CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 65: GROUNDWORK FOR THE CHARTER

Delhi – Prime Minister’s Private Study, South Block – 12th December 1948

The December heat pressed against the windows of Arjun Mehra’s study like an unwelcome visitor. Outside, Delhi was alive with construction, hammers rang against steel, trucks rumbled past with loads of concrete, and the whole city seemed to be building itself from scratch.

Inside the room, it was quiet except for the soft sound of pages turning and the scratch of pen on paper.

Arjun sat behind his desk, looking at the men who had become his inner circle. The room smelled of old books and incense, and the walls were lined with thick volumes that had seen better days. On his desk lay a heavy folder filled with constitutional structures that he had finalized after much thoughts.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel sat to his right, his weathered face looked much more relaxed as compare to few months ago.

Finance Minister Vishwajeet Rao Kelkar kept adjusting his glasses, already thinking about the money side of things. Similarly, other Ministers like K.M. Munshi, Baldev Singh, Lal Bahadur Shashtri, etc of Arjun’s cabinet, sat in silence, waiting for the Prime Minister Mehra to proceed ahead with today’s task.

No military officers were present. No intelligence chiefs. This was pure politics, the kind that molded the nations.

"Gentlemen," Arjun began, his voice was calm but it carried a certain weight. "As you all know that we had promised the world a democratic constitution by year’s end. And it’s time we focus on completing it, as this year will come to an end in just a couple weeks.

And of course, it won’t just be some another democratic constitution. It will be the very foundation of a strong Bharat."

He turned towards Patel, "Sardar-ji, how’s the Constitution Assembly coming along?"

Patel’s rough voice cut through the silence. "It’s ready. We’ve also added a new member from the territory of East Bengal. If I remember correctly, his name is Dhirendranath Datta."

Arjun nodded and smiled in satisfaction.

"Good. But now, let’s see exactly how our political structure will look like." He said as he tapped the folder.

"It’ll be a parliamentary democracy that will look familiar to anyone from Britain, but one that works even better. Of course, we’ll make few changes to suit our needs, and also, instead of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, we’ll be having Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha."

"First thing," he said, his voice taking on a teaching tone, "we are going to need a strong central government. Really strong. Finance, defense, foreign affairs, that’s obvious. But also control over key industries and national planning.

Every major decision has to come from one place, or we’ll fall apart like other countries have."

G.B. Pant, the Planning minister, raised an eyebrow.

"Prime Minister, while this model mirrors the unitary nature of Britain’s own democracy, this degree of centralization might be perceived as a push-back against the strong federal structures often seen in other large democracies like the United States or Canada.

"Then let them. We’re doing it because it suits Bharat’s needs perfectly,"

Arjun walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. Outside, vehicles moved steadily along the road, with heavy-duty construction vehicles visible every now and then.

"Look out there, Govind-ji. We just brought together territories that were independent kingdoms months ago.

We have people who speak dozens of different languages and follow different religions, no matter how small in number they might be. Give them too much independence, and in 20 to 30 years we’ll have a dozen small countries, each fighting the others."

The room stayed quiet as his words sank in. Arjun came back to his desk but remained standing.

"Second," he continued, "we need an executive branch that can actually do things. The Prime Minister and Cabinet will be the real center of power. Democracy without leadership is just chaos with voting.

We’ll have checks and balances, sure, but they’ll be designed to improve policy, not stop it. The country needs someone in charge, not a committee."

Vishwajeet Rao Kelkar leaned forward. "What about the courts? Will they be truly independent, or will they be limited somehow?"

Arjun’s smile got a bit wider. "The courts will be independent. Independent in how they work, careful about protecting people’s rights. But independence doesn’t mean working against the country’s needs.

A judge has to understand the world we’re building, a developing nation that needs to modernize fast, where individual rights have to be balanced against what’s good for everyone."

He glanced at Patel, and something passed between them without words. The Sardar’s network was already working to make sure the right people would be in the right places when the time came.

"Parliament will have the final say on urgent national matters," Arjun continued. "The courts can review things, but they won’t block progress. They’ll guard the process, not sabotage every initiative."

Narahari Parikh, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "The international community will look closely at our rights provisions. Especially the West, they have an odd attachment to human rights of other nations, despite having an abysmal records of their own.

How do we balance what they expect with what we actually need?"

"By showing them what they want, but implementing it how we want." Arjun replied, sitting back down with satisfaction.

"Our bill of rights will be everything they could want. Equality, freedom of speech, religious liberty, property rights, every provision the most liberal democracy could ask for.

But rights, like everything else in a civilized society, have limits. Freedom doesn’t grant the right to abuse these laws. They’ll be balanced by duties to the state, limited by national security, public order, and economic development."

He continued ahead. "Third, we need an electoral system that ensures stability without looking fake. Constituencies that make sense, not arbitrary lines. The Bharatiya Jana Dal will play their part here."

"The one of a loyal opposition" Parikh observed.

"The most loyal," Arjun agreed. "Like already discussed earlier, they’ll challenge our methods, question our tactics, demand we answer for our actions. But they’ll never question where we’re all going, never try to derail the critical projects of making India strong again.

They’ll be the voice of democratic conscience, making sure we stay answerable to the people, while never losing sight of the bigger picture."

Having finally described about the structure of the political system, Arjun turned to Munshi, the Law Minister.

"Munshi-ji, I’ll be giving you the constitutional draft that I had made, so that you can review it. Also, if there is anything that you think should be added, you can tell me."

Munshi nodded.

"Gentlemen," Arjun said, his voice now carrying the weight of final decision, "we’re about to do something that’s never been done before.

We’ll give the world a constitution that meets every expectation of democratic government, while creating a system that can actually govern. No paralysis, no endless fighting, no slow death of good intentions frustrated by bad institutions."

He closed the folder with a soft thud. "The Constituent Assembly is waiting for our guidance. There will be passionate debates, proposed amendments, and the appearance of democratic deliberation.

But the core of what we create here, in this room, will flow through every clause, every provision, every principle. We’re not just writing law, we’re programming the DNA of a great nation."

The men around the desk understood. They had watched Arjun work miracles before, had seen him turn impossible situations into stepping stones toward greater power. But this was different.

This was creating a system that would outlast them all, a constitutional framework that would carry India forward long after they were gone.

"By year’s end," Arjun concluded, his voice soft but absolutely certain, "the world will have the democratic constitution it expects for us. And India will have the tools to forge its own greatness, wrapped in the language of liberty and respected by all nations.

We’re not just creating governance. We’re creating destiny itself, made real in law and supported by the willing consent of a people who will finally have the leadership they deserve."

Outside, Delhi continued its endless construction, building the future brick by brick.

Inside the study, handful of men sat in thoughtful silence, understanding that they had just witnessed the birth of something that would reshape not just India, but the very definition of what democracy could become in the hands of those who truly understood power.

The constitutional clock ticked on, counting down to a moment that would echo through history.

’Alright, another problem that’s soon going to be solved’, Arjun though while gazing out of the window of his office.