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BN Rau: Backroom boy at the heart of the making of India’s Constitution

November 26 marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly. Almost obscured by the political stalwarts who played a key role in its making, but always acknowledged as the remarkable civil servant who threaded diverse needs into a coherent foundational document is Rau. He holds the distinction of also having played an important role in drafting Burma’s constitution in 1947

October 30, 2024 / 16:09 IST
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Some became the face of the Indian Constitution while others remained behind the scenes.

Two events assumed great importance in the run-up to India’s independence from British colonial rule. The first was framing the Constitution for the soon-to-be independent nation and the other was integrating 562 princely States into the Indian Union.

These two projects were successfully concluded when the Indian Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949, and became fully effective on January 26, 1950. The integration of the princely states was completed with Hyderabad acceding to the Indian Union in September 1948.

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Invisible hands

The story of these two events is full of twists and turns and is marked by the extraordinary grit and determination of numerous players. Some out of them became the face of it while others remained behind the scenes. In the case of framing India’s Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar—chairman of the Drafting Committee emerged as the most prominent face and in the case of integration of the princely states India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel emerged as the most powerful figure.