Speech of Birat Chandra Mandal Jogender (Pakistan’s first minister of law and labour)

Posted by admin on Apr 4, 2012 in Thoughts | 2 comments

Here is a ppeech of Birat Chandra Mandal Jogender ,who served as the first minister of law and labour in Pakistan, made on 9 March, 1949, before the constituent assembly.

 

“Sir is there not pundits in India who could not insist on political thinkers of India to adopt such a constitution. Are there not bishops in England nor in America or in any other country which is dominated by Christians on the face of the globe?

“Individuals might have religion, but the state has got no religion. So in the interests of the state of which I am a humble member. I bring it to your notice through the president that you will be held responsible because you are the sponsor of this resolution not to the countries in the world which have made their constitutions in the past but also to the posterity who will think of making their constitutions in the future. So I tell you again and again to ponder over the resolution before you finally adopt it.

“But as you bring in religion or things as matters of faith. You open the door ajar for resentment of criticism. You then leave it to absolutism to fling it wide open. Sir I feel –I have reason to believe that were this resolution to come before this house with in life time of great creator of Pakistan, The Quad-I-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah it would not have come in its present shape .Even with you, sir, the honorable mover of this resolution at the helm of affairs in the state, I have no fear that criticism will be stilled or absolutism will find a chance to assert it self.

The members who voted for the amendments were:

1) Mr Preme Hari Burma
2) Prof. Raj Kumar Chakarvarty
3) Mr Sris Chandra Kumar Chattopadhyaya
4) Mr Akshay Kumar Dass
5) Mr Bhupendra Kumar Data
6) Mr jnanendra Chandra Majumdar
7) Mr Birat Chandra Mandal
8) Mr Bhebesh Chandra Nandy
9) Mr Dhananjoy Roy
10) Mr Harrendra Kumar Sur

After voting on the amendments the main resolution was passed before the constituent assembly and was adopted.

The Hindu members vehemently opposed also the basic Principles report, of 1953 where it was purposed that that the head of state shall be Muslim. In September 1954 session of the constituent assembly the constitutional amendment bill could not be passed. After one month the constituent Assembly was dissolved by Bureaucrat Malik Ghulam Muhammad unexpectedly

There was a Division on the Resolution along communal Lines and there was not even a single minority vote casted in favor of the Resolution. Muslims members voted against the amendments and non Muslim members voted for the amendments.