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Understanding India’s Political Structure
Geetanjoy Sahu
Assistant Professor
School of Habitat Studies
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
Email id: geetanjoy@tiss.edu
Lecture I & II (6th September)
Colonialism and Nationalism
Idea of India: Ambedkar, Gandhi and Nehru
Evolution and Basic Features of Indian Constitution
Lecture III & IV (12th September)
Democracy and Institutions in India
Federalism and Federal Political Structure
Lecture V & VI (19th September)
Decentralisation and Democratic Governance
Social Movements and Civil Society Struggles
India and the idea of the Third World
Suggested Reading Materials (6th Sept Lectures)
1. The Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru (1946)
2. The Constitution of IndiaGranville Austin (1972)
3. Idea of India Sunil Khilnani (1997)
4. Indian Constitutional Law M P Jain (2014)
Ambedkar's Writings: www.ambedkar.org
Gandhi's Wrtings: www.mkgandhi.org
Constitutent Assembly Debates:
http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/debates.htm
Contd.....
Our Constitution (Subash C Kashyap2017)
Freedom Struggle (Bipin Chandra1999)
On Nationalism (Ramila Thapar 2016)
Political Structures
Aristotle (Politics)
“The proof that the State (Political Structure) is a creation of
nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when
isolated, is not selfsufficing; and therefore he is like a part in
relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society,
or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must
be either a beast or a god”.
Colonialism and Nationalism
PreColonial
No Political Authority
Colonial Phases
17571813
18141857
18581947
Legal Instruments
The Permanent Settlement Act 1793
Zamindari
Royatwari
Mahalwari
The Land Acquisition Act 1894
Indian Forest Act 1927
Malguzari Tank System
Commercialisation of Agricultural Activities
Eminent Domain Principle
Resistance
Indigo Movement
Deccan Movement
Movement in Bombay and Madras Presidency
Tribal Movements
Rise of Nationalism in India
Exploitative Economic Policy
Political and Administrative Unity
Legal Order
Impact of Western Education
Communication and Transport Development
Contd...
Emergence of Modern Press and newspapers
Growth of Vernacular Literature
International Events
Contd...
Racial Antagonism (Rowlatt Act, Press Act, Ilbert Bill)
The emergence of political and social institutions
The Formation of Indian National Congress
Nationalism
It was different from Western Nationalism
Based on liberal values, nonviolence, tolerance
Contd...
Nationalism is not something problematic
Distinction between....
Nationalism and Other Loyalities
Nation and the Government
The Idea of India
B R Ambedkar
Jawaharlal Nehru
Mahatma Gandhi
Political, Social and Economic Idea
Economic IdeaGandhi
Critic of modern economy and industrialistion
Economy impacts both institution and autonomy
Western capitalism and socialism are not solutions
Contd...
Decentralised, Village and Moral Economy
Village cottage industry hand spinning
Ownership and the production process with people
Trusteeship as an alternative
Economic IdeaJawaharlal Nehru
Mixed Economy
Democratic socialism
Strong State: Key industries and infrastructure
“ Economic change will have to be in the direction of a
democratically planned collectivism. A democratic collectivism
need not mean an abolition of private property, but it will mean
the public ownership of the basic and major industries. In India
especially it will be necessary to have in addition to the big
industries, cooperatively controlled small and village age
industries. Such a system of democratic collectivism will need
careful and continuous planning and adaptation to the changing
needs of the people”
Economic IdeaB R Ambedkar
Prominent role for the state in economic development
Ownership and Distribution of resource through state
Democratic socialism
Key industries should be with state
Contd...
“Political democracy implied that "the individual should
not be required to relinquish any of his constitutional
rights as a condition precedent to the receipt of a
privilege and that the state shall not delegate powers
to private persons to govern others. The system of
social economy based on private enterprise and pursuit
of personal gain violates these requirements".
Bombay Legislative Council, October 10, 1927,
Dr. Ambedkar
Contd...
Nationalisation of lands
Strong supporter of land reforms
State support to agricultural activity
Contd...
"It is true that where the state refrains from intervention
what remains is liberty. To whom and for whom is this
liberty? Obviously this liberty is liberty to the
landlords to increase rents, for capitalists to increase
hours of work and reduce rate of wages."
Social Ideas and Rural SocietyGandhi
Known as the ideologue of the village
Cities are product of Western thinking
Concerned with the actual existing villages of India
Contd...
“Our cities are not India. India lives in her seven and a half
lakhs of villages, and the cities live upon the villages. They
do not bring their wealth from other countries. The city
people are brokers and commission agents for the big
houses of Europe, America and Japan. The cities have
cooperated with the latter in the bleeding process that has
gone on for the past two hundred years.”
Young India in 1921: Mahatma Gandhi
Contd...
Young India in 1921: Mahatma Gandhi
Contd...
Revival of village communities.
Fundamental problems with the exisiting social order
Villages need to be reformed: Untouchability
Village and its social structure needs to be sustained
Social Ideas and Rural SocietyNehru
Villages are quite central to Indian tradition
Critical of the past structures
Revivial of village society is important
Modern technology and changing agrarian relations
Contd...
No attraction for orientalist notions of India
Indian civilisation as being a Hindu civilisation
Untouchables lived outside the village, in the ‘ghetto’
“I hold that these village republics have been the ruination
of India…What is the village but a sink of localism, a den
of ignorance, narrowmindedness and communalism?
Ambedkar's Speech in the CA
Not a supporter of Western Democracy
Serious Problem with the principle of majoritarianism
State is oppressive in nature
Technocratic and hierarchical
Contd...
Stateless and classless society
Participatory and Decentralised
Panchyat Raj Institutions (Local SelfGovernance)
In 1930s he supported a limited role for the state
Political IdeasNehru
Democratic institutions with centralisation of power
Individual freedom without compromising social justice
Separating state from religion
Mechanism for the weaker sections and minority
Contd...
Autonomous power to bureaucracy
Separation of power
Political IdeasAmbedkar
Strong state with centralisation of power
Against Panchayat Raj Institutions
Equal rights to men and women
Minority and weaker sections
Areas of Covergence and Divergence
Importance of Politics and Power
Plural Values
Democratic values (Equality, Liberty, Social Justice)
Provisions for weaker sections of the society
Thank You