Nehru told the audience that an elected Constituent Assembly would draft a Constitution for free India. Although the Cabinet Mission readily agreed to a Constituent Assembly, it was unwilling to concede the demand for universal adult suffrage. Under the Mission Plan, a majority of the Constituent Assembly’s members would be elected by the legislatures of British Indian provinces. At independence, most League members left for Pakistan where a separate assembly convened in Karachi (Gujral’s father was briefly a member). And yet, India’s founders adopted a liberal and secular charter which enshrines fundamental rights, establishes basic institutions, and creates institutional checks and balances.

Source: Hindustan Times January 25, 2020 01:03 UTC