Draft Article 306B (Article 371, Constitution of India 1950) was debated in the Constituent Assembly on 13 October 1949. It declared that for a period of ten years after the Constitution was introduced, the Government of every State mentioned in Part III of First Schedule of the Draft Constitution 1948 would be under the general control and supervision of the Central Government. The Draft Article further specified that a failure of any State to abide by these provisions would be taken as a failure of the State to act in accordance with the Constitution.
Many Members welcomed the provisions of the Draft Article. One Member wanted the power of central control and supervision of the States to continue beyond ten years and be extended for an indefinite period. He believed that ten years was not sufficient time to solve the problems of the States. A few Members noted the stark difference in the conditions of the Provinces and the States as an indication that the Draft Article was necessary. They argued that the States were administratively and politically less experienced than the Provinces.
One Member added that the Draft Article was a preventive measure that would allow the Centre to intervene in the administration of States if extraordinary circumstances were to arise. Another Member also cautioned the Assembly to the fact that many of these States were border States and considering the troubled relationship India shared with Pakistan, it would make sense to have greater central vigilance of these States.
One Member opposed the differential treatment meted out to the States in relation to the Provinces and claimed that the Draft Article went against democratic principles. According to him, the subordination of the States to the authority of the Centre meant that bureaucratic rule would dominate over any actual representative government in these States. Another Member echoed this sentiment, insisting that people of the States had always fought for a common Constitution assuming that “there would be no differentiation between the Provinces and States”. This Member was ready to accept the provisions of the Article for the overall stability of the country, but insisted that not all States in Part III of First Schedule should be brought under the provisions of the Draft Article.
Though multiple amendments were introduced in the Assembly, none were accepted. The Draft Article was adopted as a part of the Constitution on 13 October 1949.
Subsequent Parliamentary Acts including constitutional amendments such as the Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 and Constitutional Amendment Act, 1973 replaced Article 371 with a new Article and made significant changes to its provisions.