On one side were Nehru and Ambedkar, who wanted to make Hindu society modern, scientific and egalitarian. On the other side was Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who believed that reforms could not be brought about by suppressing Hindu traditions and public sentiments. This conflict was so deep that there was a long exchange of letters between Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Prime Minister’s residence, it even led to a split in the organization and the rift in the country’s first government became clearly visible.
First of all understand what was the Hindu Code Bill?
Immediately after independence, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar presented a draft in the Constituent Assembly in October 1947. Under this, uniform laws for marriage, divorce, adoption, succession, property and maintenance were to be made for Hindus. It included things like equal rights for girls in ancestral property, condition of having only one wife, recognition of inter-caste marriages and the right to divorce.
Nehru considered it the liberation of women and the foundation of modern India. But at that time, in a large section of the Hindu society, it was considered an ‘attack on Hindu religion’. Being the President of the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first to intervene. He said that such a big change should not happen without public opinion. Traditions differ from province to province, so public opinion should be taken first. His argument was that public sentiments cannot be ignored in democracy. Nehru did not agree with this. For him it was a question of scientific consciousness and socialism. He believed that rising above temples and worship, big industries, hospitals, schools and laboratories had to be built. He considered religion a private matter and social reforms the responsibility of the government.
Why was Dr. Rajendra Prasad angry with Nehru?
This dispute escalated so much that religious leaders and conservative organizations took to the streets. Sant Karpatri Ji Maharaj along with thousands of saints set out for the march to the Parliament. However the police stopped them. There was a lot of commotion outside the Parliament complex, tension inside the Constituent Assembly. Nehru was determined to get the bill passed, even if he took all the criticism upon himself. Rajendra Prasad became angry with this. He wrote a strong letter to Nehru, in which he even called him ‘unjust and undemocratic’. Before sending this letter, he showed it to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Patel explained that do not send letters in anger, talk in the party forum.
Why law only for Hindus?
Patel’s strategy worked. Congress made Rajendra Prasad its candidate in the presidential elections. On January 26, 1950, at exactly 10:24 am, Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President of India. However, the controversy did not stop even after becoming President. The debate on the Hindu Code Bill continued in 1950-51. Dr. Ambedkar considered this bill as the biggest mission of his life. It is said that there were several heated debates on this issue between Nehru and Ambedkar.
Ambedkar had a PhD in Economics from London and wanted a bigger role in the country’s economic planning, but Nehru limited him only to the Law Ministry. This increased the bitterness between the two. The movement outside the Parliament was intense. Under the leadership of Karpatri Ji Maharaj, the saints and sages even went on a fast. Rajendra Prasad again wrote a letter to Nehru. This time he said that the Parliament is not representing the country properly, because the first general elections are yet to be held. He asked that if reforms have to be done then why only for Hindus? Bring Uniform Civil Code i.e. today’s UCC for all religions.
What was Nehru’s opinion on Uniform Civil Code?
Nehru replied that this is a new country and additional security is needed to protect the minorities from the Hindu majority. That’s why right now only Hindu Code Bill is being brought. Rajendra Prasad clearly wrote that even if the bill is passed by Parliament, he will not sign it. Nehru took advice from legal experts. Everyone said that the President is bound to accept the decision of the Parliament. But Nehru did not hurry. They knew that there should not be a situation of disintegration of the organization. Therefore, the bill was put on hold until the general elections of 1952. Dr. Ambedkar did not like this attitude. In October 1951, he resigned from the Nehru cabinet and formed a separate party and contested the Lok Sabha elections.
Then in the general elections of 1952, Congress under the leadership of Nehru got an overwhelming majority. Rajendra Prasad was again elected President. After this, in 1955-56, the Hindu Code Bill was passed by dividing it into four parts – Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act and Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act. Many amendments were made in these, many conservative provisions were removed, but the basic structure remained the same. Today these four laws are the foundation of Hindu society.
Today, when we remember Dr. Rajendra Prasad, we remember him not just as the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly or the first President, but as the courageous voice who stood up to the power and said that reforms were necessary, but not by crushing public sentiments. Nehru was a symbol of modernity and scientific thinking while Rajendra Babu was of Indian culture and public mind. There was conflict between the two, but they also made a compromise in the interest of the country.
