"Ambedkar Opposed Article 370, Cited Threat to Unity: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated on Monday that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a key architect of the Indian Constitution, was strongly opposed to the introduction of Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir, as he believed it would undermine the country’s unity and integrity.

 

 

Speaking at the ‘Constitution of India for Students’ event organized to mark the launch of a book, Meghwal revealed that Article 370, was passed by the Constituent Assembly in haste during Ambedkar’s absence.

 

 

Meghwal explained that Dr. Ambedkar had refused to pilot Article 370, which was later pushed through under pressure from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. “Ambedkar, who actively participated in lengthy debates on every article in the Constituent Assembly, refused to take up Article 370, calling it against the unity and integrity of India,” the Minister noted.

 

 

According to Meghwal, when Article 370 was presented, Ambedkar was absent as he was undergoing medical treatment. Nehru then directed another member of the drafting committee to ensure its passage, a move Meghwal criticized as being done in undue haste.

 

 

Calling Ambedkar a “true patriot,” Meghwal contrasted his stance with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, he said, upheld national unity by abrogating Article 370 in August 2019.