We, the People, and Our Constitution

The foundational ideas of Indian democracy-fraternity, equality, secularism,

justice-are not alien concepts. As this book shows, from the earliest attempt

with the 'Constitution of India Bill' in 1895, whose authorship is unknown,

to the 1925 Commonwealth of India Bill, the Motilal Nehru Constitutional

Draft of 1928 and various Congress resolutions to the Constituent Assembly

of 1946, we see these basic ideas reiterated again and again. With the adoption

of the Constitution, 'we, the people' merely affirmed our faith in an idea of

freedom that thousands of Indians had fought and died for.

Among the many distinguishing features of our Constitution is the role it

has played in realizing the promises of the freedom struggle. We see how,

creative interpretations by the judiciary aside, it has provided the blueprint for

interventions by civil society to protect the citizen from both the brazenness

of political power as well as the uncertainties of a developing economy. No

wonder, then, that in the decades since Independence, the Constitution has

become our very identity as Indians. For all its shortcomings, it has held our

democracy together, and the people have, likewise, stepped up in its defence

when needed, like they did in 2019 to protest the ominous amendments to

the Citizenship Act.

In this lucid yet passionately argued essay, distinguished scholar of political

science Neera Chandhoke shows us why our Constitution is as much a

political and moral document as it is a legal one, and as Indian as the republic

it created.