Clause (1) of Article 1 of the Indian Constitution proclaims, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
Such was the collective of wisdom of the members of the Constituent Assembly that they were not even certain about the name of our ancient country. So, they concocted a tautological absurdity called “India, that is Bharat.”
The second part of Clause (1) of Article 1 further declares that our country
“… shall be a Union of States.”
This prompts a basic question:
Did any states even exist when India gained independence on August 15, 1947, or when the Constitution was finalised by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, that came together to form the Union of India?
The British had carved up India into
(i) Presidencies like Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, and
(ii) Provinces such as Assam, Orissa, Bihar, United Provinces, Central Provinces & Berar, Sindh, Punjab, and others, purely for their own administrative ease.
Through the Government of India Act, 1935, the British Parliament re-labelled them all as “Provinces.”
So, the answer to the question is a clear no.
Even if we assume that “Province” was just another word for “State”, were these provinces or states sovereign entities capable of voluntarily forming the Union of India?
Hardly.
In reality, the states owe their existence to the Indian Constitution itself, as laid out in Articles 2, 3, and 4.
Many states were even created after the Constitution took effect, reshaping India’s political boundaries.
Thus, calling India a “Union of States” is as ridiculous as claiming children give birth to their parents.
To sum it up, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States” ranks as one of the dumbest declarations in our nation’s history.
Full credit for this gem goes to the “illustrious” members of the Constituent Assembly, which was constituted by the colonial British and not elected by the people of India.
This is merely one case exposing the Indian Constitution as a patchwork of borrowed foolishness.
Article 1 isn’t alone—many of its clauses are so nonsensical they defy elementary logic.
Small wonder that the British-selected Constituent Assembly members—whom some deracinated individuals refer to as ‘Founding Fathers’—gave birth to a silly India, rendering it a laughing stock among the comity of nations, rather than a nation that honours its ancient Hindu civilization, which forms the core of its identity.
Therefore, the moment has come to revamp the Indian Constitution, creating a governance framework that mirrors and embodies our aspirations, deeply anchored in the ethos of our ancient civilization.