Vol. 13 · pages 26–30

PREFACE Dr. Ambedkar is the prime architect of free India’s Constitution which has served the country well for 44 years. A constitution is the grand norm of legislation. Laws made by the Parliament and the State legislatures are examined in the light of the paramount constitutional provisions. Preparation of the Constitution, therefore, is a matter of great importance. The existing constitutional provisions have their roots in the discussions that had taken place in the Constituent Assembly. This perception of the genesis of the Constitution is the first step towards its understanding. Dr. Ambedkar and the Constitution have become synonymous. The present volume contains the Draft Constitution as conceived by him. There have been some amendments afterwards with reference to the changing social context, but the basic features of the Constitution have remained unaltered. The life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness enshrined in the fundamental rights which are available to citizens constitute its basic features and there is the golden thread of humanism and reasonableness in its framework. The Indian Constitution is a detailed document which takes cognizance of every aspect of the Government. Its detailed character is sometimes assailed by critics as a lawyer’s paradise. However, 44 years of its working has shown that the common man is the central theme of the Constitution. The reader will be able to appreciate the present Constitution in the light of the background material which is contained in the present volume. The originality of approach and masterly organisation of details

of principles which we find in the Indian Constitution are the fruits of scholarly research and high pragmatism of Dr. Ambedkar. The volume will be useful to jurists, constitutionalists and lay readers alike and should prove a welcome addition to the literature on and by Dr. Ambedkar. (Sharad Pawar) Chief Minister of Maharashtra State x DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

EDITOR’S NOTE The present volume of speeches and writings of Dr. Ambedkar brings out his pivotal role as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution. It contains the various motions he moved for amendments, his explanation and exposition of principles, his magnanimity in appreciating his opponents point of view and his readiness to change his views in the process. Truly, the volume brings out the quintessential democrat in Dr. Ambedkar who laid the foundation of the democratic edifice of the Government which is the government by discussion and criticism. His colleagues in the Constituent Assembly bestowed on him generous praise and candid approval of his role as the principle architect of our Constitution, and perhaps, Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya summed up the sentiments of the Constituent Assembly when he said, “What a steam-roller intellect he brought to bear upon this magnificent task : irresistible, indomitable, unconquerable, levelling down tall palms and short poppies; whatever he felt to be right he stood by, regardless of consequences”. Editing this volume has been an exciting, educative and illuminating experience. While the task has been difficult and every care has been bestowed on including every sentence of Dr. Ambedkar, there could be some shortcomings in comments, clarifications and in footnotes which one hopes would be corrected by frank criticism of readers and suggestions for improvement which will be gratefully acknowledged and deeply appreciated.

The Editor’s Note will be incomplete without placing on record the grateful thanks : * to His Excellency Shri K. R. NARAYANAN, the Vice President of India for the Foreword he has contributed to the present volume. * to Shri SHARAD PAWAR, Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra whose encouragement has made this volume possible; * to Shri PRABHAKAR DHARKAR, Hon’ble Minister for Education who took keen interest in the project; * to Shri Navajeevan Lakhanpal, Secretary, Technical and Higher Education whose ready assistance and competent guidance enabled the Editor to resolve many administrative problems; * to Shri B. M. Ambhaikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay and Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Director, Department of Economic Analysis and Policy of the Reserve Bank of India for advice, suggestions and guidance in editing this volume. Thanks are also due to : * Shri P. S. More, Director, Government Printing and Stationery and Shri P. L. Purkar, Dy. Director of Government Printing and Stationery and Shri A. C. Sayyad, Manager of the Government Central Press, Bombay who have been very kind in maintaining the schedule of printing of the volume; * to Shri D. S. Chavan, Librarian, Information and Research, Legislative Council Library, Bombay for providing access to books and other material; * to Dr. Keshao Phalkey, State Liaison Officer, Mantralaya and Shri J. M. Abhyankar, Dy. Director of Education, Greater Bombay for clearing various administrative xii DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

problems; Professor Pramod Ramteke and Shri Vijay Survade for sparing the illustrations; and members of the staff of the Education Department, viz. Shri Ravindra Sutar and Smt. S. M. Nevrekar who cheerfully typed and verified the material. Last but not the least, the Members of the Committee who stood by the Editor in all those arduous assignments and reposed their confidence in him and there are of course many nameless admirers and well-wishers imbued with the philosophy and spirit of Dr. Ambedkar who helped the Editor in every way and whose names are too many and too numerous to be mentioned here. Scholarship means essentially a collective enterprise and the Editor hopes that he would profit by the collective wisdom of criticism and suggestions coming from all quarters. Bombay : (Vasant Moon) April 14, 1994 Editor xiiiEDITOR’S NOTE