UPPSC 2021 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 16 of 150

Correct — D, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. During the Constituent Assembly debates (January 1947), Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan described the declaration of Fundamental Rights as being "of the nature of a pledge to our own people and a pact with the civilised world" — casting the rights as both a domestic commitment and India's assurance to the wider international community. Radhakrishnan, the philosopher-statesman who later became India's first Vice-President and second President, is the source of this often-quoted line.

• (a)Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru — Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution and is famous for the 'tryst with destiny' speech, but this specific 'pledge... pact with the civilised world' description of Fundamental Rights was Radhakrishnan's, not his.
• (b)Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar — Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee and called the right to constitutional remedies (Article 32) the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution; this particular phrase is not attributed to him.
• (c)Dr. Rajendra Prasad — Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly (and later first President of India) who presided over the debates, rather than the author of this description of Fundamental Rights.

The Fundamental Rights (Part III, Articles 12–35) were shaped by the Constituent Assembly's Advisory Committee and its Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights. During the debates, members articulated the moral and international significance of guaranteeing these rights, and Radhakrishnan's 'pledge... pact with the civilised world' became the memorable formulation of that idea.

The trap is to default to Nehru (Objectives Resolution / 'tryst with destiny') or Ambedkar (Drafting Committee). Pair the exact phrase — 'a pledge to our people and a pact with the civilized world' — specifically with Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

• Dr. S. Radhakrishnan used the 'pledge... pact with the civilised world' phrase for Fundamental Rights in the Constituent Assembly (Jan 1947)
• Fundamental Rights = Part III, Articles 12–35 of the Constitution
• Radhakrishnan was independent India's first Vice-President and second President (1962–67)
• Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution (13 Dec 1946); Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee

• Defaulting to Nehru for any famous constitutional quotation
• Confusing the framing of Fundamental Rights with Ambedkar's Drafting Committee role

As a 'who said this quotation' attribution item — memorise the signature line together with its speaker.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who moved the 'Objectives Resolution' in the Constituent Assembly on 13 December 1946?

  • (a)Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
  • (b)Jawaharlal Nehru
  • (c)Dr. Rajendra Prasad
  • (d)Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

  Answer(b) Jawaharlal Nehru — he moved the Objectives Resolution, which later inspired the Preamble.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Dr. B. R. Ambedkar described which Article as the 'heart and soul of the Constitution'?

  • (a)Article 14
  • (b)Article 19
  • (c)Article 32
  • (d)Article 21

  Answer(c) Article 32 — the right to constitutional remedies.