B-114(national movement and constitution of INDIA)-
24/4/18 - Sec- B Powers of the States Government
Ques no 1 ans:- Panchayati raj
The Panchayat raj is a South Asian political system found
mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Trinidad
and Tobago[1][2][3][4], and Nepal. It is the oldest system of
local government in South Asia, and historical mentions
date to the c. 250 AD period.[5] The word raj means "rule"
and panchayat means "assembly" (ayat) of five (panch).
Traditionally panchayats consisted of wise and respected
elders chosen and accepted by the local community.
However, there were varying forms of such assemblies.
Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between
individuals and between villages.
The leader of the panchayat was often called the mukhiya
or sarpanch, an elected or generally acknowledged
position. The modern panchayati raj of India and its gram
panchayats are not to be confused with either the
traditional system nor with the extra-constitutional khap
panchayats (or caste panchayats) found in northern India.
Ques no 2 ans:- Two characteristics of Indian
Constitution:-
(1) The Indian Constitution is the most detailed
Constitution in the world. It contains as many as 395
Articles and runs into a huge number of pages.
(2) An important feature of the Indian Constitution is
that its Preamble forms an integral part of the Constitution.
The Preamble embodies the spirit and ideals which the
people of India aspire for.
Ques no 3 ans:- Four national parties of India:-
With the Election Commission taking strong action against
those parties not fulfilling the minimum eligibility criteria for
getting recognition as “national” or “State” parties, the
number of national parties in the country has come down to
six from seven. The total number of State parties is 52 and
registered unrecognised parties, 1112.
Now, the six recognised national parties are the Congress,
the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India
(CPI), the CPI (M), the Bahujan Samaj Party and the
Nationalist Congress Party.
Ques no 4 ans:- Quit India Movement:-
The Quit India Movement or the India August
Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay
session of the All-India Congress Committee by Mahatma
Gandhi on 8 August 1942, during World War II, demanding
an end to British Rule of India.[1]
The Cripps Mission had failed, and on August 1942,
Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech
delivered in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. The All-
India Congress Committee launched a mass protest
demanding what Gandhi called "An Orderly British
Withdrawal" from India. Even though it was wartime, the
British were prepared to act. Almost the entire leadership of
the Indian National Congress was imprisoned without trial
within hours of Gandhi's speech. Most spent the rest of the
war in prison and out of contact with the masses. The
British had the support of the Viceroy's Council (which had
a majority of Indians), of the All India Muslim League, the
princely states, the Indian Imperial Police, the British Indian
Army and the Indian Civil Service.
Ques no 5 ans:-Power of state government:-
The exclusive executive and legislative powers of a state of
the Sudan shall be as follows:-
1. The Constitution of the state, subject to compliance with
the National Constitution, and, as relevant, the Constitution
of Southern Sudan;
2. State Police, prisons;
3. Local Government;
4. State information, state publications and state media;
5. Social Welfare including state pensions;
6. The Civil Service at the state level;
7. State Land and state Natural Resources;
8. Cultural matters within the state;
9. Regulation of religious matters;
10. The management, lease and utilization of lands
belonging to the state;
Sec c:-
Ques no 1 ans:- essay on Indian national movement:-
The Indian national movement was undoubtedly one of the
biggest mass movements modern society has ever seen. It
was a movement which galvanized millions of people of all
classes and ideologies into political action and brought to
its knees a mighty colonial empire. Consequently, along
with the British, French, Russian, Chinese, Cuban and
Vietnamese revolutions, it is of great relevance to those
wishing to alter the existing political and social structure.
Various aspects of the Indian national movement,
especially Gandhian political strategy, are particularly
relevant to these movements in societies that broadly
function within the confines of the rule of law, and are
characterized by a democratic and basically civil libertarian
polity. But it is also relevant to other societies. We know for
a fact that even Lech Walesa consciously tried to
incorporate elements of Gandhian strategy in the Solidarity
Movement in Poland.
The Indian national movement, in fact, provides the only
actual historical example of a semi-democratic or
democratic type of political structure being successfully
replaced or transformed. It is the only movement where the
broadly Gramscian theoretical perspective of a war of
position was successfully practiced; where state power was
not seized in a single historical moment of revolution, but
through prolonged popular struggle on a moral, political and
ideological level; where reserves of counter-hegemony
were built up over the years through progressive, stages;
where the phases of struggle alternated with 'passive'
phases.
The Indian national movement is also an example of how
the constitutional space offered by the existing structure
could be used without getting co-opted by it. It did not
completely reject this space, as such rejection in
democratic societies entails heavy costs in terms of
hegemonic influence and often leads to isolation - but
entered it and used it effectively in combination with non-
constitutional struggle to overthrow the existing structure.
The Indian national movement is perhaps one of the best
examples of the creation of an extremely wide movement
with a common aim in which diverse political and
ideological currents could co-exist and work - and
simultaneously continue to contend for overall ideological
and political hegemony over it. While intense debate on all
basic issues was allowed, the diversity and tension did not
weaken the cohesion and striking power of the movement;
on the contrary, this diversity and atmosphere of freedom
and debate became a major source of its strength.
