Read the passage and answer the questions:
Constitution: The Power of the State
The rights of the states were mostly eloquently defended by K. Santhanam. A reallocation of powers were necessary, he felt, to strengthen not only the states but also the Centre. “There is almost an obsession that by adding all kinds of powers to the Centre we can make it strong.” This was a misconception, said Santhanam. If the Centre was overburdened with responsibilities, it could not function effectively. By relieving it of some its functions, and transferring them to the states, the Centre could, in fact, be made stronger. As for the states, Santhanam felt that the proposed allocation of powers would cripple them. The fiscal provisions would impoverish the provinces since most taxes, except the land revenue, had been the preserve of the Centre. Without finances how could the states undertake any project of development? The argument for greater power to the provinces provoked a strong reaction in the Assembly. 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 much stronger than the Centre we had created under the Government of India Act of 1935”. Reminding the members of the riots and violence that was ripping the nation apart, many members had repeatedly stated that the powers of the Centre had to be greatly strengthened to enable it to stop the communal frenzy. Reacting to the demands for giving power to the provinces, Gopalaswami Ayyangar declared that “the Centre should be made as strong as possible”.
K. Santhanam belonged to which state?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Madras
The rights of the states were most eloquently defended in the Constituent Assembly by K. Santhanam from Madras. He argued that a reallocation of powers would strengthen not only the states but also the Centre, and that the proposed fiscal provisions would leave the provinces without money for development. The passage prints his name without “from Madras”, so the state is not given in it.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.1 ‘The centre is likely to break’ … The rights of the states were most eloquently defended by K. Santhanam from Madras. A reallocation of powers was necessary, he felt, to strengthen not only the states but also the Centre. ‘There is almost an obsession that by adding all kinds of powers to the Centre we can make it strong.’ This was a misconception, said Santhanam. If the Centre was overburdened with responsibilities, it could not function effectively. By relieving it of some of its functions, and transferring them to the states, the Centre could, in fact, be made stronger.” |