Analysis
The quote appears verbatim in **Volume VII of the *Constituent Assembly Debates*** (November 25, 1948, p. 779), during discussions on the Directive Principles of State Policy. Nehru’s argument—that India lacked an industrial proletariat and was dominated by peasantry—aligned with economic data from the period (e.g., ~70% of the workforce in agriculture per the 1951 Census). The phrasing matches his rhetorical style, emphasizing pragmatic adaptation of socialist ideals to Indian conditions. No credible sources dispute the attribution or context.
Background
In 1948, India’s economy was overwhelmingly agrarian, with limited industrialization outside enclaves like Bombay or Calcutta. Nehru, while sympathetic to socialist principles, often stressed the need to adapt them to India’s realities, clashing with more doctrinaire leftists in the Assembly. The debate centered on how to frame economic rights in the Constitution, balancing ideology with ground-level socio-economic structures.
Verdict summary
Nehru did make this statement in the Constituent Assembly in 1948, as recorded in official debates, accurately reflecting India's agrarian economy at the time.