Phase 2: System of Government & The Union

Parliamentary System

Comparing the Indian model with the British and American systems.

The Westminster Model

The Constitution of India provides for a parliamentary form of government, both at the Centre (Articles 74 and 75) and in the states (Articles 163 and 164). Modern democratic governments are classified into parliamentary and presidential on the basis of the nature of relations between the executive and the legislative organs.

Key Features of Parliamentary System in India

  • Nominal and Real Executives: The President is the nominal executive (de jure) while the Prime Minister is the real executive (de facto).
  • Majority Party Rule: The political party which secures majority seats in the Lok Sabha forms the government.
  • Collective Responsibility: The core principle of parliamentary government. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha (Article 75). They swim and sink together.
  • Political Homogeneity: Usually members of the council of ministers belong to the same political party, and hence they share the same political ideology.
  • Double Membership: The ministers are members of both the legislature and the executive.

Indian vs. British Model

While India largely adopted the British parliamentary system, there are fundamental differences:

1. India has a republican system (elected head of state), whereas Britain has a monarchical system.
2. The British system relies on the doctrine of the sovereignty of Parliament, whereas the Indian Parliament is not supreme; it is restricted by a written Constitution, federalism, judicial review, and fundamental rights.

Parliamentary vs. Presidential (USA)

Unlike the Indian system, the American Presidential system is based on the strict doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and the legislature.

  • In the US, the President is both the head of the State and the head of the government.
  • The President and his secretaries (ministers) are not members of the Congress (legislature).
  • They are not responsible to the Congress for their acts and cannot be removed by it through a no-confidence motion.

India chose the Parliamentary system because the framers preferred 'responsibility' (daily assessment by the legislature) over 'stability' (fixed term of the executive), recognizing the deep diversity of Indian society which required broad representation.