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LISTOFMEMBERSOFTHECONSTITUENTASSEMBLY(ASINNOVEMBER,1949)
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T.T.Krishnamachari
AlladiKrishnaswamiAyyar
L.KrishnaswamiBharathi
P.Kunhiraman
M.ThirumulaRao
V.I.MuniswamyPillay
M.A.MuthiahChettiyar
V.NadimuthuPillai
S.Nagappa
P.L.NarasimhaRaju
B.PattabhiSitaramayya
C.PerumalswamyReddy
T.Prakasam
S.H.Prater
RajaSwetachalapatiRamakrishnaRengaRoaofBobbili
R.K.ShanmukhamChetti
T.A.RamalingamChettiyyar
RamanathGoenka
O.P.RamaswamyReddiyar
N.G.Ranga
N.SanjeevaReddi
K.Santhanam
B.ShivaRao
KallurSubbaRao
U.SrinivasaMallayya
P.Subbarayan
C.Subramaniam

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V.Subramaniam
M.C.Veerabahu
P.M.Velayudapani
A.K.Menon
T.J.M.Wilson
MohamedIsmailSahib
K.T.M.AhmedIbrahim
MahboobAliBaigSahibBahadur
B.PockerSahibBahadur

[BOMBAY]
BalchandraMaheshwarGupte
Mrs.HansaMehta
HariVinayakPataskar
B.R.Ambedkar
JosephAlbanD'Souza
KanayalalNanabhaiDesai
KeshavraoMarutiraoJedhe
KhandubhaiKasanjiDesai
BalGangadharKher
M.R.Masani
K.M.Munshi
NarharVishnuGadgil
S.Nijalingappa
S.K.Patil
RamchandraManoharNalavade
R.R.Diwakar
ShankarraoDeo
G.V.Mavalankar
VallabhbhaiJ.Patel
AbdulKadarMohammadShaikh
A.A.Khan

[WESTBENGAL]
MonomohanDass
ArunChandraGuha
LakshmiKantaMaitra
MihirLalChattopadhyay
SatisChandraSamanta
SureshChandraMajumdar
UpendranathBarman
PrabhudayalHimatsingka
BasantaKumarDas
Mrs.RenukaRay
H.C.Mookherjee
SurendraMohanGhose
SyamaPrasadMookerjee
AriBahadurGurung
R.E.Platel
K.C.Neogy
RaghibAhsan
JasimuddinAhmad
NaziruddinAhmad
AbdulHamid
AbdulHalimGhuznavi

[UNITEDPROVINCES]
AjitPrasadJain
AlguRaiShastri
BalkrishnaSharma
BanshiDharMisra
BhagwanDin
DamodarSwarupSeth
DayalDasBhagat
DharamPrakash
A.DharamDass
R.V.Dhulekar

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FerozGanhdi
GopalNarain
KrishnaChandraSharma
GovindBallabhPant
VerdanaGovindMalaviya
VerdanaHarGovindPant
VerdanaHariharNathShastri
HridayNathKunzru
JaspatRoyKapoor
JagannathBakshSingh
JawaharlalNehru
JogendraSingh
JugalKishore
JwalaPrasadSrivastava
B.V.Keskar
Mrs.KamalaChaudhri
KamalapatiTiwari
J.B.Kripalani
MahavirTyagi
KhurshedLal
MasuryaDin
MohanLalSaksena
PadampatSinghania
PhoolSingh
Paragilal
Mrs.PurnimaBanerji
PrurshottamadasTandon
HiraVallabhaTripathi
RamChandraGupta
ShibbanLalSaxena
SatishChandra
JohnMatthai
Mrs.SuchetaKripalani
SunderLall
VenkateshNarayanTivary
MohanlalGautam
VishwambharDayalTripathi
BegumAizazRasul
HyderHussain
HasratMohani
AbulKalamAzad
MuhammadIsmailKhan
RafiAhmadKidwai
Mohd.HifzurRahman

[EASTPUNJAB]
BakshiTekChand
JairamdasDaulatram
ThakurdasBhargava
BikramlalSondhi
YashwantRai
RanbirSingh
AchintRam
NandLal
SardarBaldevSingh
GianiGurmukhSinghMusafir
SardarHukamSingh
SardarBhopinderSinghMann

