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.
Denne historien er fra July 03, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra July 03, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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War Over Wounded Earth
For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra
Say no to continual elections
Following the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind to streamline the widely scattered schedule of national, state and local elections, the Union cabinet has reportedly approved two constitutional amendment bills for likely introduction in Parliament. Predictably, the return of the ‘one nation, one election’ issue to news has set off a flurry of objections by several opposition leaders.
Fabulously, fashionably funny
The third season of the Karan Johar-produced Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives dropped on Netflix, but articles criticising the show appear in some news site or the other almost daily. If it is so bad, why keep writing about it? And if it is so bad, why would the superpowers at Netflix, who are harder to meet than the prime minister, commission the show season after season?
All in the family
The Chitaras have been passing down the secret art of Mata Ni Pachedi through generations for more than 400 years now
Raise a toast to Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is a New Year baby. At 45, she is aglow in the most beautiful way, having won the hearts and admiration of countless fans across the world, who watched the supremely talented actor take a public tumble on stage at a high-profile promotional event recently, sharing the platform with no less a dancer than the eternally graceful Madhuri Dixit.
Death no bar
Being alive is not a legal requirement to be elected president of the United States
The Lotus POTUS
You should visit us one of these days— there is so much excitement in our USA! No, I don’t mean the famous USA—the Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association of Mumbai.
RAY OF HOPE
Actor and cancer survivor Lisa Ray talks to oncologist Dr Jame Abraham about inner strength and her surrogacy journey
LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK
AT THE WEEK Health Summit, Siddharth Bagga, head (retail, CPG and health care), Google Cloud, elaborated on the significant work that Google has been doing in health care through artificial intelligence (AI).
PRESSURE POINTS
Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world