Vol. 13 · pages 1216–1220

members of the Drafting Committee for making an excellent job of the work that was entrusted to them. Sir, I submit that under the heavy stress and strain of time and circumstances under which they had to undertake this task, no other committee or no other body would have given us a better Constitution.... ***** *Shri Thirumala Rao : ...Situated as we are, we are in possession of a Constitution which can be turned to best account by the persons that work it, by the legislators and by the Ministers that these legislators would choose. I say that it depends mostly on the Prime Ministers for the next few years of this country to see that the greatest benefit is derived from this Constitution. We have rightly selected, Sir, the Chakra as our emblem, as the historic reminiscence of the period of Asoka. Describing the meaning of this Chakra, Rhys David, the famous orientalist has said that this Chakra is intended to send rolling the Royal Chariot wheel of universal empire of truth and righteousness. If any country which departs from the essential moral principles on which it professes to stand it has no future. But this country in keeping with the ancient traditions and ideals has rightly chosen that Chakra which is called the Dharma Chakra of Asoka and Mahatma Gandhi has blessed this Chakra. With his spirit hovering over this nation and with this emblem of our flag, it is the duty of this House and the leaders of the future to uphold the Congress principles and fulfil the destiny of this Nation. ***** †Shri Ari Bahadur Gurung (West Bengal : General) : Mr. President, Sir, I associate myself with my colleagues in congratulating the Chairman of the Drafting Committee for having brought this stupendous task to a successful conclusion.... ‡Giani Gurumukh Singh Musafir (East Punjab : Sikh) : ...One word more and I have finished. In preparing the draft, Dr. Ambedkar and members of the Drafting Committee have worked very hard. They deserve our congratulations for preparing this draft within such a short time and under adverse circumstances.... @Shri R. V. Dhulekar (United Provinces : General) : Mr. President, Sir, I am here to support the Resolution that has been placed before this *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 22nd November 1949, p. 820. † Ibid., 23rd November 1949, p. 821. ‡ Ibid., p. 825. @ Ibid., p. 826. 1183DRAFT CONSTITUTION

House by Dr. Ambedkar. The Constitution has been discussed at very great length in these three years and therefore it is now too late to point out all the defects and the great points that are in the Constitution. I am satisfied that the Constitution on the whole is a very good one. Everybody knows that milk contains more than 15 per cent, of water and if the balance is good, it maintains our body and strengthens it. It gives a longer life.... ... In the end, I have to place my heartfelt thanks on record to you, Sir, the President and Dr. Ambedkar. The work that was before us was a very great task. Dr. Ambedkar has performed a very great work. I would not say Herculean because that is a very small word. He has performed a task worthy of the great Pandava Bhim and worthy of the name that he has— Bhim Rao Ambedkar.—He has certainly justified his name—Bhim Rao— and he has performed the task with clarity of vision, clarity of thought and clarity of language. Throughout, he was very clear. He always tried to understand the opponent’s view and he always tried to accommodate him, and he always tried to put his own views in the most clear language. We are very grateful to him.... ***** *Shri B. P. Jhunjhunwala (Bihar : General) : Mr. President, Sir, there have been various criticisms of this Constitution and one of the criticisms levelled against the Drafting Committee is that they have done nothing more than adopt the Government of India Act of 1935. If this criticism can be levelled against the Drafting Committee, I should say it is most uncharitable. On the other hand, I would say that before adopting any article, the Drafting Committee has taken great pains to go through all the Constitutions of the world and looked into all the amendments with great care both from the point of view of theory as well as from the point of view of their practical application. If they have not accepted any theories it is not because these were not in the Government of India Act 1935, though those theories were applicable and right, but because they could not be practically applied here under the present condition.... ‡Shri Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar : (Madras : General) : Sir, in supporting the motion of the Honourable Dr. Ambedkar for the adoption of the Constitution, I crave the indulgence of the House for a short while. This Constitution has been settled by the Constituent Assembly in the *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 23rd November 1949, pp. 828-829. † Ibid., pp. 831-832. ‡ Ibid., p. 834. 1184 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