[BIHAR]
AmiyoKumarGhosh
AnugrahnarayanSinha
BanarsiPrasadJhunjhunwala
BhagwatPrasad
BonifaceLakra
BrajeshwarPrasad
ChandikaRam

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K.T.Shah
DevendraNathSamanta
DipNarainSinha
GuptanathSingh
JadubansSahay
JagatNarainLal
JagjivanRam
JaipalSingh
KameshwaraSinghofDarbhanga
KamaleshwariPrasadYadav
MaheshPrasadSinha
KrishnaBallabhSahay
RaghunandanPrasad
RajendraPrasad
RameshwarPrasadSinha
RamnarayanSingh
SachchidanandaSinha
SarangdharSinha
SatyanarayanSinha
BinodanandJha
P.K.Sen
SriKrishnaSinha
SriNarayanMahtha
SyamanandanSahaya
HussainImam
SaiyidJafarImam
LatifurRahman
MohammadTahir
TajamulHussain

[CENTRALPROVINCES&BERAR]
RaghuVira
RajkumariAmritKaur
B.A.Mandloi
BrijlalNandlalBiyani
ThakurCheedilal
SethGovindDas
HariSinghGour
HariVishnuKamath
HemchandraJagobajiKhandekar
GhanshyamSinghGupta
LakshmanShrawanBhatkar
PanjabraoShamraoDeshmukh
RaviShankarShukla
R.K.Sidhva
ShankarTryambakDharmadhikari
FrankAnthony
KaziSyedKarimuddin

[ASSAM]
NibaranChandraLaskar
DharanidharBasuMatari
GopinathBardoloi
J.J.M.NIcholsRoy
KuladharChaliha
RohiniKumarChaudhury
MuhammadSaadulla
AbdurRouf

[ORISSA]
B.Das
BiswanathDas
KrishnaChandraGajapatiNarayanaDeoofParlakimedi
HarekrushnaMahatab
LakshminarayanSahu
LokanathMisra
NandkishoreDas

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RajkrishnaBose
SantanuKumarDas

[DELHI]
DeshbhandhuGupta

[AJMERMERWARA]
MukutBihariLalBhargava

[COORG]
C.M.Poonacha

[MYSORE]
K.ChengalarayaReddy
T.Siddalingaiya
H.R.GuruvReddy
S.V.KrishnamurthyRao
K.Hanumanthaiya
H.Siddaveerappa
T.Channiah

[JAMMUANDKASHMIR]
SheikhMuhammadAbdullah
MotiramBaigra
MirzaMohmmadAfzalBeg
MaulanaMohammadSayeedMasoodi

[TRAVANCORECOCHIN]
A.ThanuPillai
R.Sankar
P.S.NatarajaPillai
Mrs.AnnieMascarene
K.A.Mohamed
P.T.Chacko
P.GovindaMenon

[MADHYABHARAT]
V.S.Sarwate
BrijrajNarain
GopikrishnaVijayavargiya
RamSahai
KusumKantJain
RadhavallabhVijayavargiya
SitaramS.Jajoo

[SAURASHTRA]
BalwantRaiGopaljiMehta
JaisukhlalHathi
AmritlalVithaldasThakkar
ChimanlalChakubhaiShah
SamaldasLaxmidasGandhi

[RAJASTHAN]
V.T.Krishnamachari
HiralalShastri
SardarSinghjhiofKhetri
JaswantSinghji
RajBhadur
ManikyaLalVarma
GokulLalAsava
RamchandraUpadhyaya
BalwantSinhaMehta
DalelSingh
JainarainVyas

[PATIALAANDEASTPUNJABSTATESUNION]
RanjitSingh
SochetSingh
BhagwantRoy

[BOMBAYSTATES]

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VinayakraoBalshankarVaidya
B.N.Munavalli
GokulbhaiDaulatramBhatt
JivrajNarayanMehta
GopaldasA.Desai
ParanlalThakurlalMunshi
B.H.Khardekar
RatnappaBharamappaKumbhar

[ORISSASTATES]
LalMohanPati
N.MadhavaRau
RajKunwar
SarangadharDas
YudhishthirMisra

