New Delhi: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday said BR Ambedkar, who played a key role in drafting the Constitution, was opposed to giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir as he felt that such a move would go against the country’s unity and integrity.
He also said the article pertaining to granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir was passed by the Constituent Assembly in haste when Ambedkar was not present.
The minister was speaking at the ‘Constitution of India for Students’ event organised here to mark the launch of a book.
Meghwal also said Ambedkar refused to pilot Article 370.
“He was the first one to speak on all the articles that came up before the Constituent Assembly. Discussions used to take place for half-a-day or more than a day. Ambedkar used to respond to the debates,” he said, citing records of the Constituent Assembly.
“Records show that he spoke the most in the debates. But Article 370, he refused to pilot, saying it was against the unity and integrity of the country,” the minister noted.
He further said Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that Article 370 be adopted and another member of the drafting committee was tasked to get it passed.
“Ambedkar was not present as he had gone to a hospital … It (Article 370) was passed in a haste,” he said.
“Meghwal said Ambedkar was a true patriot. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is another patriot who ensured the abrogation of special status for Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, was abrogated in August 2019. The state was also reorganised into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Speaking on the occasion, former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd) Hemant Gupta said the heart of the Constitution lay in directive principles “of what we need to do for the country and the Constitution. But unfortunately, we put more stress on rights”.
