Why Do We Need A Parliament

Chapter-15. Why Do We Need a Parliament

In “Why Do We Need a Parliament,” students explore the functioning of India’s democratic system. The chapter explains the role of the Parliament in making laws, controlling government functions, and representing citizens’ voices. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 ensure clarity on parliamentary terms like Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and Speaker. Class 8 Notes summarize topics such as law-making procedures and the importance of debates and discussions. With Class 8 Home Tuition, students can experience mock parliamentary sessions that make learning interactive and engaging. This chapter encourages students to value democracy and active participation in governance.

The Role of Parliament in a Democracy

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?

• (i) 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 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, but the British did not allow for all adults to vote, nor could people properly participate in decision making.

• (ii) 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 that laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, i.e. that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

Do Check - How, When and Where

People and Their Representatives

• (i) The base of democracy is the idea of consent, i.e. 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 needs to have the trust of the citizens.

• (ii) Election is the way by which the individual gives approval to the government.

People elect their representatives to the Parliament and 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.

Figure: People participating in the democratic process

The Role of the Parliament

Created after 1947, the Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in principles of democracy, i.e. 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 are held in a similar manner as they are for the state legislature. The Lok Sabha is usually elected once every five years. The country is divided into numerous constituencies, and each of these constituencies elects one person to the Parliament.

The candidates who contest elections usually belong to different political parties.

Main Functions of Parliament

• (A) To select the National Government.
• (B) To control, guide and inform the government.
• (C) Framing of laws.

Do Check - Ruling the Country Side

To Select the National Government

For a political party to form the government, they must have a majority of elected Members of Parliament (MPs).

Since there are 543 elected (plus 2 nominated) members in the Lok Sabha, to have a majority, a party should have at least half the number, i.e. 272 members or more.

(i) 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 various policies and programmes of the government and mobilise popular support for their own policies.

(ii) Selection of the Executive

• 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 her party, the Prime Minister selects ministers to work with her to implement decisions.
• These ministers then take charge of different areas of government functioning like health, education, finance, etc.

(iii) Coalition Government

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

(iv) Rajya Sabha

• The Rajya Sabha 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 an important role of reviewing and altering the laws initiated by the Lok Sabha.
• 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.

Do Check - When People Rebel

To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

(i) 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, i.e. the MPs.
• Asking questions to the government is a crucial task for every MP. The government gets valuable feedback and is kept on its toes by the questions asked by the MPs.
• A member who desires an oral answer to the 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 Parliament. This is one of the several ways in which the Parliament controls, guides and informs the government.

(ii) 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.

(iii) 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. This is called a “No Confidence Motion”.
• If the majority in the house votes against the motion, the Council of Ministers continues to be in power.
• However, if the majority votes for the motion, the Council of Ministers has to resign.
• Normally in both the cases the members of the government and opposition parties get the opportunity to appreciate or criticise the government.

(iv) Other Ways of Control

• There are other ways also in which members can keep control over the government.
• Some of these are calling attention notice, adjournment motion, etc. In these cases, members can request the Speaker to have a pointed discussion on a particular issue.

Do Check - Resources, Types And Development

Law Making

• Framing of laws and amendment in previous laws is the important function of the legislature.
• The proposal for a law is called a bill. It is of two kinds – ordinary bill and money bill.
• Until a bill is passed through a proper procedure, it cannot be 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.

Figure: Diverse representation in 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.

Why Do We Need a 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.
• Representatives of people: Democratic form of government denotes that the individual or the citizen is the most important person and that in principle the government as well as other public institutions needs to have the trust of the citizens.

Role of the Parliament

Parliament mainly needs to perform three functions:

1. To select the National Government.
2. To control, guide and inform the government.
3. Framing of laws.

Composition of Parliament

1. The selected executives.
2. The opposition.
3. Members of coalition government.
4. The Rajya Sabha.

Responsibilities of the Parliament

1. To control.
2. To guide.
3. To inform the government.

Working of the Parliament

1. Question Hour: The session of Parliament through which MPs elicit information about the working of the government.
2. Making of law: Members get to vote on passing a bill of reform or policy.
3. Debate on issues: Members get an opportunity to discuss the current issues facing the nation or a region, and also the merits and demerits of the government policies.
4. 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.