[CENTRALPROVINCESSTATES]
R.L.Malaviya
KishorimohanTripathi
RamprasadPotai

[UNITEDPROVINCESSTATES]
B.H.Zaidi
KrishnaSingh

[MADRASSTATES]
V.Ramaiah

[VINDHYAPRADESH]
AvdeshPratapSingh
ShambuNathShukla
RamSahaiTiwari
MannulaljiDwidedi

[COOCHBEHAR]
HimmatSinghK.Maheshwari

[TRIPURAANDMANIPUR]
GirjaShankarGuha

[BHOPAL]
LalSingh

[KUTCH]
BhawaniArjunKhimji

[HIMACHALPRADESH]
Y.S.Parmar

FIRSTDAYINTHECONSTITUENTASSEMBLY

TheConstituentAssemblymetforthefirsttimeinNewDelhion9December,1946intheConstitutionHallwhichisnowknown
astheCentralHallofParliamentHouse.Decoratedelegantlyfortheoccasion,theChamberworeanewlookonthatdaywith
aconstellationofbrightlampshangingfromthehighceilingsandalsofromthebracketsonitswalls.

Overwhelmedandjubilantastheywere,thehon'blememberssatinsemicircularrowsfacingthePresidentialdias.Thedesks
whichcouldbewarmedelectricallywere placed on sloping greencarpeted terraces. Those who adorned the front row were
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Dr. Rajendra Prasad,
Smt.SarojiniNaidu,ShriHareKrushnaMahatab,PanditGovindBallabhPant,Dr.B.R.Ambedkar,ShriSaratChandraBose,
ShriC.RajagopalachariandShriM.AsafAli.Twohundredandsevenrepresentatives,includingninewomenwerepresent.

The inaugural session began at 11 a.m. with the introduction of Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha, the temporary Chairman of the
Assembly,byAcharyaKripalani.WhilewelcomingDr.Sinhaandothers,Acharyajisaid:"AswebegineveryworkwithDivine
blessings,werequestDr.Sinhatoinvoketheseblessingssothatourworkmayproceedsmoothly.Now,Ioncemore,onyour
behalf,calluponDr.SinhatotaketheChair."

Occupying the Chair amidst acclamation, Dr. Sinha read out the goodwill messages received from different countries. After
the Chairman's inaugural address and the nomination of a Deputy Chairman, the members were formally requested to
presenttheircredentials.TheFirstDay'sproceedingsendedafterallthe207memberspresentsubmittedtheircredentialsand
signedtheRegister.

Seated in the galleries, some thirty feet above the floor of the Chamber, the representatives of the Press and the visitors
witnessedthismemorableevent.TheAllIndiaRadio,Delhibroadcastacompositesoundpictureoftheentireproceedings.

SOMEFACTS

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TheConstituentAssemblytookalmostthreeyears(twoyears,elevenmonthsandseventeendaystobeprecise)tocomplete
itshistorictaskofdraftingtheConstitutionforIndependentIndia.Duringthisperiod,itheldelevensessionscoveringatotal
of165days.Ofthese,114dayswerespentontheconsiderationoftheDraftConstitution.

As to its composition, members were chosen by indirect election by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies,
accordingtotheschemerecommendedbytheCabinetMission.Thearrangementwas:

1.292memberswereelectedthroughtheProvincialLegislativeAssemblies
2.93membersrepresentedtheIndianPrincelyStatesand
3.4membersrepresentedtheChiefCommissioners'Provinces.

ThetotalmembershipoftheAssemblythuswastobe389.However,asaresultofthepartitionundertheMountbattenPlanof
3June,1947,aseparateConstituentAssemblywassetupforPakistanandrepresentativesofsomeProvincesceasedtobe
membersoftheAssembly.Asaresult,themembershipoftheAssemblywasreducedto299.

