Ravi, a history student, reads the speech with which Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly. Nehru recalls the American and French Revolutions as earlier moments in the long struggle for freedom. Yet Ravi notices that Nehru does not lay down the exact political system India should have, and declares that Indians are not going just to copy others. Ravi's friend argues that Nehru was only borrowing Western thinking for India. Ravi wants to show his friend what Nehru really had in mind for the new Constitution.
Which objective did Nehru set for the Indian Constitution that answers Ravi's friend?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → To fuse the liberal ideas of democracy with the socialist idea of economic justice
Option (1) To rest the new state on self-governing village panchayats in place of a parliament — Incorrect. Village self-rule was a Gandhian ideal discussed at the time. Nehru's stated aim was a blend of democracy and economic justice for the whole country.
Option (2) To build a strong central government first and leave social reform to later legislatures — Incorrect. Nehru did not put social reform off for later. Economic justice was part of the Constitution's aim from the start.
Option (3) To fuse the liberal ideas of democracy with the socialist idea of economic justice — Correct. Nehru wanted to <strong>fuse liberal democracy with the socialist idea of economic justice</strong>, and re-work both for the Indian context. So he was not just borrowing Western ideas.
Option (4) To give the provinces full control of economic matters while the Centre kept defence — Incorrect. Nehru did not speak of handing economic matters to the provinces. His aim was about the values of the whole Constitution.
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