Consider the following statements about the debate on the powers of the Centre and the provinces in the Constituent Assembly:
(A) Before Partition the Congress had agreed to grant considerable autonomy to the provinces.
(B) A unitary system was already in place, imposed by the colonial government.
(C) Many members said the powers of the Centre had to be greatly strengthened to stop the communal frenzy.
(D) The need for a strong centre was first raised in the Assembly as a reaction to the demands for more provincial powers.
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 only
(A) Before Partition the Congress had agreed to grant considerable autonomy to the provinces. — Correct. Before Partition, the Congress had agreed to <strong>considerable autonomy for the provinces</strong>. It wanted to assure the Muslim League.
(B) A unitary system was already in place, imposed by the colonial government. — Correct. India already had a <strong>unitary system imposed by the colonial government</strong>. This made centralisation easier after Partition.
(C) Many members said the powers of the Centre had to be greatly strengthened to stop the communal frenzy. — Correct. Members recalled the riots of the time. They wanted a <strong>stronger Centre to stop the communal frenzy</strong>.
(D) The need for a strong centre was first raised in the Assembly as a reaction to the demands for more provincial powers. — Incorrect. The need for a strong centre had been <strong>underlined on numerous occasions since the Assembly began its sessions</strong>, long before the provincial demands came up.
NCERT (2026-27): “4.2 “What we want today is a strong Government” “Before Partition the Congress had agreed to grant considerable autonomy to the provinces. This had been part of an effort to assure the Muslim League that within the provinces where the Muslim League came” “to power the Centre would not interfere. After Partition most nationalists changed their position because they felt that the earlier political pressures for a decentralised structure were no longer there. There was already a unitary system in place, imposed by the colonial government. …” |