PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 329
(33)
The House re-assembled after Lunch at Three of the Clock.
[P ANDIT T HAKUR D AS B HARGAVA in the Chair ]
*CONSTITUTION (FIRST AMENDMENT) BILL
The Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs (Shri Jawaharlal Nehru): I beg to move.
“ That the Bill to amend the Constitution of India be referred to a Select Committee consisting of Prof. K. T. Shah, Sardar Hukam Singh, Pandit Hirday Nath Kunzru, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Shri Naziruddin Ahmad, Shri C. Rajagopalachari, Shri L. Krishnaswami Bharati, Shri Awadheshwar Prasad Sinha, Shri T. R. Deogirikar, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Shri V. S. Sarwate, Shri Mohanlal Gautam, Shri R. K. Sidhva,- Shri Khandubhai K. Desai, Shri K. Hanumanthaiya, Shri Raj Bahadur, Shrimati G. Durgabai, Shri Manilal Chaturbhai Shah, Shri Dev Kanta Borooah, Shri Satya Narayan Sinha and the Mover with instructions to report on Monday the 21st May, 1951.”
This Bill is not a very complicated one ; nor is it a big one. Nevertheless, I need hardly point out that it is of intrinsic and great importance. Anything dealing with the Constitution and change of it is of importance. Anything dealing with Fundamental Rights in corporated in the Constitution is of even greater importance. Therefore, in bringing this Bill forward, I do so and the government does so in no spirit of light-heartedness, in no haste, but after the most careful thought and scrutiny, given to this problem.
I might inform the House that we have been thinking about this matter for several months consulting people, State Governments, Ministers of Provincial Governments, consulting, when occassion offered itself, a number of Members of this House, referring it to various Committees and the like and taking such advice from competent legal quarters as we could obtain, so that we have proceed with as great care as we could
- P. D., Vol. 12, Part II, 16th May 1951, pp. 8814-15.