Constitutional Intent of Indian Federalism a Study of the Ideas of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Bhim Rao Ambedkar

Abstract

The foundation of the federal system of India has been rooted in a number ideational innovations and critical inputs provided by a number of Indian leaders. Amongst such galaxy of leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru and Babasaheb Ambedkar stand out prominently. Right from their innate concerns for the future nature of the Indian polity after independence till the time of the implementation of the federal system, these leaders remained key figures in conceptualising, refining, debating, reinventing and implementing the final framework of federalism in the country that emerged in the form of the constitutional provisions enacted by the constituent assembly of India.In a way, the views of these two leaders represented the constitutional intent of the federalism in the country given the mainstream of views that these two leaders represented in both inside as well as outside the constituent assembly. Though the seeds of the federal nature of the Indian polity had indeed been sown by the colonial rulers, the present nature of the federalism in the country would not have secured the same shape and content in which it existstoday had there not been the critical ideational inputs of the Indian leaders. Thus, in formulating such a visionary framework of Indian federalism, the ideas and inputs of both Nehru and Ambedkar had undoubtedly played the pivotal role. newline