Within India, the meaning, impact and legacy of the Constitution are sites of severe contestation. Supporters of the Constitution—and the tradition of constitutional democracy it has sought to engender—note the huge challenges involved in conceiving and implementing a foundational vision for a subcontinental nation that had never been a single political entity prior to colonialism. To its supporters, the fact that the Constitution has managed to keep the Indian nation together for nearly 70 years as a single national entity is an achievement in itself.
Most political people of mid-20th century expected Balkanisation of India owing to the diversity and culture. India as a democratic experiment has surprised them.