On13December,1946,PanditJawaharlalNehrumovedtheObjectivesResolution

1.ThisConstituentAssemblydeclaresitsfirmandsolemnresolvetoproclaimIndiaasanIndependentSovereign
RepublicandtodrawupforherfuturegovernanceaConstitution
2.WHEREINtheterritoriesthatnowcompriseBritishIndia,theterritoriesthatnowformtheIndianStates,andsuchother
partsofIndiaasareoutsideBritishIndiaandtheStatesaswellassuchotherterritoriesasarewillingtobeconstituted
intotheIndependentSovereignIndia,shallbeaUnionofthemalland
3.WHEREINthesaidterritories,whetherwiththeirpresentboundariesorwithsuchothersasmaybedeterminedbythe
ConstituentAssemblyandthereafteraccordingtothelawoftheConstitution,shallpossessandretainthestatusof
autonomousUnits,togetherwithresiduarypowersandexerciseallpowersandfunctionsofgovernmentand
administration,saveandexceptsuchpowersandfunctionsasarevestedinorassignedtotheUnion,orasare
inherentorimpliedintheUnionorresulting
4.WHEREINallpowerandauthorityoftheSovereignIndependentIndia,itsconstituentpartsandorgansofgovernment,
arederivedfromthepeopleand
5.WHEREINshallbeguaranteedandsecuredtoallthepeopleofIndiajustice,socialeconomicandpolitical:equalityof
status,ofopportunity,andbeforethelawfreedomofthought,expression,belief,faith,worship,vocation,association
andaction,subjecttolawandpublicmoralityand
6.WHEREINadequatesafeguardsshallbeprovidedforminorities,backwardandtribalareas,anddepressedandother
backwardclassesand
7.WHEREBYshallbemaintainedtheintegrityoftheterritoryoftheRepublicanditsSovereignrightsonland,sea,andair
accordingtojusticeandthelawofcivilizednationsand
8.thisancientlandattainsitsrightfulandhonouredplacedintheworldandmakeitsfullandwillingcontributiontothe
promotionofworldpeaceandthewelfareofmankind.

ThisResolutionwasunanimouslyadoptedbytheConstituentAssemblyon22January1947.

Lateintheeveningof14August,1947theAssemblymetintheConstitutionHallandatthestrokeofmidnight,tookoveras
theLegislativeAssemblyofanIndependentIndia.
On29August,1947,theConstituentAssemblysetupaDraftingCommitteeundertheChairmanshipofDr.B.R.Ambedkarto
prepareaDraftConstitutionforIndia.WhiledeliberatinguponthedraftConstitution,theAssemblymoved,discussedand
disposedofasmanyas2,473amendmentsoutofatotalof7,635tabled.TheConstitutionofIndiawasadoptedon26
November,1949andthehon'blemembersappendedtheirsignaturestoiton24January,1950.Inall,284membersactually
signedtheConstitution.OnthatdaywhentheConstitutionwasbeingsigned,itwasdrizzlingoutsideanditwasinterpretedas
asignofagoodomen.TheConstitutionofIndiacameintoforceon26January,1950.Onthatday,theAssemblyceasedto
exist,transformingitselfintotheProvisionalParliamentofIndiauntilanewParliamentwasconstitutedin1952.

SessionsoftheConstituentAssembly

FirstSession: 923December,1946

SecondSession: 2025January,1947

ThirdSession: 28April2May,1947

FourthSession: 1431July,1947

FifthSession: 1430August,1947

SixthSession: 27January,1948

SeventhSession: 4November,19488January,1949

EighthSession: 16May16June,1949

NinthSession: 30July18September,1949

TenthSession: 617October,1949

EleventhSession: 1426November,1949

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SessionsoftheConstituentAssembly

TheAssemblymetonceagainon24January,1950,whenthemembersappended

IMPORTANTCOMMITTEESOFTHECONSTITUENTASSEMBLYANDTHEIRCHAIRMEN

NameoftheCommittee Chairman

CommitteeontheRulesofProcedure RajendraPrasad

SteeringCommittee RajendraPrasad

FinanceandStaffCommittee RajendraPrasad

CredentialCommittee AlladiKrishnaswamiAyyar

HouseCommittee B.PattabhiSitaramayya

OrderofBusinessCommittee K.M.Munsi

AdhocCommitteeontheNationalFlag RajendraPrasad

CommitteeontheFunctionsoftheConstituentAssembly G.V.Mavalankar

StatesCommittee JawaharlalNehru

AdvisoryCommitteeonFundamentalRights,MinoritiesandTribalandExcludedAreas VallabhbhaiPatel

