Question

“Indian Union is a quasifederal structure.” Mention any two factors to prove it.

Hint:

The Indian Union is described as quasifederal due to a strong central government and single citizenship. These elements give the central government more control than in a purely federal system, leading to a unique blend of federal and unitary characteristics.

Answer 1

The Indian Union is often described as a quasifederal structure, which means that while it has some characteristics of a federal system, it also possesses elements of a unitary system. The term quasi refers to something that is almost, but not exactly, federal. This is primarily due to the unique provisions in the Indian Constitution that allow the central government to have more power over the states compared to a purely federal system. Here are two key factors that prove that the Indian Union is a quasifederal structure:

1. Single Citizenship:
- Unlike a federal system, where citizens have dual citizenship (one for the central government and one for the state government), in India, there is only single citizenship for all citizens of the country. - This means that all citizens of India, regardless of the state they belong to, are citizens of India alone. There is no separate state-level citizenship, which is a feature of a federal system. This emphasizes the unitary nature of the Indian Constitution.
2. Strong Central Government:
- In the Indian Union, the central government has significant powers over the states, particularly in areas like finance, law and order, and foreign policy. - Article 356 of the Constitution allows the central government to dismiss a state government and impose President's Rule if the state government is unable to function according to the provisions of the Constitution. - The Residuary Powers (under Article 248) are vested in the central government, meaning that any issue not covered by the Union List or State List is automatically under the jurisdiction of the central government. - Additionally, the Union List (List I) includes subjects on which only the central government can legislate, further centralizing power. Conclusion:
While India has certain federal characteristics such as division of powers between the center and the states, the central government’s dominance and features like single citizenship and strong central control make India’s Union structure quasifederal.