Influence of Gandhian philosophy on Indian Constitution: A legacy of justice, equality and self-governance

With the moral basics, socio-political thoughts, and grassroots activism perfectly blended together, Gandhian philosophy has significantly influenced the framing of the Indian Constitution.

- DR. NISHI KANT BIBHU & DR. PRADEEP KULSHRESHTHA

Mahatma Gandhi or Father of the Nation found and advocated truth, non-violence, self-reliance, equality, and simplicity. The lives of individuals-a comprehensive expression of all these attributes-widened the fight for independence in India and formed the design of the socio-political scene for post-colonial India. Gandhian philosophy was around every thought process of those men and women that were engaged in drafting the constitution. Many facets of Gandhian philosophy were infused in the legal and political institution of that newly independent nation. This is reflected in different sections of the Indian Constitution, particularly the Directive Principles of State Policy, the Preamble to the Indian Constitution, and other provisions that promote social justice and selfgovernance.

Among the most direct embodiments of Gandhian thought in the Indian Constitution is that the Directive Principles of State Policy under Part IV are included. These are non-justiciable principles, yet however represent a moral framework for the conduct of governance in the country, directing the state to create policies and regulations that assure the welfare and upliftment of all sections of society. In fact, many of the Directive Principles reflect Gandhi’s vision of an egalitarian society.

Article 40, dealing with the panchayats at the village level and the alienation of power to the local bodies, follows Gandhiji’s vision of “Gram Swaraj” or village self-rule. To Gandhi, independence could be won only from the grassroots level, where the smallest units of governance were self-sufficient and the center of its own administration. Panchayati Raj, incorporated by subsequent amendments to the Constitution, is a tribute paid to this philosophy of decentralized governance and participative democracy.