UPSC CORE · NCERT HISTORY · BIPAN CHANDRA CH 19-20: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY + CONSTITUTION + BIPAN CHANDRA'S SYNTHESIS
📚 NCERT TEXTBOOK ALIGNMENT
Class UPSC History — NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar) — Chapter: Bipan Chandra Ch 19-20: Constituent Assembly + Constitution + Bipan Chandra's synthesis.
When + how was the Constituent Assembly formed?
JULY 1946 — under CABINET MISSION PLAN. Members elected INDIRECTLY by provincial legislatures (NOT directly by people). Total: 389 members (296 from British Indian provinces + 93 from princely states). After Partition: 299 members for India's Constituent Assembly. FIRST MEETING 9 December 1946 at New Delhi; DR SACHCHIDANANDA SINHA was temporary chair. DR RAJENDRA PRASAD was elected PRESIDENT 11 December 1946.
DRAFTING COMMITTEE — Ambedkar as Chair?
August 1947 — DR B.R. AMBEDKAR appointed CHAIRMAN of the DRAFTING COMMITTEE. Committee members: Dr B.R. AMBEDKAR (chair), N. GOPALASWAMI AYYANGAR, ALLADI KRISHNASWAMI AYYAR, K.M. MUNSHI, B.L. MITTER (replaced by N. MADHAVA RAO), MOHAMMAD SAADULAH, T.T. KRISHNAMACHARI (replaced by S.D. KRISHNAMURTHY). Took ~166 days of debate; 7,635 amendments proposed; 2,473 incorporated.
When was the Constitution adopted + when came into force?
CONSTITUTION ADOPTED 26 NOVEMBER 1949 (now celebrated as CONSTITUTION DAY since 2015). CAME INTO FORCE 26 JANUARY 1950 — chosen because LAHORE CONGRESS 1929 had declared 26 January 1930 as PURNA SWARAJ DAY. India became a SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC on 26 January 1950 — REPUBLIC DAY.
PREAMBLE — opening of Constitution?
"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION." (SOCIALIST + SECULAR + INTEGRITY were added by 42nd Amendment 1976.)
AMBEDKAR's last warning to Constituent Assembly?
25 NOVEMBER 1949 — Ambedkar's closing speech: "I am of the opinion that however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot." WARNED about: (i) protecting against POLITICAL DICTATORSHIP; (ii) avoiding HERO-WORSHIP in politics; (iii) achieving SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (not just political — i.e., addressing CASTE + economic inequality). His THREE CONDITIONS for democracy still resonate today.
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY — composition + key dates?
CA constituted per Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 — INDIRECTLY ELECTED by provincial assemblies (limited 1935 franchise). Original: 389 members. After Partition: 299 members. CONGRESS dominated (~205); Muslim League had 28 (mostly went to Pakistan); rest independents, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, Parsis, Christians. RAJENDRA PRASAD elected PRESIDENT 11 Dec 1946. FIRST session 9 Dec 1946; final adoption 26 Nov 1949; ENFORCED 26 JAN 1950 (Republic Day).
AMBEDKAR's closing speech 25 Nov 1949 — what did he say?
Ambedkar warned: (i) "On 26 Jan 1950 we are going to enter a life of CONTRADICTIONS — POLITICAL EQUALITY but social + economic INEQUALITY"; (ii) Cautioned against HERO-WORSHIP — "in politics, BHAKTI or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation + dictatorship"; (iii) Stressed need to GIVE UP "GRAMMAR of ANARCHY" (revolutionary methods) since Constitutional methods now available; (iv) Defined LIBERTY + EQUALITY + FRATERNITY as a TRINITY — without fraternity, liberty + equality cannot survive.
Constituent Assembly was set up under which plan?
Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946
How many members did the Constituent Assembly originally have?
389 (296 from British India, 93 from princely states)
After partition, the strength of Constituent Assembly became?
299
The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly was on?
9 December 1946
Who was elected the first interim President of Constituent Assembly?
Dr Sachchidananda Sinha
This topic is part of the NCERT UPSC Core History syllabus, specifically the textbook NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar), drawn from the chapter Bipan Chandra Ch 19-20: Constituent Assembly + Constitution + Bipan Chandra's synthesis. Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
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