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395 Articles, organised into 25 Parts and 12 Schedules, make up the Constitution of India

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Home ≫ The Constitution Framers ≫ Seth Govind Das

Seth Govind Das

Constituent Assembly Members

Seth Govind Das

1896 - 1974

Key Information

Party: Indian National Congress

Constituency: Central Provinces and Berar

Religion: Hindu

Caste: Non SC/ST

Gender: Male

Mother Tongue: Hindi

Education: No Formal Education

Committee Memberships

None

Biography

Early Life

Seth Govind Das was born on 16 October 1896 to Diwan Bahadur Jiwan Das and Parvati Bai. Das did not get a formal school education, but was tutored at home from an early age.

Role in India’s Independence Movement

In 1920 Das joined the Indian National Congress. He was involved in the Non-Cooperation movement, protests around Simon Commission, Civil Disobedience movement, and Quit India movement, as a result of which he was arrested multiple times.

Contribution to Constitution Making

Das was elected to the Assembly from Central Provinces and Berar. In the Assembly, he intervened in the debates relating to the ban on cow slaughter, national language, and the national anthem.

Later Contributions

As a seasoned Parliamentarian, Das was the pro tem speaker in the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Lok Sabhas.

Das passed away in June 1974.

Key Writings

He was an extensive writer; he authored poems, novels, travelogues, plays, biographies and autobiographies. Some of his works include Aatma-Nirikshan’ Smriti Kan, Pandit Motilal Nehru Ki Jeevani, and Desh Ratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Key Speeches

Das argued for making Draft Article 38A (present Article 48) which deals with cow slaughter, a fundamental right. Additionally. he sought to expand the scope of the article to prohibit the slaughter of any cow irrespective of its utility.
During the discussion on National language he vehemently argued for adopting Hindi in Devanagri Script. In fact, he wanted the Draft Constitution to have been deliberated and written in Hindi.
Invoking the Irish Constitution, Das noted that the Indian Constitution must include the adoption and description of the national flag

Resources

The Destiny Man: Seth Govind Das, Inspiring Glimpses by Dr. Sudhir Saxena (Notion Press, 2019).
A life dedicated: biography of Govind Das by Bhupendra Hooja (Seth Govind Das Diamond Jubilee Celebrations Committee, 1956).
Seth Govinddas Abhinandan Granth by Gulab Rai.