Mr. Vice-President, this article 41 shares the honour with article 1 as being the shortest article in the Constitution. This is a seven-word article and there need not be much discussion on this very short article. I do not therefore propose to dilate upon the doctrine of Sovereignty which has been adumbrated by my friend Professor Shah and further adverted to by my friend Mr. Tyagi. I want, Sir, by your leave, to draw the attention of the House to the manner in which this article as it was adopted by this Assembly last year in August 1947 has been sought to be modified in the Draft Constitution. I hope, Sir, Dr. Ambedkar is paying attention. I wish to draw his attention to the modification that has been made in the article after it was adopted last year by this Assembly. I do not know what reasons the wise men of the Drafting Committee had to make such an alteration in this article. I have got the Reports of Committees–First Series and Second Series–both agree so far as the wording of this article is concerned. The original draft presented by the Committee over which Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru presided and of which Committee, I think, Dr. Ambedkar too was a member, of the Union Constitution Committee,–that report was presented by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on the 4th July 1947 and considered by the Assembly and adopted partly by this Assembly sometime in August 1947. If Dr. Ambedkar turns to this Report as adopted by the Assembly, he will see that the article corresponding to article 41 reads as follows:-
“The Head of the Federation shall be the President (Rashtrapati).”