FundamentalRightsSubCommittee J.B.Kripalani

NorthEastFrontierTribalAreasandAssamExluded&PartiallyExcludedAreasSubCommittee GopinathBardoloi

ExcludedandPartiallyExcludedAreas(OtherthanthoseinAssam)SubCommittee A.V.Thakkar

UnionPowersCommittee JawaharlalNehru

UnionConstitutionCommittee JawaharlalNehru

DraftingCommittee B.R.Ambedkar

STATEWISEMEMBERSHIPOFTHECONSTITUENTASSEMBLYOFINDIAASON31DECEMBER,
1947
PROVINCES229

S.No. State No.ofMembers

1. Madras 49

2. Bombay 21

3. WestBengal 19

4. UnitedProvinces 55

5. EastPunjab 12

6. Bihar 36

7. C.P.andBerar 17

8. Assam 8

9. Orissa 9

10. Delhi 1

11. AjmerMerwara 1

12. Coorg 1

INDIANSTATES70

1. Alwar 1

2. Baroda 3

3. Bhopal 1

4. Bikaner 1

5. Cochin 1

6. Gwalior 4

7. Indore 1

8. Jaipur 3

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INDIANSTATES70

9. Jodhpur 2

10. Kolhapur 1

11. Kotah 1

12. Mayurbhanj 1

13. Mysore 7

14. Patiala 2

15. Rewa 2

16. Travancore 6

17. Udaipur 2

18. SikkimandCoochBeharGroup 1

19. Tripura,ManipurandKhasiStatesGroup 1

20. U.P.StatesGroup 1

21. EasternRajputanaStatesGroup 3

22. CentralIndiaStatesGroup(includingBundelkhandandMalwa) 3

23. WesternIndiaStatesGroup 4

24. GujaratStatesGroup 2

25. DeccanandMadrasStatesGroup 2

26. PunjabStatesGroupI 3

27. EasternStatesGroupI 4

28. EasternStatesGroupII 3

29. ResiduaryStatesGroup 4

Total 299

ADDRESSBYDR.SHANKERDAYALSHARMAPRESIDENTOFINDIAONTHEOCCASIONOFTHE50TH
ANNIVERSARYOFTHEFIRSTSITTINGOFTHECONSTITUENTASSEMBLY.
ParliamentHouse,NewDelhi
Monday,December9,199618Agrahyana,1918(Saka)

Itgivesmeimmensepleasuretoparticipateinthisfunctiontocommemoratethefiftiethanniversaryofthefirstsittingofthe
ConstituentAssemblyofIndia.

OnbehalfofthenationIpaytributetoallMembersoftheConstituentAssembly.TheirpainstakingeffortsprovidedIndiawith
thebasiclegalandethicalframeworkforprogressanddevelopment.

ItisalsomyprivilegetofelicitatesomemembersoftheConstituentAssemblywhoarewithustoday.

The9thofDecember,likethe9thofAugust,isimportantinthehistoryofourlongstruggleforFreedom.Indeed,thedemand
foraConstituentAssemblywasintrinsicallylinkedtoourlargergoalofFreedomandIndependence.TheresolutionforPurna
Swaraj in 1929 had aroused great nationalist fervour and galvanized the people to take part with renewed vigor in the
FreedomMovement.TheclearandunambiguousarticulationofthisdeeprootedlongingofthepeopleofIndiatobeincontrol
of their own destiny contained within itself the idea of a democratic Constitution which would provide a framework for the
governance of independent India by the Indian people. Clearly, such a Constitution could only be drawn up by the elected
representatives of the people of India. It was from this unassailable logic that the demand for a Constituent Assembly was
articulatedbyPanditji.TheproposalwasacceptedbytheIndianNationalCongressin1934,whereafteritbecameasignificant
part of the nationalist agenda for Independent India. Mahatma Gandhi himself fully endorsed this proposal. Writing in the
`Harijan'on25thNovember,1939,hesaid:[Iquote]

"PanditJawaharlalNehruhascompelledmetostudy,amongotherthings,theimplicationsofaConstituentAssembly.When
hefirstintroduceditintheCongressresolutions,Ireconciledmyselftoitbecauseofmybeliefinhissuperiorknowledgeof
thetechnicalitiesofdemocracy.ButIwasnotfreefromscepticism.Hardfactshave,however,mademeaconvertand,for
thatreasonperhaps,moreenthusiasticthanJawaharlalhimself."[Unquote]

