The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive
Questions and activities
1. Find out how many representatives from your state are in each House of the Parliament.
Answer:-
1. India has two Houses of Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
2. The number of representatives from each state depends on the state’s population.
3. In the Lok Sabha, members are directly elected by the people of the state.
4. In the Rajya Sabha, members are elected indirectly by the elected members of the State Legislative Assembly.
5. For example, if we take Maharashtra (you can replace with your own state):
- Maharashtra has 48 representatives in the Lok Sabha.
- Maharashtra has 19 representatives in the Rajya Sabha.
6. Thus, the state is represented in both Houses to ensure its voice is heard in national decisions.
2. What makes the Indian Parliament the “voice of the people”? How does it ensure that different opinions are heard?
Answer:-
- The Parliament is called the “voice of the people” because it is made up of representatives elected by the citizens.
- These representatives bring the needs, views, and problems of the people to the national level.
- Members belong to different states, regions, religions, languages, and communities of India.
- Debates and discussions in Parliament allow MPs to express different ideas and opinions.
- Both the ruling party and the opposition get the chance to speak.
- Question Hour and Parliamentary Committees also give opportunities to raise people’s issues.
- Translation in many Indian languages helps MPs speak in their own language freely.
- Thus, Parliament ensures that India’s diversity is respected and that all opinions are heard before decisions are made.
3. Why do you think the Constitution made the Executive responsible to the Legislature?
Answer:- The Constitution made the Executive responsible to the Legislature to ensure accountability, prevent misuse of power, and maintain democracy. This allows the people’s representatives in Parliament to question the government, check its actions through tools like Question Hour, and remove it if needed (like no-confidence motion), keeping the government working for the people.
4. Why do you think we have chosen the system of bicameral legislature at the Union level?
Answer:- India chose a bicameral legislature at the Union level to promote federalism, balance direct public representation (Lok Sabha) with state interests (Rajya Sabha), and allow for better review of laws. The Rajya Sabha provides a second opinion, prevents hasty decisions, and represents states’ views in national matters.
5. Try to track the journey of a recent bill passed by the Parliament. Identify in which House it was introduced. Were there any major debates or disagreements? How long did it take for the bill to become a law? Use newspaper archives, government websites, and Lok Sabha debates, or ask your teacher for help
Answer: -A recent bill passed by the Indian Parliament in 2025 is the Indian Ports Bill, 2025. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha to modernize port laws and facilitate ease of doing business. There were debates on improving maritime development, safety, and efficiency, with some discussions on environmental impacts but overall support. It was passed in the Lok Sabha, then in the Rajya Sabha, and received presidential assent. The process took a few months, from introduction in early 2025 to passage in mid-2025. You can check details on the Parliament website or news archives like The Hindu.
6. Choose a recent law passed by the Parliament. Divide into teams to role-play different parts of the process – MPs debating in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ministers answering questions, and the President giving assent. Present a short skit showing how a bill becomes a law; enact a ‘model Parliament’
Answer:-
- A recent law passed by the Parliament is the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam).
- It reserves 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
- In a ‘model Parliament’ skit:
1. MPs in Lok Sabha debate the bill, some supporting and some raising concerns.
2. Ministers answer questions about why the bill is needed and how it will be implemented.
3. The bill is then voted on and passed in the Lok Sabha.
4. The same process happens in the Rajya Sabha, where members discuss and pass it.
5. Finally, the bill is sent to the President of India, who gives assent.
6. The bill becomes a law and is published in the Gazette of India.
7. The Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, was passed with wide support. Why might it have taken over 25 years for this bill to be passed, despite being discussed for so long?
Answer:-
- The bill faced political disagreements for many years.
- Different parties had different views about the percentage of reservation and its impact.
- Some leaders feared it would reduce opportunities for men or disturb the balance of caste-based representation.
- Finally, after long debates and growing demand for women’s participation in politics, consensus was reached in 2023
8. Sometimes the Parliament is disrupted and does not function for the number of days it is supposed to. What impact do you think this has on the quality of laws and the trust people place in their representatives?
Answer:-
- When Parliament is disrupted, debates and discussions are cut short.
- Important bills may get less attention and weaker scrutiny.
- This lowers the quality of laws made.
- Citizens may lose trust and confidence in their representatives if they see constant fights and no real work being done.
9. Can you create ‘interest’ groups among students and list questions related to any policy that you may want to ask your MP and / or your MLA? How would these questions be different if it is to the MP instead of the MLA, and vice versa?
Answer:-
- Example student interest group: Education Group.
- Questions to MP (Member of Parliament):
1. What steps is the Union Government taking to improve digital education across the country?
2. How will the national budget support free textbooks and scholarships?
- Questions to MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly):
1. When will new classrooms and teachers be provided in our local schools?
2. What is being done in our state to reduce dropout rates?
- Thus, MPs focus on national policies, while MLAs focus on state and local issues.
10. What is the role that the Judiciary plays in Indian democracy? What could happen if we didn’t have an independent judiciary?
Answer:-
1. The Judiciary checks whether laws and government actions follow the Constitution.
2. It protects Fundamental Rights of citizens.
3. It ensures that the Legislature and Executive do not misuse power.
4. If we didn’t have an independent judiciary,
- laws could be unfair,
- citizens’ rights could be violated,
- and democracy could turn into dictatorship.
The Big Questions (Page 139)
1. What is India’s parliamentary system, and how is it structured?
Answer:- India’s parliamentary system is a form of government where the people elect representatives to the Lok Sabha through universal adult suffrage. The Parliament, which is the supreme legislative body, comprises the President, Lok Sabha (Lower House), and Rajya Sabha (Upper House), forming a bicameral system. The Lok Sabha members are directly elected, while Rajya Sabha members are indirectly elected by an electoral college, with seat allocation based on state population.
2.What are the key functions of the Parliament?
Answer:- The key functions of the Parliament include making laws, overseeing the work of the government, and ensuring it functions with the people’s consent. It also handles constitutional functions, executive accountability, and financial accountability.
3. What are the roles of the legislature and the executive in India’s Parliamentary democracy?
Answer:- The legislature, or Parliament, makes laws and keeps a check on the executive’s activities. The executive, consisting of the President, Vice President, and Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, implements and enforces laws, runs the government, and is accountable to the Lok Sabha.
4. How are the legislature and the executive organised at the union and state levels?
Answer:- At the union level, the legislature is bicameral with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and the executive includes the President, Vice President, and Council of Ministers. At the state level, the legislature can be unicameral (Vidhan Sabha) or bicameral (Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad), with the executive led by the Governor and Chief Minister with a Council of Ministers, mirroring the union structure.
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