Mr. President, Sir, this is an historic occasion in India’s history when this August Assembly is about to conclude its labours. Free India will now have its first free constitution after unknown centuries. India is an ancient land and its history goes back to time immemorial. There is much ancient literature extent. But I do not know of any written constitution framed in ancient India providing for the governance of the whole country available today. We know of the codes of Mannuand all other great law givers of ancient India, still no elaborate democratic constitution providing for the governance of the entire sub-continent from Cape Commorin in the South to Gilgit in the North and from Ledo in the east to Peshawar in the West was probably ever made. There were great Emperors of India whose empire comprised the entire sub-continent as, for example, Asoka. We have details of certain departments of his Government, but we do not possess the written constitution of the country in those days. So after, a lapse of innumerable centuries and probably for the first time in known history, chosen representatives from every part of the country have assembled together in a Constituent Assembly and given themselves a Constitution.