Ques no 2 ans:-Non Cooperative movement:- The Non-
Cooperation Movement was a significant phase of the
Indian independence movement from British rule. It was led
by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi after the Jallianwala
Bagh Massacre. It aimed to resist British rule in India
through nonviolent means,"Ahinsa". Protesters would
refuse to buy British goods, adopt the use of local
handicrafts and picket liquor shops. The ideas of Ahinsa
and nonviolence, and Gandhi's ability to rally hundreds of
thousands of common citizens towards the cause of Indian
independence, were first seen on a large scale in this
movement through the summer of 1920. Gandhi feared that
the movement might lead to popular violence. The non-
cooperation movement was launched on 31st August,
1920.
Factors leading to the movement
The Non-cooperation movement was a reaction to the
oppressive policies of the British Indian government such
as the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. A
meeting of civilians held at Jallianwala Bagh near the
Golden Temple in Amritsar was fired upon by soldiers
under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer,
killing and injuring thousands of protestors. The outcry
generated by the massacre led to thousands of unrests and
more deaths at the hands of the police. The massacre
became the most infamous event of British rule in India.
Gandhi was horrified. He lost all faith in the goodness of the
British government and declared that it would be a "sin" to
cooperate with the "satanic" government.
Indian Muslims who had participated in the Khilafat
movement to restore the status of the Caliph gave their
support to the non-cooperation movement.
Satyagraha
Main article: Satyagraha
Satyagraha is a Sanskrit term which is a compound of two
words: satya ("truth") and agraha ("holding firmly to" or
"force"). Gandhi's call was for a nationwide protest against
the Rowlatt Act. All offices and factories would be closed.
Indians would be encouraged to withdraw from Raj-
sponsored schools, police services, the military, and the
civil service, and lawyers were asked to leave the Raj's
courts. Public transportation and English-manufactured
goods, especially clothing, was boycotted
End of non-cooperation
The non-cooperation movement was withdrawn
because of the Chauri Chaura incident. Although he
had stopped the national revolt single-handedly, on
March 10, 1922, Gandhi was arrested. On March 18,
1922, he was imprisoned for six years for publishing
seditious materials. This led to suppression of the
movement and was followed by the arrest of other
leaders.
Savings
Gandhi's commitment to non-violence was redeemed
when, between 1930 and 1934, tens of millions again
revolted in the Salt Satyagraha which made India's cause
famous worldwide for its unerring adherence to non-
violence. The Satyagraha ended in success: the demands
of Indians were met, and the Congress Party was
recognized as a representative of the Indian people. The
Government of India Act 1935 also gave India its first taste
in democratic self-governance.
Ques no 3 ans:- Power and position of Indian
president:-
Power:- 1. Executive Power: The President of India is the
head of the executive of the Union Government. Therefore,
all executive powers are vested in the hands of the
President. He can exercise these powers either directly or
through the subordinate officers.
According to the Constitution of India, all executive action is
also taken in his name. The President appoints the
Governors of the States, the Judges of the Supreme Court
and High Courts of the States. The Prime Minister of India
is appointed by the President. The President also appoints
other Ministers in consultation with the Prime Minister.
2. Legislative Powers: The President of India also enjoys
legislative powers. He is an integral part of Indian
Parliament. Parliament consists of the President and two
Houses—the House of the people (Lok Sabha) and the
Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
The President has the power of to summon and prorogue
both the House of Parliament. He can also dissolve the
House of the People before the expiry of its term.
3. Financial Powers: The President of India also exercises
financial powers. No money bill can be introduced in
Parliament without the recommendations of the President.
4. Judicial Powers: The President of India grants,
pardons, reprieves or remissions of punishment to any
person who has been convicted by a Court of Law.
5. Emergency Powers: The President of India exercises
extra-ordinary powers in times of emergency. The three
kind of Emergency situations are:
1. Emergency due to armed rebellion or external
aggression;
2. Emergency arising from the breakdown of
constitutional machinery in a State;
3. Financial Emergency.
Position:
Thus the President of India has been given wide and far-
reaching powers which he enjoys both during normal and
emergency times. But after the passing of the Constitution
Forty-Second (1976) and Forty-Fourth (1978) Amendment
Acts, the President of our Republic has become a
Constitutional figurehead and nothing beyond that.
Today, President’s position is one of great authority and
dignity, but at the same time strictly constitutional. Thus the
President is bound in every case to act on the advice of his
Prime Minister and other Ministers who are responsible to
the Lok Sabha and responsive to the public opinion.
In short, the powers really reside in the Ministry and the
Parliament and not in the President as such. He has no
discretion in our Parliamentary system of government.
It does not, however, mean that the President of India is a
magnificent cipher or a mere rubber stamp. Unlike the British
Monarchy which is hereditary, the President of our Republic is an
elected Head of the State. In our coalition politics, there are some
grey areas where the President may still have to use his own
judgment and wisdom. These are:
 Appointment of the Prime Minister,
 Dismissal of the Union Ministry,
 Dissolution of the Lok Sabha, and,
 Seeking information on all matters of administration and
legislation from the Prime Minister etc.