq]], [[Fazlur Rahman (politician)|Fazlur Rahman]], [[Ghayasuddin Pathan]], [[Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah]], [[Liaquat Ali Khan]], [[Mafizuddin Ahmad]], [[Mahmud Hussain]], [[Jnanendra Chandra Majumdar]], [[A. M. Malik]], [[Birat Chandra Mandal]], [[Jogendra Nath Mandal]], Mohammed Ali, [[Khwaja Nazimuddin]], M.A.B.L. [[Nur Ahmed (politician)|Nur Ahmed]], [[Nurul Amin]], [[Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi]], [[Dhananjoy Roy|Sri Dhananjoy, B.L. Roy]], [[Maudi Bhakesh Chanda]], [[Sirajul Islam Mia|B.L. Serajul Islam]], [[Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Osmani]], [[Shahabudin Khwaja]], [[H.S. Suhrawardy]], [[Harendra Kumar Sur]], [[Tamizuddin Khan]], [[Kawivi Kerwar Datta]], [[Ghulam Mohammed (Bengali politician)|Ghulam Mohammed]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] (Now West Punjab) | ! [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] (Now West Punjab) | ||
| [[Mumtaz Daultana]], Ganga Saran, [[Zafarullah Khan]], [[Iftikhar Hussain Khan]], Mian Muhammad Iftikharuddin, [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], Sheikh Karamat Ali, [[Nazir Ahmad Khan]], Sardar Abdur Rab Nistar, [[Feroz Khan Noon]], Omar Hayat Malik, [[Shah Nawaz Begum Jahan Ara]], Sardar Shaukat Hyat Khan, | | [[Mumtaz Daultana]], [[Ganga Saran]], [[Zafarullah Khan]], [[Iftikhar Hussain Khan]], [[Mian Muhammad Iftikharuddin]], [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], [[Sheikh Karamat Ali]], [[Nazir Ahmad Khan]], [[Sardar Abdur Rab Nistar]], [[Feroz Khan Noon]], [[Omar Hayat Malik]], [[Shah Nawaz Begum Jahan Ara]], [[Sardar Shaukat Hyat Khan]], | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width: 50px;"| [[North-West Frontier Province|Northwest Frontier]] | ! style="width: 50px;"| [[North-West Frontier Province|Northwest Frontier]] | ||
| [[Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], [[Sardar Bahadur Khan]], Sardar Asad Ullah Jan Khan | | [[Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], [[Sardar Bahadur Khan]], [[Sardar Asad Ullah Jan Khan]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
! [[Sind Province (1936–55)|Sind]] | ! [[Sind Province (1936–55)|Sind]] | ||
| Abdus Sattar Abdur Rahman, Alhajj Muhammad Hashim Gazder, M.A. Khuhro | | [[Abdus Sattar Abdur Rahman]], Alhajj [[Muhammad Hashim Gazder]], [[M.A. Khuhro]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
![[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioner's Province)|Balochistan]] | ![[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioner's Province)|Balochistan]] | ||
| S. B. Nawab Mohammad Khan Jogezai | | [[S. B. Nawab Mohammad Khan Jogezai]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery mode="packed" heights=" | <gallery mode="packed" heights="160"> | ||
Jawaharal Nehru and other members taking pledge.jpg|Jawaharlal Nehru and other members taking pledge during the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly of India held on 14 and 15 August 1947. | File:Jawaharal Nehru and other members taking pledge.jpg|Jawaharlal Nehru and other members taking pledge during the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly of India held on 14 and 15 August 1947. | ||
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Chairman, Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution with other members on Aug. 29, 1947.jpg|Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman, with other members of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India, on 29 August 1947. | File:Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Chairman, Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution with other members on Aug. 29, 1947.jpg|Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman, with other members of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India, on 29 August 1947. | ||
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 25 November, 1949.jpg|Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 25 November 1949. | File:Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 25 November, 1949.jpg|Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of constituent assembly on 25 November 1949. | ||
A Constituent Assembly of India meeting in 1950.jpg|Constituent Assembly of India. | File:A Constituent Assembly of India meeting in 1950.jpg|Constituent Assembly of India. | ||
Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the constituent assembly in 1946.jpg|Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the constituent assembly in 1946. | File:Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the constituent assembly in 1946.jpg|Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the constituent assembly in 1946. | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
Latest revision as of 19:36, 14 March 2023
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2022) |
Constituent Assembly of India | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Constituent Assembly | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 December 1946 |
| Disbanded | 25 January 1950 |
| Preceded by | Imperial Legislative Council |
| Succeeded by | Parliament of India (1950) Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (1947) |
| Leadership | |
Temporary Chairman | |
President | |
Vice President | |
Chairman of the Drafting Committee | |
Constitutional Advisor | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 389 (December 1946 – June 1947) 299 (August 1947 – January 1950) |
 | |
Political groups | INC: 208 seats AIML: 73 seats Others: 15 seats Princely States: 93 seats |
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| House of Parliament, New Delhi | |
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as the 'Provisional Parliament of India'.