It was to take seven more years before the Constituent Assembly became a reality. This was a period which saw dramatic
developmentsnotmerelyinIndiabutthroughouttheworld.InIndia,ourFreedomStrugglewasatitspeakin1942duringthe
historicQuitIndiaMovement. Internationally, there was a fundamental transformation in the geopolitical situation after the
Second World War. The world was in a state of flux when our peaceful and nonviolent struggle attained success. It was a
struggle led by women and men of character, leaders who had braved the trials and tribulations of colonial rule and had
undergonetremendoussufferingandhardship.

Itwasourbelovedleaderswhobelongedtothemasses,individualswithdeepknowledgeandlearningandimbuedwiththe
valuesofourcivilization,whowereelectedtoparticipateintheConstituentAssembly.Theyhadabroadglobalvisionwhich
encompassed all humanity and sought to harmonize the great spiritual values of our culture with the modern dynamic
approachofothertraditions.

ThevaluesofourethosandtheirownexperiencesduringtheFreedomStrugglespurredtheconstantstrivingofourpeople
fortheidealsofliberty,equality,justice,respectforhumandignityanddemocracy.Theseideals,thegoalsandvaluesofthe
FreedomStruggleformtherealessence,thelifebreathofourConstitutionandareenshrinedinthePreamble.

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Already,inthedecadesbeforeIndependenceourpeopleweregivingthoughttotheirvisionofanIndependentIndia.Pandit
Motilal Nehru drafted the wellknown Nehru Report on the Constitution of free India. The Karachi Session of the Indian
NationalCongressheldinMarch,1931adoptedthefamousResolutionmovedbyMahatmaGandhiwhichcontainedourcharter
onFundamentalRights.Itisagainstthishistoricalbackdropofalongandarduousstruggleandthecrystallizationofourvision
ofasovereign,democraticnationthatthefirstsessionoftheConstituentAssemblywasheldin1946,when,asPanditjisaid,
weembarkedon`thehighadventureofgivingshape,intheprintedandwrittenword,toanation'sdreamandaspiration'.

TherewasasenseofmissioninthemembersoftheConstituentAssemblytodraftaConstitutionwhichwouldpreservethe
pluralism and essential oneness, and the unity and integrity of India. Our Constitution ensures that India remains a secular
State.Peoplebelongingtodifferentreligiousdenominationswhoareallpartofourvibrantpluralisticsociety,areguaranteed
thefreedomtopracticetheirownreligions.ImightaddthattheseRightsunderourConstitutionareavailableeventothose
whoarenotcitizensofIndia.

OurConstitutionisnotmerelyapoliticaldocumentwhichprovidestheframeworkandinstitutionsfordemocraticgovernance
ourParliament,theExecutiveandtheJudiciary.Itprovidesaframeworkfortheeconomicandsocialemancipationofsociety
and particularly, the poor, the underprivileged and the downtrodden. As Granville Austine has said, "the core of the
commitmenttothesocialrevolutionliesinPartsIIIandIV,intheFundamentalRightsandintheDirectivePrinciplesofState
Policy.ThesearetheconscienceoftheConstitution."ItisofprofoundimportthattheFundamentalRightsareenforceableby
CourtsofLaw.Article32oftheConstitutionguaranteestheimplementationoftheseRights.Thisisaverycrucialsafeguard
againstexcessesbyexecutiveauthorityandcastsaveryheavyresponsibilityonourJudiciary,avitalpillarofourdemocratic
polity,toensurethatfundamentalhumanfreedomsareguaranteed.

