Framing the Constitution question answer: Ncert Solutions For Class 12 History Chapter 12 Framing the Constitution
| Textbook | NCERT |
| Class | Class 12 |
| Subject | History |
| Chapter | Chapter 12 |
| Chapter Name | Framing the Constitution class 12 ncert solutions |
| Category | Ncert Solutions |
| Medium | English |
Are you looking for History Class 12 Chapter 12 question answer in english? Now you can download Ncert Solutions For Class 12 History Chapter 12 Framing the Constitution pdf from here.
note: All these questions and answers are based on the new syllabus. So the chapter numbers may seem different to you.
[ Answer in 100-150 words ] Class 12 History chapter 12 questions and answers in English
Question 1: What were the ideals expressed in the Objectives Resolution?
Answer 1: Jawahar Lai Nehru presented the Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly on 13 December, 1946. It gave a brief account of the ideals and objectives of the Constitution. These are following:
- Resolve to proclaim India as an Independent sovereign republic.
- To establish a democratic Union with an equal level of self government for all the constituent parts.
- All power and authority of the union government and governments of the constituent parts are derived from the people.
- To guarantee and secure to all people of India. Justice, Social, Economic and Political.
- equality of status, of opportunity and before law.
- freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation association and action.
- Adequate safeguards for minorities backward and tribal areas and depressed and other backward classes.
- To maintain the integrity of the territory of the Republic and its sovereign rights on land, sea, and air according to justice and law of civilized nations.
- To secure for India its rightful and honoured place in the world.
- To contribute to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind. These objectives incorporated in the Preamble of the constitution.
Question 2: How was the term minority defined by different groups?
Answer 2: Different groups defined the term “minority” in their own unique ways:
(i) According to B. Pocker Bahadur of Madras, minorities exist everywhere and cannot be eliminated, even if desired. Therefore, separate electorates should be maintained to protect their interests. He argued that The needs of Muslims, could not be properly understood by non-Muslims; nor could a true representative of Muslims be chosen by people who did not belong to that community
(ii) N.G. Ranga, a socialist who had been a leader of the peasant movement, urged that the term minorities be interpreted in economic terms. The real minorities for Ranga were the poor and the downtroddeni.e., the masses of this country. These include tribal people and poor villagers who are exploited by moneylenders, zamindars, malguzar and other people.
(iii) Jaipal Singh, a tribal member, asserted that the real minorities are the tribal people who have been humiliated and neglected for the past 6,000 years. He emphasized the need for their protection.
(vi) Leaders of the Depressed Classes argued that the real minorities are those who, despite not being numerically few, have been treated very poorly by other sections of society. These leaders called for their voices to be heard and for the eradication of untouchability.
Question 3: What were the arguments in favour of greater power to the provinces?
Answer 3: K. Santhanam, a member from the Madras defended the rights of the states in the Constituent Assembly. He emphasised the need to strengthen the states. He was not in favour of vesting more powers with the Centre. He was of the opinion the Centre would not be able to perform its duties efficiently in case it is over-burdened. The Centre will become automatically strong if all states are made stronger. He advocated that the Centre should be given less powers and states should be given more powers. Proposed allocation of powers between the Centre and States was also a matter of concern for K. Santhanam. He felt that such a distribution of power would cripple the states.
Question 4: Why did Mahatma Gandhi think Hindustani should be the national language?
Answer 4: Mahatma Gandhi believed that a language should be one that people can easily understand. Hindustani, which is a blend of Hindi and Urdu, was the language spoken by a large portion of the Indian population and had been enriched through the exchange of various cultures. Over time, it absorbed new words and meanings from various sources, making it comprehensible to people from different regions. Gandhi felt that a multicultural language like Hindustani could serve as an ideal means of communication among diverse communities, uniting Hindus and Muslims, as well as people from the north and south of India.
[ Write a short essay (about 250-300 words) on the following: ] Class 12 history chapter 12 ncert solutions in English
Question 5: What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution?
