UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 50 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on Indian Federalism Features
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2017
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectPolity
- TopicCentre-State Relations
- DifficultyEasy
- TypeDirect
Which one of the following is not a feature to Indian federalism?
Show answer
Answer: D. It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.
Verdict
The answer is that it is the result of an agreement among the federating units. Indian federalism did not arise from such an agreement.
Analysis
The Constitution establishes a federal system with two governments, a division of powers, a written and supreme Constitution, an independent judiciary and bicameralism, so the first three options all describe genuine features. Article 1 describes India as a Union of States, and the framers chose that phrase deliberately to convey two things: the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the States, and no State has the right to secede from it. The fourth option therefore states precisely what Indian federalism is not.
Source
M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, chapter on salient features of the Constitution.
How to crack it
The phrase Union of States in Article 1 is doing constitutional work, and the reason the framers preferred it to Federation is exactly what this question tests. Contrast the American model, formed by a compact among pre existing states with an implied right of exit, against the Indian model, formed by an indestructible Union. Comparative framing is the fastest route through questions on the nature of Indian federalism.