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INDIA/Government
India is an independent republic made up of 25 states and 7 territories. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, India does not recognize the British monarch as its ruler. A president serves as India's head of state but a Prime Minister actually heads the government.
India is governed under a constitution that went into effect on Jan. 26, 1950. It includes many parts drawn from the United States Constitution. Like the American Bill of Rights, it names and guarantees the basic equal rights of every citizen. The Indian Constitution gives every person who is 21 years of age or older the right to vote. It prohibits unequal treatment because of race, religion, caste (social class), sex, or place of birth. The document also contains directive principles, or goals for the federal and state governments to aim at. These goals include decent working conditions, fair wages, and old-age assistance.
The Federal Government. India has a parliament-cabinet form of government (see CABINET [The Cabinet System of Government]). Parliament meets at New Delhi, the capital of India. It consists of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the most seats in Parliament. The president appoints the Prime Minister to office. The Prime Minister chooses a cabinet and heads the government with the support of Parliament. If Parliament withdraws its support, the president either dismisses the Prime Minister or dissolves the Lok Sabha and calls a new election. The president is elected by Parliament and all the state legislatures to a five-year term.
Representatives of the states and territories make up Parliament. The number of representatives from each increases or decreases as the population of the state or territory changes. Most of the 545 members of the Lok Sabha are elected by the voters. They serve five-year terms unless the Lok Sabha is dissolved. Most of the 244-member Rajya Sabha are elected by state legislatures. They serve six-year terms and one-third are elected every two years. A few members of each body are appointed by the president.
A Supreme Court heads India's court system. Each state in India has a High Court and a number of lower courts.
State Governments. Parliament has great power over the states. For example, it can change the state boundaries, and even break up old states to make new ones. Parliament can change many parts of the constitution without the approval of the state legislatures. It can prevent the Supreme Court from interfering in certain types of legislation. In an emergency, Parliament can also take over the powers of the state legislatures. It taxes the largest sources of money, such as personal and business income. The states can tax only the poorer sources, such as real estate. As a result, the states rely heavily on Parliament for financial assistance.
The Indian states have a governor, a chief minister, and a legislature composed of one or two houses. The federal government rules the seven territories through appointed officials. The state governors are appointed by the president of India. Each state governor names a chief minister, who is the leader of the majority party in the state legislature. Almost all of the legislators are elected by the people. The legislators that are not elected are appointed by the governor.
The state governor can refuse to approve a bill passed by the state legislature, and can send it back for changes. The governor also can dismiss the chief minister, or dissolve the legislature and call a new election.
Politics. The Congress Party, or one of the branches that developed from it, has ruled India almost continuously since 1947. In the early days, the Congress Party had a majority in Parliament. But in the 1989 elections, the party lost its majority. Since then, coalitions of political parties have formed governments in India. The latest being BJP who has just lost the majority vote in the parliament on 17th April 1999.