‘The Draft Constitution as framed only provides a machinery for the government of the country. It is not a contrivance to install any particular party in power as has been done in some countries. Who should be in power is left to be determined by the people, as it must be, if the system is to satisfy the test of democracy.” The above passage from Constituent Assembly debates is attributed to

The quoted passage is attributed to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, during the Constituent Assembly debates. On November 4, 1948, while introducing the Draft Constitution, Ambedkar emphasized that the document provides a 'machinery' for governance rather than a 'contrivance' to install a specific political party. He argued that the Constitution's role is to establish the framework of government, while the choice of who holds power must be left to the people through democratic processes [2]. This reflects his vision of constitutionalism, where the document remains neutral to political ideologies, allowing the electorate to determine the country's direction. The Assembly spent 114 days specifically considering this Draft Constitution, during which Ambedkar defended its provisions against various amendments [1]. His final speech on November 25, 1949, further reinforced these democratic ideals before the Constitution's adoption [1].

Sources

1. [1] https://csja.gov.in/images/p1195/s_1_constitution_vision_of_Justice/Dr_Ambedkars%20speech.pdf
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 35: Making of the Constitution for India > Constituent Assembly > p. 617