Indian Politics Questions

An idea for a Constituent Assembly of India was proposed in 1934 by M. N. Roy, a pioneer of the Communist movement in India and an advocate of radical democracy. It became an official demand of the Indian National Congress in 1935, C. Rajagopalachari voiced the demand for a constituent Assembly on 15 November 1939 based on adult franchise, and was accepted by the British in August 1940.

Under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, elections were held for the first time for the Constituent Assembly. The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946.

The Constituent Assembly appointed a total of 22 committees to deal with different tasks of constitution-making. Out of these, eight were major committees and the others were minor committees.

The Major Committees and its Chairman's:: 

1. Drafting Committee – Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

2. Union Powers Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru

3. Union Constitution Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru

4. Provincial Constitution Committee – Sardar Patel

5. Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas – Sardar Patel. This committee had the following subcommittees:
                   * Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee – J.B. Kripalani
                   * Minorities Sub-Committee – Harendra Coomar Mookerjee,
                   * North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee – Gopinath Bardoloi
                   * Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than those in Assam) Sub-Committee – A V Thakkar

6. Rules of Procedure Committee – Dr. Rajendra Prasad

7. States Committee (Committee for Negotiating with States) – Jawaharlal Nehru

8. Steering Committee – Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly of India.