The Indian Parliament: A Comparative Perspective

As the Indian Parliament reached the landmark of 50 years of its fruitful, though tumultuous existence, the debate on anomalies creeping into the institution and the Parliamentary system became intense. The debate, in fact, has fluctuated between cynicism and pessimism. Though there has also been a discourse on Parliamentary reforms, it has generally been tied to the discourse on electoral reforms. The debate and the plea for Parliamentary reforms, therefore, have been relatively diffused and weak. This topical collection of original essays by eminent scholars drawn from diverse disciplines examines wide-ranging issues related to functioning of Indian Parliament since its inception. The essays locate Indian Parliament in the context of Indian democracy, critically examine its institutional dimensions, political and institutional processes impacting Parliament and Parliamentary democracy, federal dimensions of the Indian Parliament and aberrations, anomalies that have developed over the years in the highest portal of Indian democracy and concludes with a discourse on Parliamentary reform in India. In understanding these complex political and institutional processes, this volume provides a comparative framework by bringing in the experiences of Germany which offers useful lessons, particularly with regard to federal dimension of Parliamentary Democracy. Overall, this volume provides an incisive and comprehensive analysis of the issues related to Indian Parliament and Parliamentary Democracy. Constituting an important contribution to the on-going debate on these issues, this volume will attract the attention of students of Indian politics, political science, democracy, party systems and comparative politics.