CH- PARLIAMENT
Q1. Mention the principal function of the legislature and the executive.
A1. The executive is a group of persons who work together to implement the
laws made by the Parliament. The primary function of a legislature is law
making. Legislatures are the bodies within a government responsible for
creating and amending laws.
Q2. What is the composition of the Indian Parliament? How are the
members elected to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha?
A2. Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in
principles of democracy. These are participation by people in the decision-
making process and government by consent. The Parliament in our system has
immense powers because it is the representative of the people.
It consists of 2 houses- Lok Sabha ( the house of people) and Rajya Sabha
( Council of states). Elections to the Parliament are held in a similar manner as
they are for the state legislature.
The Lok Sabha is usually elected once every five years. The country is divided
into numerous constituencies. Each of these constituencies elects one person to
the Parliament. The candidates who contest elections usually belong to different
political parties. Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament
or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament. Once elections to the
Parliament have taken place, the Parliament needs to perform various functions.
After the Lok Sabha elections, a list is prepared showing how many MPs belong
to each political party. For a political party to form the government, they must
have a majority of elected MPs. Since there are 543 elected (plus 2 Anglo-
Indian nominated) members in Lok Sabha, to have a majority a party should
have at least half the number i.e. 272 members or more. The Opposition in
Parliament is formed by all the political parties that oppose the majority
party/coalition formed. The largest amongst these parties is called the
Opposition party.
The Prime Minister of India is the leader of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha.
From the MPs who belong to her party, the Prime Minister selects ministers to
work with her to implement decisions. These ministers then take charge of
different areas of government functioning like health, education, finance etc.
The Rajya Sabha functions primarily as the representative of the states of India
in the Parliament. The Rajya Sabha can also initiate legislation and a bill is
required to pass through the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law. It, therefore,
has an important role of reviewing and altering (if alterations are needed) the
laws initiated by the Lok Sabha. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by
the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states. There are
233 elected members plus 12 members nominated by the President
Q3. How is coalition government formed?
A3. The coalition government is a phenomenon of the recent past. At times it so
happens that one political party does not get a clear majority that is required to
form the government. In such circumstances a group of political parties come
together to form a government. These political parties are usually interested in
similar concerns. The government formed by these parties is popularly known
as the coalition government.
Q4. Analyse the importance of a question for a- Ruling Party b- Opposition
Party
A4. B-The Parliament, while in session, begins with a question hour. The
question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can elicit
information about the working of the government. This is a very important way
through which the Parliament controls the executive. By asking questions the
government is alerted to its shortcomings, and also comes to know the opinion
of the people through their representatives in the Parliament, i.e. the MPs.
Asking questions of the government is a crucial task for every MP. The
Opposition parties play a critical role in the healthy functioning of a democracy.
They highlight drawbacks in various policies and programmes of the
government and mobilise popular support for their own policies.
A-The government gets valuable feedback and is kept on its toes by the
questions asked by the MPs. In addition, in all matters dealing with finances, the
Parliament’s approval is crucial for the government. This is one of the several
ways in which the Parliament controls, guides and informs the government. The
MPs as representatives of the people have a central role in controlling, guiding
and informing Parliament and this is a key aspect of the functioning of Indian
democracy.
Q5. Discuss the composition and functions of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
A5. SAME AS Q2.
Q6. What is meant by controversial or unpopular laws? Describe any one
controversial law of independent India.
A6. Sometimes a law can be constitutionally valid and hence legal, but it can
continue to be unpopular and unacceptable to people because they feel that the
intention behind it is unfair and harmful. Hence, people might criticise this law,
hold public meetings, write about it in newspapers, report to TV news channels
etc. In a democracy like ours, citizens can express their unwillingness to accept
repressive laws framed by the Parliament. When a large number of people begin
to feel that a wrong law has been passed, then there is pressure on the
Parliament to change this.
For example, various municipal laws on the use of space within municipal
limits often make hawking and street vending illegal. No one will dispute the
necessity for some rules to keep the public space open so that people can walk
on the pavements easily. However, one also cannot deny that hawkers and
vendors provide essential services cheaply and efficiently to the millions living
in a large city. This is their means of livelihood. Hence, if the law favours one
group and disregards the other it will be controversial and lead to conflict.
People who think that the law is not fair can approach the court to decide on the
issue. The court has the power to modify or cancel laws if it finds that they
don’t adhere to the Constitution.