Indian democracy
Very short answer question:
1) Which party won the elections in England in 1945?
Answer: The Labor Party.
2. When did the "Cabinet Mission" come to India?
Answer: In March
3. Who was the first President of the Constituent Assembly?
Answer: Dr. Sachidanand Sinha.
4. What is the name of the Chairman of the Draft Committee?
Answer: Dr. BR Ambedkar.
5. According to how many amendments to the Constitution were the words "socialist" and "secular" included in the Preamble?
Answer: The 42nd Amendment.
6. From which Latin word does the English word Federation come?
Answer: It comes from the word "Foedus"
7. Who is the "homeland of the United States"?
Answer: The United States of America.
8. Is there a dual citizenship system in India?
Answer:- No.
9. The concept of parliamentary democracy in India is modeled on the Constitution of which country?
Answer: From the Constitution of England.
Short answer questions:
1) Why did the British Government send a "Cabinet Mission" to India?
Answer: The Cabinet Mission was sent to India to create the necessary environment and preparations for the drafting of a Constitution for India.
2. What Act governed India from 15 August 1947 to 26 January 1950 and who drafted the Act?
Answer: The Government of India Act, This Act was enacted by the British Parliament.
3. Why does the preamble mention "We the people of India"?
Answer: The Preamble mentions "We the People of India" because the people of India are the real authors of the Constitution. The Constitution is made for the people of India and the people of India are the great force within it.
4. What does "sovereign" mean?
Answer: Sovereign means-
• The supreme power of the state.
• A state of being independent, enjoying all rights in a given territory.
• Not subject to other external forces.
5. According to how many amendments of which year have the words 'socialist' and 'secular' been inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution?
Answer: The 42nd Amendment dated 18th December, 1976 ǀ
6. What is a 'semi-United States'?
Answer: A country whose system of governance has the characteristics of a federal government as well as a central government is called a 'semi-state'
7. Which Acts introduced a limited parliamentary system in colonial India?
answer:- The Government of India Act of 1935 introduced a limited parliamentary system in India.
Long answer questions:
1) Discuss how the ideals of the Constitution are expressed in the Preamble of the Constitution of India.
Answer: The Preamble of the Constitution of India is the preamble to the Constitution. It summarizes the philosophy, ideals and objectives of the Constitution. The Constitution can only be known by knowing what is mentioned in the preamble. The Preamble can also be called the soul of the Constitution.
The ideals mentioned here are freedom, justice, equality and brotherhood.
(a) Freedom: Every citizen living in India is given freedom of thought, expression, religion and worship.
(b) Justice: The Constitution guarantees social, economic and political justice to every Indian. All necessary measures will be taken to eliminate social discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and race to establish social justice. Political justice is about allowing everyone to participate in the government formation process after a certain age. Measures have been promised to remove the class division between rich and poor from the society to establish economic justice.
(c) Equality: Everyone is equal before the law. The government should strive to remove traditional social inequalities and provide equal benefits to all.
(d) Brotherhood:- It is important that the people living in India have a sense of love and brotherhood towards each other without looking down on anyone.
2. Explain what is meant by ‘sovereign’, ‘socialist’, ‘secular’, ‘democratic’ and ‘republic’.
Answer: The above mentioned words are discussed in detail below
(a) Sovereign:-
👉 It is the supreme power of the state.
👉 A state of being independent, enriched with all rights in a given territory.
👉 Not subject to other external forces.
(b) Socialists:-
👉 A classless society where there is no rich or poor.
👉 The production system will be controlled by the state.
👉 There will be equal distribution of wealth in a socialist system.
(c) Secular:-
👉 No religion is recognized as an official religion.
👉 All religions are considered equal.
👉 Everyone can adopt and preach any religion of their choice.
(d) Democracy:-
👉 Government system where general elections are held at regular intervals. Through it, the people elect their representatives and the government made up of those representatives runs the country.
(e) Republic:-
👉 The Head of State is not hereditary.
👉 He is indirectly elected by the people for a fixed term.
3. Discuss the proposals regarding Nehru's objectives.
Answer: In the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 13 December 1946, Nehru moved several objective resolutions. The Constituent Assembly adopted the resolution on 22 January
Its main propositions are 一
1) The Constituent Assembly is firmly committed to declaring India an independent, sovereign and democratic country.
2. The Union of States shall consist of the territories of British India and the indigenous States which wish to become part of India.
3. Social, economic and political justice, equality, protection of religious freedom, freedom of thought and expression of the people of India shall be recognized.
4. Protection shall be provided to the Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Underdeveloped Communities and Minorities living in the country.
5) Emphasis will be placed on protecting the independence, sovereignty and integrity of the country.
6. India will cooperate fully for good international relations, maintenance of world peace and welfare of the people.
7) The people are empowered with all powers. The government and its various organs will derive power from the people.
8. The Associate Indigenous States joining the Union shall acquire the status of Member States through autonomy with residual powers.
The Constitution was formulated by the drafters of the Constitution on the basis of Nehru's proposals and emphasizing the country's thousands of years of civilization and culture.
4. Discuss the characteristics of the federal system in India.
Answer: India does not have all the characteristics that a United States should have. India has federal characteristics such as a written constitution, two types of government, a bicameral legislature, the supremacy of the Constitution, and the Supreme Court system. However, the system of governance in India also has some characteristics of a central government. Therefore, our system can be called a 'semi-US' system.
Furthermore, the word 'United States' is not used anywhere in the Constitution of India. Instead, India is referred to as 'part of the states'
India does not have dual citizenship. Unlike other United States, our member states are not given the right to withdraw.
In contrast to the federal system, India has a strong central government. There is a constitutional separation of powers, but more authority is given to the central government in this regard.
5. Explain the characteristics of the parliamentary system of government in India.
Answer: The Indian parliamentary democracy provides for the formation of a government accountable to the people. The Government of India Act, 1935 provided for a limited parliamentary system in India. Subsequent constitution makers followed the Constitution of England in introducing a parliamentary system of government in the Constitution. However, in this regard, the parliamentary democracy of England was not fully understood and it was shaped in some new ways in the political and social context of India.
The parliamentary democracy of India currently has the following characteristics:
1) The President of our country is not hereditary like other countries of parliamentary system of government. Instead, he is indirectly elected by the people.
2) The Parliament or House of India is divided into two parts. One is the Upper House (also known as the Rajya Sabha) and the other is the Lower House (also known as the Lok Sabha). The Upper House is composed of representatives of the Member States and the Lower House is composed of representatives of the people. The structure and powers of the Upper House of India are very different from those of the House of Lords in England.
3) The Parliament of India is not as strong as it should be in a parliamentary system of government.
Additional and Question Bank Q. Answers
1. The concept of parliamentary democracy in India is modeled on the Constitution of which country? [HSLC '23]
Answer: The concept of parliamentary democracy in India is copied from the Constitution of England.
2. Briefly write the characteristics of the federal system in India. [HSLC '23]
Answer: The characteristics of the federal system of India are:
Centralized Government: The central government of India is more powerful, resulting in a single concentration of power between the center and the states.
Independence: States have their own legislatures, but are under the sovereignty of the central government.
Union of States: India has been considered as a 'union of states', where the states are united under the central government.
Centre-State Relations: There is a cooperative relationship between the Center and the States, although there is sometimes conflict.
Single Constitution: There is a single constitution for all the states of India under which the entire country should be governed.
Lack of dual citizenship: India does not have dual citizenship; A citizen is only a citizen of India.
These characteristics identify the federal system of India.
3. Briefly explain how the ideals of the Constitution are expressed in the Preamble of the Constitution of India. [HSLC '22]
Answer: The Preamble of the Constitution of India expresses the ideals of the Constitution in some important words. These words are:
Sovereign: Reflects the rights and freedoms of the state.
Socialist: formulates objectives of justice and equality for people from all walks of life.
Secular: Ensures equal treatment of all religions and religious freedom.
Democratic: Emphasizes the will of the people and universal suffrage.
Republic: Expresses a commitment to forming a state and system of governance for the people.
Through all these words, the Preamble of the Constitution of India paints a clear picture of the ideals and goals of the country.
4. Is India a United States like the United States? Explain.[HSLC'20]
Answer: India is not a real United States like the United States of America. The federal system of India is known as a "Peculiar federation" due to some characteristics.
1. Centralized Power: The Central Government of India is more powerful, and power is centralized in most areas.
2. Lack of a separate constitution: The Member States of India do not have their own separate constitutions.
3. Dual Citizenship: India does not have dual citizenship; A citizen is the only citizen of India.
4. Role of the Governor: Governors act as representatives of the central government, thus limiting the independence of the states.
For all these reasons, the federal system of India is different from the federal system of the United States.
5. Write down the main differences between parliamentary democracies in England. [HSLC'19]
Answer: The main differences between the parliamentary democracy of India and the parliamentary democracy of England are:
1. Republic and President: A parliamentary democracy in India is a republic in which the President is elected by the people. However, the Head of State (King or Queen) of England is traditional.
2. Structure of the Upper House: The structure and powers of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of India are very different from those of the House of Lords in England.
3. Strength of Parliament: The Parliament of England is more powerful, but the Parliament of India is not so powerful.
For these reasons, India's parliamentary democracy is somewhat exceptional compared to England.
6. Discuss the characteristics of the federal system in India. [HSLC '18]
Answer: The characteristics of the federal system in India are:
1. Central and State Governments: The Indian system has a division of powers between the Central Government and the State Governments.
2. Status: The States recognize the Central Government and maintain their independence.
3. Single Constitution: India has a central constitution, which applies to the entire country.
4. Participation: The Central Government works in cooperation with the States, which is called the 'Cooperative United Kingdom'
5. Basis now: India's federal system is not entirely new; The Government of India Act, 1935 introduced this system to some extent.
6. Semi-United States: The United States of India is called 'semi-United States' because the powers of the Central Government are more concentrated here.
These characteristics reflect a distinctive character of the federal system of India.
7. Appointed by the President of India as the Chairman of the North Eastern Council.
Answer: The President of India appoints him as the Chairman of the North Eastern Council.
Editing By:- Lipi Medhi