Answer 5: Following are some historical forces which shaped the vision of the Constitution. Certain basic values were accepted by all national leaders as a result of the Nehru Report and the Fundamental Rights Resolution passed the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress. Universal Adult Franchise, Right to Freedom and Equality and Protection of minority rights were these basic values.
After the results of 1937 elections, the Congress and other political parties were able to form the governments in the provinces. This experience with legislative and political institutions helped in developing an agreement over institutional design. Many colonial laws were also the sources of the Indian Constitution. Government of India Act, 1935 was a major one. This wray, the Indian Constitution adopted many institutional details and procedures from the colonial laws.
The French Revolution also inspired the makers of the Constitution. The working of the Parliamentary democracy in Britain and the Bill of Rights in the USA also inspired the framers of the Constitution.
Question 6: Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups.
Answer 6: It was felt that oppressed classes like tribals and untouchables required special attention and safeguards to enable them to raise their status and come to the level of the general population.
Tribals were regarded backward. They were not accepted well in society. They were almost rejected. For their upliftment they were required to be assimilated in the society. They were also required to be brought into the mainstream of the society. So special protection and care were offered to them.
In society untouchables were treated as labourers. Society used their services but did not give them respectable position. They were treated as outcast and kept isolated. Their sufferings were due to their systematic marginalization.
Lands of the tribals have been confiscated and had been deprived of their forests and pastures. Tribals and untouchables had no access to education. They did not take part in administration. So some legislations were required to improve their conditions.
Question 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?
Answer 7: Some members of the Constituent Assembly believed that the political turmoil and violence following India’s independence on August 15, 1947, highlighted the need for a strong central government. The partition of India had led to significant communal violence, and leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar argued that a robust central authority was essential to maintain order and stability.
The Constituent Assembly, reflecting on these conditions, largely supported this view. They saw a strong Centre as crucial for ensuring national cohesion, coordinating vital issues of common concern, and safeguarding against further chaos and violence. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, for example, advocated for making the Centre as powerful as possible, while Balakrishna Sharma also emphasized that a strong central government was necessary to mobilize resources, defend the country, and establish effective administration.
In essence, the members of the Constituent Assembly felt that only a unified and strong central government could promote peace, prosperity, and political stability.
Question 8: How did the Constituent Assembly seek to resolve the language controversy?
Answer 8: India is very big country. It has many different regions. Different varieties of people live here and speak different languages. So for a new nation like India it was necessary to give proper attention to the intricacies of different languages.
Hindustani: Hindustani was a choice for the Congress and Mahatma Gandhi. Congress had already decided to adopt Hindustani as the national language of the country. Mahatma Gandhi was also in favour of adopting Hindustani as the national language and supported strongly for this view. He argued 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 enriched by the interaction of diverse cultures and spoken by most of the people of the country.
Hindi: R.V. Dhulekar pleaded in favour of Hindi for adopting it as the national language. He came from the United Province and a Congressman. He wanted that Hindi should be used as language of constitution-making . He even said that those who did not know Hindustani were not worthy to be the members of the Constituent Assembly.
Report of the Language Committee: The language Committee of the Constituent Assembly suggested a compromise formula in its report. It suggested that Hindi in Devnagri script should be the official language of the country and tried to resolve the issue. It also suggested that transition from English to Hindi should be gradual. It was also suggested that during first fifteen years since adoption of the Constitution, English would continue to serve as for official purposes. So it was clear that the Language Committee referred Hindi as the official language not the national language.
Threat to South: The members of the Constituent Assembly who belonged to the Southern India were apprehensive of the view. They felt that Hindi would be a threat to their provincial languages. Shankar Rao from Bombay . T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar and Mrs. G. Durgabai of Madras suggested that issue of language required utmost care and needed to be handled efficiently and dextrally. Hindi should not be thrust upon the people of South India.