Then, Sir, the next objection is to the cumbrous verbiage that appears in this clause: “body functioning as the Constituent Assembly of the Dominion of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution”. I do not know why this has been introduced, changing the draft as it stood originally. If my honourable Colleagues turn to article 311, clause (1) as it stood originally, they will see that its description is “the Constituent Assembly of the Dominion of India”. I have already stated that the word ‘Dominion’ should be dropped. Now, I say that this could be more simply described as the Constituent Assembly of India. If the Drafting Committee feels that just because a little more than a hundred seats are going to be declared vacant, this change in the description of the body is necessary, I feel that they are labouring under a misapprehension. So long as the body is not dissolved, it continues to be the Constituent Assembly of India. Even if a very large majority of the members resign from the Assembly and whether their places are filled up or not, it is the same old Assembly which has always been called the Constituent Assembly of India. So long as it is not dissolved, it continues to be called in constitutional parlance the Constituent Assembly of India. Therefore, if there is any misapprehension that on the score of the resignation of more than one hundred members, this body must be described in this fashion and not simply as the Constituent Assembly of India, that misapprehension is not at all justified, and we will not be describing the body wrongly if we refer to it merely as the Constituent Assembly of India. Whether a hundred members resign or even more do so, until the commencement of the Constitution, the body continues to be called the Constituent Assembly of India. Therefore by means of amendments 143, 144, and 145 which go together, I seek to simplify the wording and the expression employed in this article in clause (1), so that we will provide for the Constituent Assembly of India itself exercising all the powers and performing all the duties conferred by the provisions of this Constitution on Parliament. Once the Constitution comes into force, then, of course, under tile Constitution, this Assembly will be called the provisional Parliament. Till then, it is not necessary to say “the body functioning as such and such”. It is enough for our purposes to say “the Constituent Assembly of India”. I hope those members of the Drafting Committee who are fond of using the word “dominion”. and of using more words than are necessary for our purpose, will see the force of these amendments of mine and simplify the wording of this clause.
