R.V. Dhulekar
Topic: Framing the Indian Constitution · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Framing the Constitution"
Meaning
R.V. Dhulekar was a Congress member of the Constituent Assembly from the United Provinces. He took strong positions on two big debates. He firmly opposed separate electorates, which were separate voting groups for minorities. He also pushed hard for Hindi. His speeches show how heated the Hindi question became in the Assembly.
Example
In an early session, Dhulekar demanded that Hindi be the language of constitution-making. He was told that not every member knew it. He replied that those who did not know Hindustani were "not worthy to be members of this Assembly. They better leave." The House broke into uproar until Nehru calmed it. On 13 September 1949 he caused another storm by demanding that Hindi be declared the National Language, not just the Official Language. He called this "a consummation of a historic process", meaning the natural end of a long history.
On separate electorates, he said: "The English played their game under the cover of safeguards."
Don't confuse with
- Shankarrao Deo: also a Congressman, but from Bombay. Deo warned Hindi supporters not to "strengthen my fears". He was on the side of caution, not pressure.
Related concepts
- Hindustani
- Language Committee
- Official language debate
- G. Durgabai
- Shankarrao Deo
- T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar