Class 8 Social Science Why do we need a Parliament Exam Notes

Covers the following topics:

This Class 8 Social Science exam notes page on Why Do We Need a Parliament covers why people decide, the link between people and their representatives, the composition of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with their qualifications and terms, the role of Parliament in selecting the government, controlling it and making laws, and the changing profile of people in Parliament.

TOPICS COVERED

1. Why should people decide
2. People and their representatives
3. Composition of Parliament
4. Lok Sabha
5. Rajya Sabha
6. The role of Parliament
7. Who are the people in Parliament

INTRODUCTION

The term Parliament is derived from the French word 'Parley', which means speech, talk, debate and conversation, and the suffix 'ment' denotes result, product or means of action. Parliament is the supreme representative authority of the people. It is the national forum for public opinion.

The ideas of participation in decision-making and the need for all democratic governments to have the consent of their citizens are the elements which make us a democracy, and this is best expressed in the institution of the Parliament. The Parliament enables citizens of India to participate in decision making and control the government, thus making it the most important symbol of Indian democracy and a key feature of the Constitution.

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE DECIDE

Under colonial rule, the people had lived in fear of the British government and did not agree with many of the decisions that they took. But they faced grave danger if they tried to criticise these decisions. The freedom movement changed this situation. The nationalists began to openly criticise the British government and make demands. The formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 gave a platform to discuss various issues, such as the demand for elected members in the legislature with a right to discuss the budget and ask questions. The Government of India Act 1909 allowed for some elected representation. The British did not allow for all adults to vote, nor could people participate in decision making.

The participation of different people in the struggle for freedom left little doubt in the minds of the nationalists that all persons in independent India would be able to participate in making decisions. With the coming of independence, the dreams and aspirations of the freedom struggle were made concrete in the Constitution of independent India, which laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, that is, that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

PEOPLE AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES

The base of democracy is the idea of consent, that is, the desire, approval and participation of people. The basic idea is that the individual or the citizen is the most important person, and that in principle the government as well as other public institutions need to have the trust of the citizens.

Election is the way by which the individual gives approval to the government. People elect their representatives to the Parliament. Then, one group from among these elected representatives forms the government. The Parliament controls and guides the government. In this sense, people, through their chosen representatives, form the government and also control it.

COMPOSITION OF PARLIAMENT

The Parliament consists of the President, the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).

Composition of Indian Parliament

Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
Maximum membership = 250 (present membership = 245)
Members elected by the members of state and union territory legislatures to represent the states and union territories = 238
Members representing states = 229
Members representing union territories = 9
Members nominated by the President from persons with distinguished achievements = 12

House of the People (Lok Sabha)
Maximum membership = 552
Elected members from states = 530
Elected members from union territories = 20
Members nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community = 2

LOK SABHA

The Lok Sabha is also called the House of the People. It is the lower house of Parliament and is elected directly by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise and secret ballot. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the house. The house also elects a Deputy Speaker, who presides in case the Speaker is not there.

Composition
The Lok Sabha consists of 550 members out of which 530 are elected from states while 20 are elected from Union Territories. Seats are allocated to each state on the basis of population. The President nominates two Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha to give the community adequate representation. At present, the Lok Sabha has 545 members.

Qualifications for becoming a member of Lok Sabha
1. He should be a citizen of India.
2. He should not be less than 25 years of age.
3. He should not hold any office of profit under the Government of India.
4. He should not be bankrupt or of unsound mind.

Term
The Lok Sabha is elected for a term of five years. However, its tenure can be extended in case of an emergency. It can be dissolved even earlier if no party is in a majority to form the government.

RAJYA SABHA

The Rajya Sabha is also called the Council of States. It is the upper house of Parliament and is elected indirectly by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of proportional representation. The Vice-President is the presiding officer, or chairman, of the house, and the members elect a Deputy Chairman who presides in the absence of the Chairman.

Composition
The Rajya Sabha consists of 250 members, out of whom 238 are elected from the states and union territories, while 12 members are nominated by the President from among people who have distinguished themselves in the fields of education, literature, science, technology, etc.

Qualifications for becoming a member of Rajya Sabha
1. He must be a citizen of India.
2. He must not be less than 30 years of age.
3. He must not hold any office of profit under the government of any state.
4. He must not be bankrupt and must not be of unsound mind.

