INDIA : SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC


INDIA: SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

The Preamble of the Indian constitution read as follows :  

"WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC....... THIS CONSTITUTION"

Our Constitution makers had hereby laid down the broad contours for the nation. Each of the terms having the rationale for inclusion in the preamble. In this article, I am going to explore these terms.

SOVEREIGN :

Sovereignty is the power of a State to do everything necessary to govern itself, such as making, executing, and applying laws; imposing and collecting taxes; making war 
and peace, and forming treaties or engaging in commerce with foreign nations. Indians remained under Imperial Power for almost 200 years. Indians always wanted self-rule or "SWARAJ" (in Hindi स्व- self  राज- Rule). Indian National Congress on 19 December 1929, passed the historic ‘Purna Swaraj’ – (total independence) resolution – at its Lahore session. So the rationale for the inclusion of the term "sovereign" in the constitution is that now India is an Independent country that can decide its future and not remain under any power after the commencement of the constitution. This feature can be traced under Article 245 r/w 7th Schedule Wherein only parliament and state legislatures are competent to make laws without being subjected to any foreign authority.   

SOCIALIST and SECULAR
    
Socialism is a political and economic theory that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole whereas secularism meaning separation of religious affairs from the state. Term Socialist and secular have certain shared features,  both the terms initially were not members of the original preamble. Both the expressions were later added by the 42nd amendment of the constitution in 1976 during the emergency era. It is not that they were not discussed in the constituent assembly, prof. K.T. Shah moved the amendment for the inclusion of word socialist and secular but was opposed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on two grounds by stating
  • "What should be the policy of the State, how the Society should be organized in its social and economic side are matters which must be decided by the people themselves according to time and circumstances. It cannot be laid down in the Constitution itself, because that is destroying democracy altogether."  
  • "The Second reason is that the amendment is purely superfluous. My Honourable friend, Prof. Shah does not seem to have taken into account the fact that apart from the Fundamental Rights, which we have embodied in the Constitution, we have also introduced other sections that deal with directive principles of state policy. If my honourable friend were to read the Articles contained in Part IV, he will find that both the Legislature as well as the Executive have been placed by this Constitution under certain definite obligations as to the form of their policy"
(Article 25-30 under part III for secularism  & Article 39 under part IV for Socialism)

Finally, the amendment has been negatived. But During Emergency Our the then prime minister Smt. Indira Gandhi caused the term "socialism" to be entered in the constitution as she was a strong supporter of socialistic ideology as can be seen by the actions of the government of that time, e.g. by the nationalization of banks. Secularism was added to give the provisions relating to the expression a more concrete meaning. 

DEMOCRATIC :

A democratic country is a country that's ruled by its people or agents elected by them in a free electoral system.  We Indians always wanted self-rule by our people. We always lacked representation in the legislative councils in British India. In this backdrop, the constituent assembly adopted for the democratic form of the government. This expression can be traced in the constitution under Part XV " Elections" from Articles 324-329.

REPUBLIC :

The word republic, derived from the Latin res publica, or "public thing," refers to a form of 
government where the citizens conduct their affairs for their benefit rather than for the benefit of a ruler. In simple terms in the republican form of government people have the elected head of the state rather than a monarch. In India, the president of India is the elected (indirect manner) head of state. This provision can be seen under Article 54 and 55 of the constitution.

All these features of the constitution are part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution [Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru and Ors. v. State of Kerala and Anr. (case citation: (1973) 4 SCC 225) ] i.e. the Provisions related to these expressions in the constitution cannot be amended.  


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