Read the following statements regarding B.R. Ambedkar's role in the Constituent Assembly and identify the correct option.
(A) He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee
(B) He expressed his ideas on divergent issues
(C) He was in favour of a strong centre for India
(D) He supported N.G. Ranga on the issue of separate electorate
(E) He gave reservations to the minorities
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A), (B) and (C)
(A) He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee Correct. On Mahatma Gandhi’s advice Ambedkar joined the Union Cabinet as law minister, and in this capacity he served as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.
(B) He expressed his ideas on divergent issues Correct. He guided the Draft Constitution through the Assembly over three years, and spoke on questions as different as the rights of the Depressed Castes and the powers of the Centre.
(C) He was in favour of a strong centre for India Correct. He declared that he wanted “a strong and united Centre”, much stronger than the Centre under the Government of India Act of 1935.
(D) He supported N.G. Ranga on the issue of separate electorate Incorrect. After the Partition violence Ambedkar no longer argued for separate electorates. Ranga’s plea was different: he asked that the term minorities be understood in economic terms, as the poor and the downtrodden.
(E) He gave reservations to the minorities Incorrect. Reservation was a recommendation of the Constituent Assembly, and it was for the lowest castes: seats in legislatures and jobs in government offices were to be reserved for them.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.2 The dominant voices … Besides this Congress trio, a very important member of the Assembly was the lawyer and economist B.R. Ambedkar. During the period of British rule, Ambedkar had been a political opponent of the Congress; but, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, he was asked at Independence to join the Union Cabinet as law minister. In this capacity, he served as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.… 3.3 ‘We were suppressed for thousands of years’ … After the Partition violence, Ambedkar too no longer argued for separate electorates. The Constituent Assembly finally recommended that untouchability be abolished, Hindu temples be thrown open to all castes, and seats in legislatures and jobs in government offices be reserved for the lowest castes.… 4.2 ‘What we want today is a strong Government’ … The need for a strong centre had been underlined on numerous occasions since the Constituent Assembly had begun its sessions. Ambedkar had declared that he wanted ‘a strong and united Centre (hear, hear) much stronger than the Centre we had created under the Government of India Act of 1935’.…” |