The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive

Find out how many representatives from your state are in each House of the Parliament.

What makes the Indian Parliament the "voice of the people"? How does it ensure that different opinions are heard?

Why do you think the Constitution made the Executive responsible to the Legislature?

Why do you think we have chosen the system of bicameral legislature at the Union level?

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.

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'.

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?

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?

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?

What is the role that the Judiciary plays in Indian democracy? What could happen if we didn't have an independent judiciary?

From your previous lessons on the theme of Democracy and Governance, name a few Constitutional functions of the Parliament.

Draw a small chart to show the process of how RTE became an act. What do you think the process would be if RTE had been tabled in the Lok Sabha?

Why do you think that Parliament keeps an eye on government expenditure? (Hint: Whose money does the government spend?)

Part V of the Indian Constitution begins with Chapter I — The Executive. It looks at the roles and responsibilities of the President, Vice President, and Council of Ministers, among others. It is in Chapter II that the role and functions of Parliament are listed. Why might this be so?

If the Executive is part of the Legislature, how do we say that there is separation of power?

What might happen if one of the organs — Legislature, Executive, Judiciary — had all the power? How could it affect the rights of people?

Can you find examples where the Judiciary has asked lawmakers to review a law? Can you find any instances when the implementation of a law has been questioned by the Judiciary?

What type of legislature does your state have?

Read the following statement of the former chairman of the Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu given in 2021: "...the productivity of Rajya Sabha during 2004-14 has been about 78% and it declined to about 65% since then. Of the 11 sessions [that he presided over], four of them clocked low productivity of 6.80%, 27.30%, 28.90% and 29.55%; during the year 2018, the Rajya Sabha recorded the lowest ever productivity of 35.75% under the impact of disruptions." What conclusions can you draw from this statement? What implications does this have for the role that the Rajya Sabha is expected to play?

Take up a small group project. Compile data regarding the functioning of the legislature in your state or union territory.