light of the recommendations of the various committees appointed by this House and the draft as originally submitted by the Drafting Committee and as revised later. The Constitution as it has finally emerged, I submit, truly reflects the spirit of the Objectives Resolution with which this Assembly started its work and the Preamble of the Constitution which is mainly founded on the Objectives Resolution.... *...Before I conclude, I would be failing in my duty if I do not express my high appreciation of the skill and ability with which my friend the Hounourable Dr. Ambedkar has piloted this Constitution and his untiring work as the chairman of the Drafting Committee. Latterly I know he was ably assisted by my friend Mr. T. T. Krishnamachari. I would also be failing in my duty if I do not give my tributes to the services of Sir B. N. Rau and to the untiring energy, patience, ability and industry of the Joint Secretary, Mr. Mukherjee and his lieutenants. In the end, you will pardon me, Sir, if I make some reference to your work in this Assembly as it may savour of flattery. You have given your whole life to the service of this country and this is the crowning act. There is none who is held in greater esteem and in love than yourself and you have showed yourself to be the worthy President of this Assembly. I am particularly grateful to you because on account of my state of health you have been pleased to permit me to address from my seat and I am also thankful to the Members of this House for the indulgence they have extended to me in that respect. It is some consolation to me that I might have been of some little use in the work of the various committees and in the work of this Assembly. (Cheers). †Mr. Hyder Husein : ...This is not the stage, nor the time for criticising the various provisions of this Constitution. There has been a good deal of it, both inside and outside this hall. My answer is that this is the best that the available talent in the country could produce, and if we expect anything more, we have to produce men of greater intellect and scholarship in the land, if that is possible in the near future. I am however, bound to say that the product is one of which any nation can be proud. Let us then, pledge ourselves to give it our unstinted support, without any mental reservations whatsoever. We have attained political freedom, and the need of the day is the economic uplift of the country, as for this alone freedom was worth lighting for. This requires greater labour, greater work and greater sacrifice than even the light for freedom. It is not so difficult *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 23rd November 1949, pp. 840-841. † Ibid., p. 842. 1185DRAFT CONSTITUTION

to destory a thing as it to construct it. With the termination of foreign domination in the land, we have full opportunity for constructive work. Let us then strive to build our India which will be worthy of its past and a pride for the future.... *Shri B. M. Gupte : ...After all, a Constitution cannot be judged merely from its text or on paper.... So it is not the Constitution that matters nor the people who make it, but it is the men who work the Constitution and the spirit in which they work it. Any Constitution may be good on paper, but its success depends upon the manner in which it is worked.... ...In spite of the initial trouble and occasional lapses I hope generally and ultimately the commonsense of the common man will triumph. It was for us only to fashion the instrument. It is for others to work it. As far as I can see, we can certainly make the claim that we have fashioned it to the best of our abilities and according to the best of our lights. It is an instrument fairly workable and fairly flexible. It ensures security and stability. If we study the provisions of this Constitution, we find that the one dominating concern of the Drafting Committee was the security of the new State. Therefore, this Constitution ensures security and stability without impeding progress. It promotes collective good without stifling the development of individual personality. But in my opinion, the real test of the Constitution would be whether it is able to bring about any speedy improvement in the miserable lot under which the common man has been suffering for generations past. If this Constitution brings him some solace, I shall certainly feel very proud of my association in the framing of it. †Shri Balwant Sinha Mehta : ...The fact is that the Constitution drawn up by us is not only quite detailed but also quite good. I am quite sure that the foreigners would be wonderstruck when they would see how good a Constitution we have been able to give to ourselves. All the Members of this august Body and the members of the Drafting Committee and more particularly Dr. Ambedkar, T. T. Krishnamachari, Shri Alladi Krishnaswami and others have laboured hard for giving a proper shape to the constitution. I believe, these gentlemen deserve all the praise we can bestow upon them. We must also offer our homage to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and the other Congress leaders and martyrs.... ***** *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 23rd November 1949, p. 445. † Ibid., p. 461. 1186 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

*Sardar Sochet Singh : ...Our Constitution carries in it the impress of the high-souled nobility of the President—Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the universal vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the unfailing judgment and strength of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the scintillating and penetrating intellectuality of Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, the erudition and labours of Dr. Ambedkar and above all, the Patriarchal blessings and divine inspiration of the Father of the Nation—our revered Mahatma Gandhi. It is my hope and prayer that such a monumental Charter of Freedom of millions of my countrymen will not fail to bring about peace, prosperity and happiness not only for this country, but for the whole world. (Cheers.) †Mr. T. J. M. Wilson (Madras : General) : Mr. President, Sir, I also join in thanking you, the Rashtrapathi and the Chairman and members of the Drafting Committee for this Constitution.... ‡...I now come to the criticism that is levelled against the Constitution that it has not provided for or conferred anything on the common man, that it has not provided for social and economic justice. That, I submit, Sir, is an erroneous contention, because it is based on an erroneous conception of the scope of the Constitution. A Constitution has a limited scope. Its main function is to provide for a machinery of Government, and this Constitution has provided for a machinery of the government, whatever its character. And whatever the privileges or rights put in certain chapters are only those rights and privileges which we have achieved so far. The Constitution embodies and gives sanction only to those rights that are achieved. That is the basic conception which I want to emphasise, because otherwise, if we had embodied certain rights in the Constitution which we have not achieved so far, that would, have given a distorted, dishonest and hypocritical picture of the country as a whole, and what is more, the Constitution would have been simply unworkable. Therefore, the Constitution has a limited purpose, and in spite of certain ugly features of the Constitution, for example the provision for the protection of property as a fundamental right, it would not and shall not prevent the country, as Mr. Santhanam has pointed out, from achieving socialism.... ***** @Shri Dharanidhar Basu Matari (Assam : General) : Mr. President, Sir, I feel I cannot leave the Constituent Assembly to return to my *CAD, Official Report, Vol. X, 23rd November 1949, pp. 855-856. † Ibid., p. 856. ‡ Ibid., p. 838. @ Ibid., p. 867. 1187DRAFT CONSTITUTION