Question

This discussion was taking place in a class. Read the various arguments and state which of these do you agree with and why.

Jayesh: I still think that our Constitution is only a borrowed document.

Saba: Do you mean to say that there is nothing Indian in it? But is there such a thing as Indian and western in the case of values and ideas? Take equality between men and women. What is western about it? And even if it is, should we reject it only because it is western?

Jayesh: What I mean is that after fighting for independence from the British, did we not adopt their system of parliamentary government?

Neha: You forget that when we fought the British, we were not against the British as such, we were against the principle of colonialism. That has nothing to do with adopting a system of government that we wanted, wherever it came from.

Answer 1

Any answer supported with an argument or explanation would solve the purpose. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, one sample solution has been provided for your reference:

The arguments of Saba and Neha are correct that the idea of equality cannot be rejected merely because it is of western origin. The values that are a part of the Constitution are universal and thus, cannot be discriminated against as Indian or Western. It is also correct that while the British were unjust in their policy of colonialism, there were certain principles of their governance that were modern and suitable as they allowed people to choose their own representatives. Thus, the positive values of the British system should not be ignored on the basis of the negative impact of British colonialism.