Describe the development of Federal System in India.
Or
What were the causes for the establishment of Federal Government in India?
I. Development of Federal System in India: The idea of the Federal Government in India originated during the British regime. Most of the period of the British administration was devoted to the defence and consolidation of the British Colony in India. That is why they established a centralised unitary Government in India. But the British had to bring decentralisation in administration because of the exigencies of the circumstances, and also due to the basic diversities in the Indian Society. The idea of federal system was first mooted in the Act of 1935. The federal system as established in Independent India was based on the provisions of this Act. The evolution of the federal system, during the British regime had a long history which can be described below:
The factors that made the Indian leaders accept the establishment of Federal Government in India were basically the diversities in the conditions prevailing in India. The needs of these diverse conditions could be met only through federation. These factors can be studied in three divisions.
II. Causes of the Establishment of Federal System in India:
1. The effect of the Act of 1935: Right from 1858, when the Indian administration was transferred to the British Parliament, the tendency to decentralisation is increasing for administrative conveniences. New provinces were formed and they were given more powers. Gradually, these provinces, became administrative units with increasingly more self-governing powers. The Act of 1919 initiated the self-government in the provinces. The Act of 1935 made these provinces fully autonomuous. During this time, eleven provinces had fully autonomous and responsible Governments.
When the new Constituttion was framed in Independent India it was based on the Act of 1935. It was not possible to ignore the development which continued for one hundred years so far as the decentralising tendencies were concerned, and start with a new edifice. The actual fact was, there was no question on whether federal Constitution was to be adopted or not. The only question was as to what should be the nature of federalism that would be adopted in India. The great scholar Prof-Jennings commented that when provinces were converted into States, then there was no point in starting with a new edifice. For this purpose, the framers of the constitution made a new Constitution on the basis of this Act.
2. Problems of the Princely States: India was divided into two parts: The Princely States and the British India. The British Indian Provinces were united under a single administration at the Centre, but about 600 princely State were spread over India with their separate autonomous entity. When the British left India, their suzerain power over the princely States ended and these States were declared independent. These states had freedom to merge with India or Pakistan or to remain separate and independent. The national leaders had the Herculean task of uniting the British Indian provinces with their uniform nature and the princely States with their diversities in administration, size, geographical, political and economic conditions. This was not possible in the unitary centralised form of Government. This was possible only through federation when these States could merge.
3. Compulsions due to Indian conditions: India is a vast country with people having diversities in religion, language, food, living conditions, dress, customs and manners, etc. Actually Indian culture observes unity in diversity. This diversity is the unique characteristics of Indians giving opportunity to the development of personality. This is the democratic way of looking at life. So it was realised that the federal form of Government would help the growth of this basic Indian characteristics. Secondly, the vastness of the country encouraged the tendency towards federalism because it was not possible to rule the country efficiently from one Centre.
