Who was the Prime Minister of India when Article 370, granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was adopted in the Constitution of India?

Introduction / Context:
Article 370 of the Constitution of India, as originally framed, granted special autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was part of the larger process of integrating princely states into the Indian Union after independence and reflected complex political negotiations of that time. Questions about Article 370 often ask about its content, its later changes, or the leaders involved in its adoption. This question focuses on a straightforward but important fact: who was serving as Prime Minister when Article 370 was incorporated into the Constitution.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The subject is Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. - The event is its adoption, which took place in the early years after independence. - Options list Narendra Modi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Gulzarilal Nanda. - We assume basic knowledge of the chronology of Indian Prime Ministers.

Concept / Approach:
The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950. Article 370, dealing with the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, was part of this constitutional framework and related presidential orders that followed soon after. During this period, Jawaharlal Nehru served as the first Prime Minister of independent India, from 1947 until his death in 1964. The other figures in the options served either much later or only briefly in different contexts, and therefore could not have been Prime Minister at the time of the adoption of Article 370.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Fix the time frame of the adoption of the Constitution, including Article 370, as around 1949–1950. Step 2: Recall that Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the first Prime Minister in 1947 and remained in office continuously through the 1950s. Step 3: Recognise that Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister much later, starting in 1966, so she cannot fit the 1950 context. Step 4: Note that Gulzarilal Nanda served only as an interim Prime Minister for short periods in the 1960s, again well after the framing of Article 370. Step 5: Understand that Narendra Modi is a contemporary Prime Minister whose tenure begins in the twenty first century, far removed from the original adoption of the Constitution. Step 6: Conclude that the Prime Minister at the time Article 370 was adopted was Jawaharlal Nehru.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by linking the major constitutional milestones of early India directly with the Nehru era. Events such as the adoption of the Constitution in 1950, the first general elections in 1951–52 and the reorganisation of states in the mid 1950s all took place while Nehru was Prime Minister. History and polity textbooks consistently present Article 370 as part of the Nehru era arrangements for the accession and autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, confirming that Nehru was the Prime Minister at that time.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Narendra Modi is wrong because his term as Prime Minister began in 2014, many decades after the Constitution came into force.

Indira Gandhi is wrong because she became Prime Minister in 1966, long after Article 370 had already been incorporated into the constitutional structure.

Gulzarilal Nanda is wrong because he served only as an acting Prime Minister in the 1960s after the deaths of Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri, not during the foundational constitutional period.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students may confuse recent political debates around Article 370 with its original adoption and therefore mistakenly associate the question with contemporary leaders. Others might mix up the timelines of different Prime Ministers if they do not have a clear mental chronology. To avoid such errors, always remember a simple rule: the foundational constitutional phase, including Article 370 and the first general elections, belongs to the Nehru era. This single mental anchor will help you answer related questions quickly and correctly.

Final Answer:
When Article 370 was adopted, the Prime Minister of India was Jawaharlal Nehru.