Polity Class 9: Parliament

In all popular governments, a get-together of chosen agents practices a definitive political expert for the benefit of individuals. This is known as the Legislature or Legislative Assembly at the state level. The task of making laws, or legislation, is so important that these bodies are referred to as legislatures.

Need of Parliament

• To make laws: Parliaments can make new laws, change existing laws, or annul existing laws and make new ones in their place
• To practice some command over the individuals who run the public authority. In certain nations like India, this control is immediate and full
• Those in charge of the government can only make decisions with the support of Parliament
• To control the money of the government: In most countries, public money can be spent if and only if Parliament sanctions it
• To provide a forum for discussion and debate on public issues and national policy

Two Houses of Parliament

• Because Parliament plays such an important role in a modern democracy, most big countries divide Parliament’s duties and powers into two parts. They’re referred to as Chambers or Houses         
• One of the House is usually directly elected by the people and makes use of real authority on their behalf, whereas the second House is usually indirectly elected and performs a variety of responsibilities
• In India, Parliament consists of two Houses:
  • Rajya Sabha.
  • Lok Sabha.
  • The President of India is also a massive chunk of Parliament. Even though he is not a part of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but only he has the power to enforce the laws passed in the Houses.

Difference of Powers between two Houses:

• Though Rajya Sabha is called the ‘Upper Chamber’ and the Lok Sabha the ‘Lower Chamber’, this is just an old style of speaking and not the language used in our Constitution
• The Rajya Sabha does have some special powers over the states under our Constitution
• The Lok Sabha, on the other hand, has absolute power in most affairs: 
  • View of Lok Sabha prevails: Any common law must be approved by both Houses; however, if the two Houses disagree, the ultimate decision is made in a joint session in which members of both Houses sit together. Because the Lok Sabha has a more significant majority, the Lok Sabha’s viewpoint is more likely to prevail
  • The Lok Sabha has more power over money: the Rajya Sabha cannot reject the government’s budget or any other money-related law passed by the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha can only postpone it for 14 days or propose revisions. These amendments may or may not be accepted by the Lok Sabha.
  • The Lok Sabha is in charge of the Council of Ministers, and only a Prime Minister who has the support of the majority of Lok Sabha members is appointed. All ministers, including the Prime Minister, must resign if a majority of Lok Sabha members express “no confidence” in the Council of Ministers. The Rajya Sabha lacks this authority

Political Executive

Executive:

• There are officials at various levels of any government who make day-to-day decisions but do not exercise absolute power on behalf of the people. The executive is the collective name for all of those officials
• They are known as executives because they are in charge of carrying out the government’s policies

The executive branch in a democracy is divided into two groups:

• Political Executive: They are elected by the people for a specific period and includes Political leaders who take the big decisions
• Permanent Executive or Civil servants: People are appointed on a long-term basis. Persons working in civil services are called civil servants. They keep their jobs even if the ruling party changes. These officers work under the direction of the political executive and assist them with day-to-day administration

Reasons for Political Executive having more power than Permanent Executive:

• The people’s will is ultimate in a democracy. The minister is an elected representative of the people and hence has the authority to carry out the people’s wishes
• Answerable to the people for all the consequences of her decision: This is the reason the minister takes all the final decisions

Conclusion

A parliament is a governmental legislative body. In general, a modern parliament serves three purposes: it represents the electorate, it makes laws, and it oversees the government through hearings and inquiries. Parliament’s primary function is to enact legislation. They also play an important role in cabinet monitoring. Because Parliament is so important in a modern democracy, most major countries divide their duties and powers into two parts. They are known as Chambers or Houses. In India, the houses of Parliament are divided into two houses: the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister of India, as defined by the Indian Constitution, is the chief of the government, the president’s chief adviser, the head of the council of ministers, and the majority leader. The Prime Minister of India, as defined by the Indian Constitution, is the chief of the government, the president’s chief adviser, the head of the council of ministers, and the leader of the majority party in parliament. The Prime Minister is the head of the Indian government’s executive branch. Because they are elected by the people, the Political Executive has more power than the Permanent Executive