The idea for a Constituent Assembly was proposed in December 1934 by M. N. Roy, a pioneer of the Communist movement in India and an advocate of radical democracy. It became an official demand of the Indian National Congress in 1935. The Indian National Congress held its session at Lucknow in April 1936 presided by Jawaharlal Nehru. The official demand for Constituent Assembly was raised and Government of India Act, 1935 was rejected as it imposed the Constitution which was against the will of the Indians. C. Rajagopalachari voiced the demand for a Constituent Assembly on 15 November 1939 based on adult franchise, and was accepted by the British in August 1940.
On 8 August 1940, a statement was made by Viceroy Lord Linlithgow about the expansion of the Governor-General's Executive Council and the establishment of a War Advisory Council. This offer, known as the August Offer, included giving full weight to minority opinions and allowing Indians to draft their own constitution. Under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, elections were held for the first time for the Constituent Assembly. The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946. The members of the Constituent Assembly were elected by the provincial assemblies by a single, transferable-vote system of proportional representation. The total membership of the Constituent Assembly was 389 of which 292 were representatives of the provinces, 93 represented the princely states and four were from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg and British Baluchistan.
The elections for the 296 seats assigned to the British Indian provinces were completed by August 1946. Congress won 208 seats, and the Muslim League 73. After this election, the Muslim League refused to cooperate with the Congress and the political situation deteriorated. Hindu-Muslim riots began, and the Muslim League demanded a separate constituent assembly for Muslims in India. On 3 June 1947 Lord Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of India, announced his intention to scrap the Cabinet Mission Plan; this culminated in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the separate nations of India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act was passed on 18 July 1947 and, although it was earlier declared that India would become independent in June 1948, this event led to independence on 15 August 1947. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, reassembling on 14 August 1947 as a sovereign body and successor to the British parliament's authority in India.
As a result of the partition, under the Mountbatten plan, a separate Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was established on 3 June 1947. The representatives of the areas incorporated into Pakistan ceased to be members of the Constituent Assembly of India. New elections were held for the West Punjab and East Bengal (which became part of Pakistan, although East Bengal later seceded to become Bangladesh); the membership of the Constituent Assembly was 299 after the reorganization, and it met on 31 December 1947. The constitution was drafted by 299 delegates from different caste, region, religion, gender etc. These delegates sat over 114 days spread over 3 years (2 years 11 months and 18 days to be precise) and discussed what the constitution should contain and what laws should be included. The Drafting Committee of the Constitution was chaired by B. R. Ambedkar.
Description of the constituent assembly[edit]
The Constituent Assembly of India, consisting of indirectly elected representatives, was established to draft a constitution for India (including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh). It existed for approx three years, the first parliament of India after independence in 1947. The Assembly was not elected based on universal adult suffrage, and Muslims and Sikhs received special representation as minorities. The Muslim League boycotted the Assembly after failing to prevent its creation. Although a large part of the Constituent Assembly was drawn from the Congress Party in a one-party environment, the Congress Party included a wide diversity of opinions—from conservative industrialists to radical Marxists, to Hindu revivalists.
The Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December 1946, and its last session was held on 24 January 1950.[1] The hope of the Assembly was expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru:
The first task of this Assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people, and to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity. This is certainly a great task. Look at India today. We, are sitting here and there in despair in many places, and unrest in many cities. The atmosphere is surcharged with these quarrels and feuds which are called communal disturbances, and unfortunately we sometimes cannot avoid them. But at present the greatest and most important question in India is how to solve the problem of the poor and the starving. Wherever we turn, we are confronted with this problem. If we cannot solve this problem soon, all our paper constitutions will become useless and purposeless. Keeping this aspect in view, who could suggest to us to postpone and wait?
Background and election[edit]
India was still under British rule when the Constituent Assembly was established, following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India from the United Kingdom. Provincial assembly elections were held in early 1946. Constituent Assembly members were elected indirectly by members of the newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces that formed part of Pakistan (some of which are now in Bangladesh). The Constituent Assembly had 389 representatives, including fifteen women.[2]
The Interim Government of India was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly. The Congress Party held a large majority in the Assembly (69 percent of the seats), and the Muslim League held nearly all the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims. There were also members of smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India and the Unionist Party.[citation needed]
In June 1947 delegations from Sindh, East Bengal, Baluchistan, West Punjab and the North West Frontier Province withdrew to form the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, meeting in Karachi. On 15 August 1947 the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan became independent nations, and members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi became India's Parliament. Twenty-eight members of the Muslim League joined the Indian Assembly, and 93 members were later nominated from the princely states.
Constitution and elections[edit]
At 11 AM on 9 December 1946, the Assembly began its first session, with 211 members attending. The Assembly approved the draft constitution on 26 November 1949. On 26 January 1950, the constitution took effect (commemorated as Republic Day), and the Constituent Assembly became the Provisional Parliament of India (continuing until after the first elections under the new constitution in 1952).
Organization[edit]
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president and Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, a Christian from Bengal and former vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, was vice-president. Mookerjee, additionally to chairing the assembly's Minorities Committee, was appointed governor of West Bengal after India became a republic. Jurist B. N. Rau was appointed constitutional adviser to the assembly; Rau prepared the original draft of the constitution and was later appointed a judge in the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague.
The assembly's work had five stages:
- Committees presented reports on issues.
- B. N. Rau prepared an initial draft based on the reports and his research into the constitutions of other nations.
- The drafting committee, chaired by B. R. Ambedkar, presented a detailed draft constitution which was published for public discussion.
- The draft constitution was discussed, and amendments were proposed and enacted.
- The constitution was adopted, with a committee of experts led by the Congress Party (known as the Congress Assembly Party) played a pivotal role.[3]
Timeline of Formation of 'The Constitution of India'[edit]
- 9 December 1946: Formation of the Constituent Assembly (demanding a separate state, the Muslim League boycotted the meeting.)
- 11 December 1946: President Appointed – Rajendra Prasad, vice-chairman Harendra Coomar Mookerjee and constitutional legal adviser B. N. Rau (initially 389 members in total, which declined to 299 after partition. Out of 389, 292 were from government provinces, 4 from chief commissioner provinces and 93 from princely states)
- 13 December 1946: An 'Objective Resolution' was presented by Jawaharlal Nehru, laying down the underlying principles of the constitution, which later became the Preamble of the constitution.
- 22 January 1947: Objective resolution unanimously adopted.
- 22 July 1947: National flag adopted.
- 15 August 1947: Achieved independence. India split into Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan.
- 29 August 1947: Drafting Committee appointed, with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as the chairman. Other 6 members of the committee were: K.M.Munshi, Muhammed Saadulah, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Gopala Swami Ayyangar, N. Madhava Rao (He replaced B.L. Mitter who resigned due to ill-health), T. T. Krishnamachari (He replaced D.P. Khaitan who died in 1948).
- 16 July 1948: Along with Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, V. T. Krishnamachari was also elected as the second vice-president of the Constituent Assembly.
- 26 November 1949: 'Constitution of India' passed and adopted by the assembly.
- 24 January 1950: Last meeting of the Constituent Assembly. 'Constitution of India' (with 395 articles, 8 schedules, 22 parts) was signed and accepted by all.
- 26 January 1950: The 'Constitution of India' came in to force after 2 years, 11 months and 18 Days, at a total expenditure of ₹6.4 million to finish.
- Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar was the first speaker when meeting the assembly of Lok Sabha, after turning republic.
Committees of the Constituent Assembly[edit]
The Constituent Assembly appointed a total of 22 committees to deal with different tasks of constitution-making. Out of these, Eight were major committees and the others were minor committees.
Major Committees
- Drafting Committee – Bhimrao Ambedkar
- Union Power Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
- Union Constitution Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
- Provincial Constitution Committee – Vallabhbhai Patel
- Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas – Vallabhbhai Patel. This committee had the following subcommittees:
- Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee – J. B. Kripalani
- Minorities Sub-Committee – Harendra Coomar Mookerjee,
- North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee – Gopinath Bordoloi
- Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Apart from those in Assam) Sub-Committee – A V Thakkar
- Rules of Procedure Committee – Rajendra Prasad
- States Committee (Committee for negotiating with states) – Jawaharlal Nehru
- Steering Committee – Rajendra Prasad
- Adhoc Committee on the National Flag[4] – Rajendra Prasad
- Committee for the function of the Constitution Assembly – G V Mavlankar
- House Committee – B Pattabhi Sitaramayya
- Language Committee – Moturi Satyanarayana
- Order of Business Committee – K M Munshi
Criticism[edit]
The constitution has been, in more recent times, critiqued on the basis of the fact that the members of the Constituent Assembly were not truly chosen by universal suffrage, but rather were elected by provincial assemblies that themselves were not elected by universal suffrage.[citation needed] In his book The Constitution of India: Miracle, Surrender, Hope, Rajeev Dhavan has argued that the Indian people did not have much say in the making of the Constitution which was they had no choice but to accept.[5]
Prominent members[edit]
* Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly
- Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Finance Minister of Bihar
- Sir N. Madhava Rao, Dewan of Mysore
- Deep Narayan Singh, Cabinet Minister of Bihar
- Gopinath Bordoloi, Chief Minister of Assam[citation needed]
- Muhammad Saadulla
- P. Subbarayan
- Kailashnath Katju
- N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
- T. T. Krishnamachari
- Rameshwar Prasad Sinha
- Durgabai Deshmukh
- K. M. Munshi
- M. Mohammed Ismael, President of the Indian Union Muslim League
- Krishna Ballabh Sahay
- Frank Anthony, Anglo-Indian representative
- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India
- John Mathai, Minister of Railways
- Pratap Singh Kairon
- K. Kamaraj, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Chidambaram Subramaniam
- Jaipal Singh Munda, Former Indian Hockey captain, and Tribal leader
- Hargovind Pant
- Kala Venkata Rao, Freedom fighter, AICC general secretary, minister of Madras and later Andhra Pradesh
- Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi, Islamic scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement.
- Ranbir Singh Hooda
Members (by province/state)[edit]
Members who later withdrew after partition[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Jawaharlal Nehru and other members taking pledge during the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly of India held on 14 and 15 August 1947.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman, with other members of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India, on 29 August 1947.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of constituent assembly on 25 November 1949.
Constituent Assembly of India.
Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the constituent assembly in 1946.
References[edit]
- ↑ M. Lakshmikanth, Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations, 3rd ed., (New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, 2011), p. 2.3
- ↑ Ravichandran, Priyadarshini (11 March 2016). "The women who helped draft our constitution". Mint. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ↑ "FIRST DAY IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY". parliamentofindia.nic.in. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ↑ "Lok Sabha".
- ↑ Vanaik, Achin (1 May 2019). "Does the Constitution deliver on its promises?". The Caravan. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ↑ https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/782468/1/publication_whoswho_eng_pp_1950.pdf
- ↑ https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/782468/1/publication_whoswho_eng_pp_1950.pdf
Further reading[edit]
- Austin, Granville. The Indian Constitution, Cornerstone of a Nation. New Delhi: OUP India, 1999. ISBN 0-19-564959-1.
- Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee. India Since Independence: Revised Edition. New Delhi: Penguin Books India, 2008.
- An Indian 10-episode TV series made by Rajya sabha TV called "SAMVIDHAN" described in detail how the Indian Constitution was made.
