Previous Year Question
“Can you show me one free country where there are separate electorates? ... The British element is gone, but they have left mischief behind.”
Who among the following said the above mentioned statement in the Constituent Assembly debates?
Somnath Lahiri
Jawaharlal Nehru
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
N. G. Ranga
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
This statement was made by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the Constituent Assembly on 27 August 1947 during the debate on minority rights and Separate Electorates versus Joint Electorates. The official Constituent Assembly Debates record the statement as part of Patel's speech.
At that time, the Constituent Assembly was considering the report of the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also the Chairman of this Advisory Committee. The Committee recommended the abolition of separate electorates in favour of joint electorates.
Under a Separate Electorate, representatives of a particular community are elected only by voters belonging to that community. During British rule, this arrangement had institutionalised communal political representation.
Patel argued that continuing such an arrangement in an independent and partitioned India would not serve national unity. In this context, he asked whether any free country could be shown where separate electorates existed. The Assembly subsequently accepted the principle of joint electorates.
Opposition to Separate Electorates + 27 August 1947 debate → Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel