Critical Evaluation of the Federal System of India - Polity Notes
A federal system is a system of government where power is divided between two levels of government.
Critical Evaluation of the Federal System of India A federal system is a system of government where power is divided between two levels of government . Usually, these two levels are: Central (National) Government State (Regional) Governments Simple Meaning In a federal system, both the Centre and the States have their own powers . Neither level can take away the powers of the other on its own . 1. Nature of Indian Federalism The Indian Constitution does not follow pure federalism like the USA, Switzerland, or Australia. It includes many unitary (centralising) features , giving more power to the Centre. Because of this, India’s federal nature has been debated by constitutional experts . 2. Views Supporting Unitary Bias K.C. Wheare Called India a “quasi-federal” system. Said India is “a unitary state with subsidiary federal features” , not a true federation. K. Santhanam Identified two main reasons for centralisation : Financial dominance of the Centre and states’ dependence on central grants. Strong role of th…