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NCERT Class 12 History Chapter 15 Farming The Constitution
Also, you can read the NCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Book guidelines. CBSE Class 12 History Solutions are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NCERT Class 12 History Part – I: Themes in Indian History, History Part – II: Themes in Indian History, History Part – III: Themes in Indian History. NCERT Class 12 History Chapter 15 Farming The Constitution Notes, NCERT Class 12 History Textbook Solutions for All Chapters, You can practice these here.
Farming The Constitution
Chapter: 15
| THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY (PART – III) |
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ANSWER
1. What were the ideals expressed in the Objectives Resolution?
Ans: The Objectives Resolution was presented in the Constituent Assembly on 13 December, 1946 by Jawaharlal Nehru. It outlined and defined the ideals and objectives of the constitution which are as follows:
(i) India was declared as Independent Sovereign Republic.
(ii) It assured justice, equality, liberty and fraternity to all its citizens.
(iii) It provided adequate safeguards to minorities. It also referred to the well-being of the backward and depressed classes.
(iv) India would combine the liberal ideas of democracy with the socialist idea of economic justice.
(v) India would adopt that form of government which would be acceptable to its people. No imposition from the British would be accepted by the Indian people.
(vi) India would be a federation.
(vii) India would work for world peace and human welfare.
2. How was the term minority defined by different groups?
Ans: Minority means that a particular community or a group of people is less as compared to the proportion of the total population. However during the preparation of the Indian Constitution, all the members of the Constituent Assembly defined it in their own way.
(i) B. Pocker Bahadur from Madras stated that minorities existed in almost all the countries of the world. So he wanted a political framework in the country which might enable the minorities to live in harmony with others.
(ii) N.G. Ranga stated that the real minorities were the common people of the country. He believed that the common people of the country were so depressed, oppressed and suppressed that they never enjoyed any civil rights. He particularly referred to the tribal people who were considered by the merchants as their bond slaves. Jaipal Singh also supported the views of N.G. Ranga.
(iii) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar considered the people belonging to the depressed castes as minority. However Nagappa pointed out that numerically depressed castes were not a minority as they were 20 to 25% of the total population.
3. What were the arguments in favour of greater power to the provinces?
Ans: In the Constituent Assembly, the rights of the states were mostly defended by K. Santhanam, a member from Madras. He emphasised the need to strengthen the states.
(i) K. Santhanam was opposed to the centre being vested with more powers. He felt that an over-burdened centre would not be able to fulfil its responsibilities in an effective manner. The centre would become really strong if all the states are made stronger. He advocated that centre should be given less powers and states should be given more powers.
(ii) K. Santhanam was not happy with the proposed allocation of powers between the centre and the states. He felt that such a distribution of power would cripple the states.
4. Why did Mahatma Gandhi think Hindustani should be the national language?
Ans: (a) Mahatma Gandhi felt that Hindustani was a language that the common people could easily understand.
(b) Hindustani which was a blend of Hindi and Urdu was popular among a large section of the people. Moveover it was a composite language enriched by the interaction of diverse cultures.
(c) Over the years words and terms from many different sources had been incorporated into this language making it easily understood by people from various regions.
(d) According to Mahatma Gandhi Hindustani would be the ideal language of communication between diverse communities. It would help to unify Hindus and Muslims and the people from the north and south.
(e) From the end of the 19th century onwards language become associated with the politics of religious identities. Hindustani also began to change but Mahatma Gandhi retained his faith in the composite character of Hindustani.
5. What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution?
Ans: (a) Certain basic values were accepted by all national leaders as a result of the Nehru Report and the Fundamental Rights Resolution passed by the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress.
(b) These included Universal Adult Franchise, Right to freedom and equality and protection of minority rights.
(c) As a result of the 1937 elections, the Congress and other political parties were able to form governments in the provinces. This experience with legislative and political institutions helped in developing an agreement over institutional design.
(d) The Indian Constitution thus adopted many institutional details and procedures from colonial laws like the Government of India Act of 1935.
(e) The founding fathers were also inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, the working of parliamentary democracy in Britain and the Bill of Rights in the USA. The 1917 Russian Revolution inspired our leaders to establish a government based on social and economic equality.
(f) While addressing the meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 13 December, 1946, Jawaharalal Nehru spoke about the ideals of the new Indian Constitution. He discussed everything in a broad historical perspective. He referred to the historic efforts made in the past to achieve the goals of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity and fundamental rights.
6. Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups.
