SSC
K. M. Munshi, a member of the Drafting Committee, described the Preamble of the Indian Constitution as the:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Political horoscope of the Constitution
Detailed Solution
- M. Munshi described the Preamble of the Indian Constitution as the "political horoscope" of India.
Other descriptions of the Preamble:
- A. Palkhivala, the eminent jurist, called it the "identity card of the Constitution".
- Thakur Das Bhargava, a member of the Constituent Assembly, called it the "soul of the Constitution" and "the most precious part of the Constitution".
- Sir Ernest Barker, the British political scientist, called it the "key-note" of the Constitution.
What the Preamble contains:
- The source of authority of the Constitution.
- The nature of the Indian State.
- The objectives of the Constitution: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
- The date of the adoption of the Constitution.
- Is the Preamble part of the Constitution?
- In the Berubari Union case, the Supreme Court first said that the Preamble is not a part of the Constitution.
- In the Kesavananda Bharati case, the Supreme Court later reversed this view, and held that the Preamble is a part of the Constitution.
- It is not enforceable in a court of law, but it helps in interpreting the provisions of the Constitution.
Amendment of the Preamble:
The Preamble has been amended only once, by the 42nd Amendment Act (1976), which added three words: "socialist", "secular" and "integrity".
About K. M. Munshi:
- Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was born on 30 December 1887 at Broach (Bharuch), in Gujarat.
- He was a lawyer, freedom fighter, writer and educationist.
- He was the Home Minister of the Bombay Province (1937-1939).
- He founded the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 1938.
- He wrote many historical novels in Gujarati, such as "Patan ni Prabhuta" and "Jay Somnath".
- He started the "Van Mahotsav" (tree-planting festival) as Union Minister of Food and Agriculture, and later became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
Why not the other options?
- ✗"Identity card" was Palkhivala's description; "soul" was Thakur Das Bhargava's; "key" or "key-note" was Ernest Barker's.
Quick tip
Remember: Preamble = "political horoscope" (K. M. Munshi), "identity card" (N. A. Palkhivala), "key-note" (Ernest Barker), "soul" (Thakur Das Bhargava).
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Preamble & Salient Features — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Preamble & Salient Features, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, the meaning of its key words (sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity), and the salient features of the Constitution, such as its federal structure with a unitary bias and the parliamentary form of government. Remember that the words 'socialist', 'secular' and 'integrity' were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, the only time the Preamble has been amended. Questions also test landmark cases on the Preamble: the Supreme Court held in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that the Preamble is part of the Constitution. Practise the Preamble and salient features questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.