Fading Footprints

With the central government increasingly vying for re-centralisation of powers, the vital concept of cooperative federalism is gradually losing its grip over Indian polity

- FR. JOHN FELIX RAJ & PRABHAT KUMAR DATTA

Federalism is a pragmatic creation of human ingenuity, designed to balance power and promote democratic governance.

Characterised by a constitutional division of powers between at least two levels of government, federalism accommodates diverse identities and interests through a system of territorial representation.

This framework is further reinforced by the separation of powers and an independent judiciary, with the Supreme Court serving as a neutral arbiter in disputes between different levels of government.

By dividing sovereignty and providing a degree of autonomy to minorities, federalism safeguards against the tyranny of the majority, thereby fostering a more inclusive and democratic polity.

Indian federalism bears the imprint of its colonial past, as embodied in the Government of India Act 1935.

The country's federal structure was also shaped by the lessons learned from the traumatic experience of partition on the eve of Independence, as well as the need to accommodate its multicultural diversity.

While India adopted a dual polity, the Constitution's architects deliberately avoided using the term 'federal' in the final document, although it was frequently used in the draft Constitution.

Instead, India was characterised as a 'union of states' carrying quasi-federal character but conveying a higher degree of integration.

The nation witnessed significant territorial reorganisation in the 1950s to accommodate demands from linguistic and ethnic minorities.

The breakdown of the Congress party's dominance in the late 1960s led to the rise of regional political parties, which began to assert their influence in various states.

A notable example is the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, which appointed the Rajamannar Committee to push for greater state autonomy.