Constituent Assembly members in 1947 often recalled the riots while discussing how authority should be shared between the Union and the states. What effect did the violence have on this question?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → It gave a further push to centralisation
Option (1) It led to fewer items being placed on the Union and Concurrent lists — Incorrect. Fewer items on these lists was a <strong>demand of provincial members</strong>. The violence made most members want the opposite.
Option (2) It led the Congress to grant considerable autonomy to the provinces — Incorrect. Autonomy for the provinces was agreed <strong>before Partition</strong>, to assure the Muslim League. After Partition this position was given up.
Option (3) It gave a further push to centralisation — Correct. The violence of the times <strong>pushed the Assembly towards centralisation</strong>. A strong Centre was seen as necessary to forestall chaos and plan economic development.
Option (4) It left most taxes, except land revenue, with the provinces — Incorrect. This reverses the fiscal provisions. Santhanam complained that most taxes, except land revenue, had been made the <strong>preserve of the Centre</strong>.
NCERT (2026-27): “4.2 “What we want today is a strong Government” … “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. The violence of the times gave a further push to centralisation, now seen as necessary both to forestall chaos and to plan for the country’s economic development. The Constitution thus showed a distinct bias towards the rights of the Union of India over those of its constituent states.” |