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The legacy of Ambedkar
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- Ambedkar believed that unless the moral values of a constitution are upheld, the grandiloquent words in it will not protect the freedom and democratic values of the people.
- B R AMBEDKAR is rightly regarded as the principal architect of our Constitution. He studied the constitutions of several countries and worked tirelessly.
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- Great importance to constitutional morality:(1) Ambedkar attached great importance to constitutional morality in the working of the Constitution.(2) He explained this as paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution, enforcing obedience to authority acting under and within these forms yet combined with the habit of open speech, of action subject only to definite legal control.
Ambedkar’s views on:
- Whether the President was bound by ministerial advice and could act independently:(1) Ambedkar was of opinion that the president was bound by ministerial advice.(2) Ambedkar was of the firm view that “the President could not act and will not act except on the advice of the Ministers.(3) These passages are reproduced in the landmark judgment of our Supreme Court in Shamsher Singh’s case, in which the Court accepted Ambedkar’s view.
- Democracy:(1) Ambedkar expressed his misgivings about the successful functioning of democracy in our country.(2) If we wish to maintain democracy the first thing in my judgement that we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.(3) It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution.(4) It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha.(5) These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.
- Fundamental rights:(1) In his view guarantees of fundamental rights remain ornamental promises unless they can be judicially enforced.(2) With that objective in mind, the draft Constitution provided that a person can move the Supreme Court directly for the enforcement of his or her fundamental rights without going through the high court.
- On Hero Worship:(1) Ambedkar warned that Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul.(2) But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.
- Social Justice:(1) He believed that mere equality on paper was not adequate.(2) What was needed was de facto equality, real equality of opportunity for the millions who had been denied it.
Source
Indian express.