Ans: (a) It was felt that the oppressed groups like the tribals and untouchables needed special safeguards to enable them to come up to the level of the general population.
(b) The tribals for instance needed to be integrated into the national mainstream as perceiving them to be backward, society has spurned them.
(c) Moreover their land had been snatched away and they had been deprived of their forests and pastures.
(d) Society had used the services and labour of the untouchables but kept them isolated socially.
(e) Their sufferings were due to their systematic marginalisation. They had no access to education and no share in the administration. Therefore constitutional legislation was needed to improve their position.
7. What connection did some of the members of the Constituent Assembly make between the political situation of the time and the need for a strong Centre?
Ans: (i) India attained its freedom on 15 August, 1947. But it was also divided on this day into two parts viz India and Pakistan. It was marred by communal frenzy and communal riots. So like Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar too propounded a strong Central Government for India. He referred to the riots and violence that was ripping the nation apart.
(ii) Most of the members of the Constituent Assembly felt that a strong centre was the need of the hour. If it was not done, it would be injurious to national interests. A weak central authority would not be able to ensure peace, prosperity and political stability. It would fail to coordinate vital matters of common concern. That is why, Gopalaswami Ayyangar appealed to all the members of the Constituent Assembly that “the Centre should be made as strong as Possible.”
(iii) Similarly Balakrishna Sharma stated that only a strong and united centre could plan for the well-being of the country, mobilise all the available resource, ensures strong defence against any aggressor and establish a proper administration.
(iv) Almost all the members realised that a strong central government was necessary to forestall chaos, stop communal riots and to usher economic development of the country.
8. How did the Constituent Assembly seek to resolve the language controversy?
Ans: India is a vast country having different regions where different languages are spoken. So it was quite natural that the Constituent Assembly discussed the intricate issue of language for the newly-independent country. The discussion about the language problem generated intense arguments.
Hindustani: A choice of Congress and Gandhi. Before the independence of the country, the Congress had made up its mind to adopt Hindustani as the national language of the country. Mahatma Gandhi had also approved this decision. He was convinced that everyone should speak in a language which is understood by most of the common people. Hindustani was not a new language. It was a blend of Hindi and Urdu. It was a popular language as it was spoken by most of the people of the country. It was a composite language because it was enriched by the interaction of diverse cultures. That is why, Mahatma Gandhi preferred it to be the national language of India.
Arguments in Support of Hindi: The case for Hindi was mostly pleaded by R.V. Dhulekar, a Congressman from the United
Province. He wanted that Hindi should be used as the language of constitution-making. When he was told that all the members of the Constituent Assembly did not know Hindi, he felt infuriated and stated that those who did not know Hindustani were not worthy to be the members of the Constituent Assembly. He told such members to quit the Assembly. There was a commotion in the Assembly over his remarks. However the peace and order were restored due to the intervention of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Report of the Language Committee: The Language Committee of the Constituent Assembly suggested a compromise formula in its report. In order to resolve the deadlock over the issue of language, it advocated that Hindi in Devanagari script should be the official language of the country. It also suggested that transition from English to Hindi would be gradual. It stated that during the first fifteen years since the enforcement of the new constitution, English would continue to be used for all official purposes. In other words, the Language Committee referred to Hindi as the official language and not the national language of India.
Apprehensions of Members from the South: The members in the Constituent Assembly who hailed from the southern states considered Hindi as a threat to their provincial languages. Many suspicions were expressed by Mrs. G. Durgabai of Madras and Sh. Shankar Rao from Bombay. T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar from Madras suggested that the issue of language should be handled with tact and caution. Hindi should not be aggressively thrust upon the southern people. In other words, the members from South India wanted that Hindi should not be forcefully imposed on them.
9. On a present day political map of India indicate the different languages spoken in each state and mark out the one that is designated as the language for official communication. Compare the present map with a map of the early 1950s. What differences do you notice ? Do the differences say something about the relationship between language and the organisation of the states?
Ans: Students can do themselves with the help of their teacher.
10. Choose any one important constitutional change that has happened in recent years. Find out why the change was made, what different arguments were put forward for the change, and the historical background to the change. If you can, try and look at the Constitutional Assembly Debates (http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/ debates.htm) to see how the issue was discussed at that time. Write about your findings.
Ans: Do yourself.
11. Compare the Constitution of America, France or South Africa with the Indian Constitution, focusing on any two of the following themes: secularism, minority rights, relations between the centre and the states. Find out how these differences and similarities are linked to the histories of the regions.
Ans: Students do yourself with the help of their teacher.
