Cablegram 442 NEW DELHI, 9 November 1948
A broad survey which Nehru gave yesterday to the Constituent Assembly contained the following points:
(i) He had entered into no commitment in London with regard to India’s membership of the Commonwealth; this was essentially a matter for the Constituent Assembly. Possibly the question would come up in the course of the current session in a more concrete form.
(ii) In whatever form it should arise, the question was something apart from, and in a sense independent of, the Constitution now being considered. He said ‘we pass that constitution for an independent sovereign democratic India, for a republic as we choose, and the second question has to be considered separately at whatever time it suits the House.’ (iii) The Objectives Resolution of January 22nd 1947 declaring India a sovereign independent republic must stand unless the Constituent Assembly changed it.
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[AA: A5009/2, A7/9, 1]