EXTENT OF THE PRESIDENT

Powerful aggregators of people's grievances, Indian presidents have enriched democratic values by playing the role of a guardian

- DR THOMAS MATHEW

THE ELECTION TO appoint the 15th president of India has once again put the spotlight on the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Raisina Hill is the largest office-cum-residence of any head of state in the world. And if the grandeur of an office is usually emblematic of the power and influence of the occupier of the building, the president of India is an exception.

When the constituent assembly debated the institution of the president, there were several opposing views on the selection process to be adopted, and the powers the head of state should have. Finally, it was decided to combine in the Indian president some features of the US president and the monarch of England. Unlike the monarch with whom the Indian president is often compared with, the election of the Indian president gives the office its democratic character and permanency, while the monarch of England has to innovate to stay relevant.

As India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, the Indian president is a "head that neither reigns nor governs". But, that may be an extreme view and obfuscates the influence the president wields and the critical power he could be called upon to exercise. This is despite the 42nd amendment (1976) that makes it obligatory for him to act on the advice of the council of ministers.

Notwithstanding his largely ceremonial roles, the president of India, before the amendment and thereafter, has played a significant role in Indian polity. He has enriched its democratic values by playing the role of a guardian and a catalyst, though he may be vested with no real powers. Yet, he is a symbol that people look up to and the last stop for the opposition to air its grievances, especially against a government that may have an overwhelming majority.