WhenourConstitutionwasadoptedon26thNovember,1949ourstatesmenandvisionarieshadsaidthattheConstitutionisas
goodorbadaspeoplewhoareentrustedtoadministerit,wishittobe.TheChairmanoftheDraftingCommittee,thebrilliant
jurist,Dr.BabasahebAmbedkar,speakingadaybeforetheadoptionoftheConstitution,hadsaid:[Iquote]

"TheworkingofaConstitutiondoesnotdependwhollyuponthenatureoftheConstitution...Thefactoronwhichtheworking
of(the)organsofStatedependsarethepeopleandthepoliticalpartiestheywillsetupastheirinstrumentstocarryouttheir
wishesandtheirpolitics."[Unquote]

India has been fortunate to have leaders of outstanding calibre. They brought to bear the profound moral
and ethical values of our ethos to the functioning of the institutions of our Parliamentary Democracy. In
this way they ensured that democracy flourished and developed even stronger roots in our society. Many
of you would recall the great care and attention, the interest and personal involvement of Panditji in the
workoftheParliament,thejewelinthecrownofDemocracy.
Duringthelastfivedecades,Indiacanbeproudtohavesafeguardedandenlargedthegainsoffreedom.Wehaveprovided
flesh and blood to the constitutional edifice bequeathed to us by the founding fathers. Our Constitution has given us the
frameworkforastrongnation,aUnionofStatesanationofharmonybetweentheUnionandStatesandbetweenthevarious
institutions of our democratic polity. We can claim to have achieved significant success in the diverse and interconnected
spheres of democratic governance, our Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. The philosophy of the Constitution
nurtures a polity where the precepts and practices of democracy can become second nature to the people. Through the
elections to eleven Lok Sabhas, the people of India have repeatedly displayed their determination to fulfil their duties as
responsiblecitizensoftheRepublic.

OurParliamentisthepreeminentinstitutionofourpolity.MembersofParliamentarethetruerepresentativesofthepeople
anditisthepeople'sinterestswhichtheyarticulateinthecontextofalargerandbroadernationalvision.AsPanditjisaidin
theLokSabhaon21December,1955:[Iquote]

"(MembersofParliament)arenotonlyMembersofthisorthatparticularareaofIndia,buteachMemberofParliamentisa
MemberforIndiaandrepresentsIndia...."[Unquote]

Our Constitutional framework has also resulted in economic progress and the social emancipation of society. Effective
representation is provided to the socially depressed groups in legislatures and steps are underway to ensure a strong
representation for women. In recent years, we have provided a new impetus to our Panchayati Raj institutions. This has
fostered the participation of the people at the grassroots level in our democratic processes in a very tangible and effective
manner.

Ifwelookatnationsaroundus,wecanbeproudofourresilient,livingConstitutionwhichhasadaptedovertime,tochanging
circumstances,needsandrequirements.Indeed,ithasbecomeamodelforconstitutionsinothercountries.

I believe this is an important occasion for all of us to contemplate ways and means of improving the functioning of the
institutionsofourdemocraticpolity.WeshouldbringthemeaningandimportoftheConstitutionclosertothecommonman.
Thiswouldbepossibleifwetakeupthechallengeofmakingourinstitutions,ouradministrationandsystemsofwork,more
andmoredirectlyaccountableandfullymindfulandsensitivetotheneedsandfeelingsofourpeople.

We must all comprehend the importance of unity, the true significance of canons of propriety and the value of having the
freedom to voice different viewpoints which, indeed, are the hallmarks of any pluralistic society. As our sages of yore said,
ouraimsarecommon,ourendeavourscommon,andtherearediversewaystoreachourgoals.

Atthismomentinourhistory,aswepreparetostepintoanewcenturyandmillennia,letusallaskourselveswhatourgoals
andtasksareascitizensofthisgreatandancientnationstrivingtodevelopandmodernize.Whatareourresponsibilitiesin
nationbuilding?Howbestcanwedischargethem?Theanswersarenotfar,nordifficulttoseek.Manyhavebeenprovidedto
usbythelifeandworkofthegreatstalwartswhohaveprecededus.Wealsofindtheminourtraditionofselflessserviceand
sacrificeandinthetimelessmoralandethicalidealsofoursociety.LetusdrawinspirationfromBapu'slifeandworkandlive
uptohismessageof`Anasakti'and`NishkaamKarm'orselflessservicei.e.servicewithoutregardtothefruitsofaction.

Thisanniversaryprovidesanopportunityforevery citizen of India to renew the pledge to work for `Purna Swaraj', for the
wellbeingofourpeople,forpeaceandharmonyinoursocietyandindeed,theworld.

JAIHIND

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