Term
The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house which is never dissolved. Its members are elected for a term of 6 years, and one-third of its members retire after every 2 years.

THE ROLE OF THE PARLIAMENT

Created after 1947, the Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in the principles of democracy, that is, 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.

Elections to the Lok Sabha are held in a similar manner as elections to the state legislatures. 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 elections to the Parliament have taken place, the Parliament mainly needs to perform three functions:
(A) To select the National Government
(B) To control, guide and inform the government
(C) Framing of laws

To select the National Government
For a political party to form the government, it must have a majority of elected MPs. Since there are 543 elected members (plus 2 nominated) in the Lok Sabha, a party should have at least half the number, that is, 272 members or more.

The Opposition: The Opposition in Parliament is formed by all the political parties that oppose the majority party or coalition formed. The largest amongst these parties is called the opposition party. The opposition is constituted by parties other than the ruling party. The opposition parties play a crucial role in the healthy functioning of a democracy. They highlight drawbacks in the various policies and programmes of the government and mobilise popular support for their own policies.

Selection of the Executive: The executive is a group of persons who work together to implement the laws made by the Parliament. The Prime Minister of India is the leader of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha. From the MPs who belong to that party, the Prime Minister selects ministers to work with him or her to implement decisions. These ministers then take charge of different areas of government functioning, like health, education, finance, etc.

Coalition Government: When no single party gets the majority required to form the government, parties join together with other political parties who are interested in similar concerns to form what is known as a coalition government. Coalition governments of 13, 15, 18, 19 and 14 parties were formed in the years 1996 (H. D. Deve Gowda), 1997 (I. K. Gujral), 1998 (A. B. Vajpayee), 1999 (A. B. Vajpayee) and 2004 (Dr. Manmohan Singh) respectively.

Rajya Sabha: It functions primarily as the representative of the states of India in the Parliament. It can also initiate legislation, and a bill is required to pass through the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law. It has the important role of reviewing and altering the laws initiated by the Lok Sabha. Its members are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states. It has 245 members, of which 233 are elected members plus 12 members nominated by the President.

To control, guide and inform the government

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, that is, the MPs. Asking questions makes the government get valuable feedback and keeps it on its toes. A member who desires an oral answer to a question is required to mark it with a star. Such questions are known as starred questions. Through these questions, the member can seek from the minister some other relevant information connected with the reply already given on the floor of the house. These are called supplementary questions. Some questions without stars are also asked. These are meant for written answers. The answers to all the questions and the supplementary questions given by ministers make the government responsive to the Parliament. This is one of the several ways in which the Parliament controls, guides and informs the government.

Making of a Law: Whenever a bill is moved, members get an opportunity to discuss the merits and demerits of the government policies. The Parliament is the highest place where government policies can be discussed.

'No Confidence Motion': The Opposition party or parties may move a motion that the Lok Sabha does not have confidence in the Council of Ministers. If the majority in the house votes against the motion, the Council of Ministers continues in power. However, if the majority votes for the motion, the Council of Ministers has to resign. In both cases, the members of the government and the opposition parties get the opportunity to appreciate or criticise the government.

Other ways: There are other ways in which members can keep control over the government, such as the calling attention notice and the adjournment motion. In these cases, members can request the Speaker to hold a pointed discussion on a particular issue.

Law Making: Framing of laws and amendment of previous laws is the important function of the legislature. The proposal for a law is called a bill. It is of two kinds: an ordinary bill and a money bill. Until a bill is passed through a proper procedure, it cannot become a law or an Act.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN PARLIAMENT

(i) The Parliament now has more and more people from different backgrounds. For example, there are more rural members, as also members from many regional parties. Groups and peoples that were till now unrepresented are beginning to get elected to the Parliament.
(ii) There has also been an increase in political participation from the Dalit and backward castes and the minorities.
(iii) Some seats are reserved in the Parliament for SCs and STs. This has been done so that the MPs elected from these constituencies will be familiar with, and can represent, Dalit and Adivasi interests in Parliament.
(iv) There should be reservation of seats for women. This issue is still being debated. Sixty years ago, only four percent of MPs were women, and today it is just above nine percent. This is a small share when you consider the fact that half the population are women.

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