Love and revolution

Ambedkar believed political democracy relied upon social cohesion, fraternity, for its success

- AAKASH SINGH RATHORE

An interesting thing about the drafting of the Indian Constitution-the apotheosis of which, of course, we celebrate every January 26-was the way that the drafting committee responded to widespread communal violence and social unrest by adding new ideas into the Preamble. By introducing the term 'fraternity', the committee had actually wilfully exceeded the mandate that had been granted to them by the Constituent Assembly.

This mandate had been precise: the drafting committee was tasked with repurposing the unanimously adopted 'Objectives Resolution', moved by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946, to function as the Constitution's Preamble. But instead, Ambedkar decided to completely rewrite it. His rewrite focused upon the social as the foundation for the political. As he saw it, political democracy relied upon social cohesion, fraternity, for its success.

In 1948, Ambedkar had sent the completed draft Constitution to the president of the Constituent Assembly, Dr Rajendra Prasad, along with a cover note containing a confession about its departure from the Objectives Resolution:

"The committee has added a clause about fraternity in the Preamble although it does not occur in the Objectives Resolution. The committee felt that the need for fraternal concord and goodwill in India was never greater than now and that this particular aim of the new Constitution should be emphasised by special mention in the Preamble."

Partition in particular, but long-enduring casteism, too, had alerted Ambedkar to the fact that Indian democracy could be erected either upon a foundation of fear and violence or upon a foundation of brotherhood and love. By introducing the novel term 'fraternity' into the Constitution, Ambedkar was decisively opting for love.