The Role of the Parliament | Social Studies (SST) Class 8 PDF Download

The Role of the Parliament

The Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in principles of democracy. These are 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 to the Parliament 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. Each of these constituencies elects one person to the Parliament. The candidates who contest elections usually belong to different political parties. Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament.

Once elections to the Parliament have taken place, the Parliament needs to perform the following functions:

A. To Select the National Government

The Indian Parliament is made up of the President, the Rajya Sabha, and the Lok Sabha. Following the Lok Sabha elections, a list details how many MPs belong to each political party. For a party to form a government, it needs a majority of elected MPs. With 543 elected members (plus 2 nominated), a party requires at least 272 members to have a majority. The Opposition is comprised of all political parties not in the majority party or coalition, with the largest of these called the Opposition party.

One key role of the Lok Sabha is to choose the executive, which is a group responsible for implementing laws made by the Parliament.

The Prime Minister of India leads the ruling party in the Lok Sabha. From MPs in her party, the Prime Minister chooses ministers to assist in implementing decisions. These ministers oversee various government areas such as health, education, and finance.

The Rajya Sabha mainly represents the states of India within the Parliament. It can also propose legislation, and a bill must pass through the Rajya Sabha to become law. Thus, it plays a crucial role in reviewing and modifying laws initiated by the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha has 233 elected members and 12 members nominated by the President.

B. To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

The Parliament, while in session, begins with a 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 of the government is a crucial task for every MP. The Opposition parties play a critical 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.

People in Parliament

The Parliament now includes a more diverse group of individuals from various backgrounds. There are more rural members and representatives from many regional parties. Previously unrepresented groups and individuals are now beginning to be elected to Parliament. Additionally, there has been greater political participation from Dalits, backward castes, and minorities.