Parliament – Maximum Strength

The maximum strength of the House envisaged by the Constitution is 552, which is made up by election of up to 530 members to represent the States, up to 20 members to represent the Union Territories and not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian Community to be nominated by the President of India.

Do Check - The Indian Constitution

Multiple Choice Questions

1. This 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.

   (A) Government

   (B) Parliament

   (C) Judiciary

   (D) Executive

2. Which legislation under the British government, for the first time allowed for some elected representatives?

   (A) Government of India Act 1909

   (B) Government of India Act 1919

   (C) Government of India Act 1919

   (D) Pitts India Act

3. “All adult citizens of the country have the right to vote”. It is often termed as –

   (A) Adult Voting System

   (B) Universal adult Franchise

   (C) Universal adult System

   (D) None of the above

4. ______ is the way by which the individuals give approval to the government.

   (A) Asking for rights

   (B) Following the duties

   (C) Paying tax

   (D) Election

5. Lok Sabha is elected once in every ______ years.

   (A) Three

   (B) Four

   (C) Five

   (D) Six

6. To have a majority in the Lok Sabha, a party must have the support of at least ______ members.

   (A) 252

   (B) 262

   (C) 272

   (D) 282

7. Who is the leader of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha?

   (A) Home Minister

   (B) Speaker

   (C) President

   (D) Prime Minister

8. When a party joins other political parties to form a government, this type of government is known as –

   (A) Community government

   (B) Coalition government

   (C) Joint government

   (D) Mixed government

9. Members of which house are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states?

   (A) Vidhan Parishad

   (B) Vidhan Sabha

   (C) Lok Sabha

   (D) Rajya Sabha

10. At present what is the total strength of elected members of Rajya Sabha?

    (A) 250

    (B) 245

    (C) 238

    (D) 233

11. How many members can be nominated by the President in the Rajya Sabha?

    (A) 06

    (B) 08

    (C) 10

    (D) 12

12. There has also been an increase in political participation from the –

    (A) Dalits

    (B) Backward classes

    (C) Minorities

    (D) All of the above

13. ______ is the most important function of the Parliament.

    (A) Asking questions

    (B) Bringing “No-confidence motion”

    (C) Electing President

    (D) Law making

14. If ______ is passed against the government, the government has to resign.

    (A) No-Confidence motion

    (B) Adjournment motion

    (C) Calling attention notice

    (D) All of the above

15. Sixty years ago, only ______ per cent of MPs were women and today it is just above ______ per cent.

    (A) 2, 8

    (B) 3, 6

    (C) 5, 10

    (D) 4, 9

Subjective Questions

1. What are the elements that together make us a democracy?
2. When did the Indian National Congress demand elected members in the legislature?
3. How is a government formed in a democratic government?
4. How do the people control the government?
5. Why does the Parliament in our system have immense power?
6. What do you mean by a constituency?
7. Which party forms the opposition party?
8. How many members are elected in the Rajya Sabha?
9. Under colonial rule the people never criticised the government’s decision. Why?
10. Why did the Constitution of independent India lay down the principle of universal adult franchise?
11. What is the importance of elections in a democratic country?
12. Describe the procedure of electing the member of Lok Sabha.
13. Define Opposition Party and their role in a democracy.
14. Who selects various ministers to work in the government? How are they selected?
15. Define coalition government.
16. Narrate the procedure of “No-confidence motion”.
17. Why do we need a Parliament?
18. Why has universal adult franchise been adopted in democratic countries?
19. Define the role of the Parliament.
20. “The Parliament now has more and more people from different backgrounds.” How can we say that?

Answers to Exercise

• 1. (B)
• 2. (A)
• 3. (B)
• 4. (D)
• 5. (C)
• 6. (C)
• 7. (D)
• 8. (B)
• 9. (D)
• 10. (D)
• 11. (D)
• 12. (D)
• 13. (D)
• 14. (A)
• 15. (D)