India is a Union of States — federal in structure, unitary in spirit. — B.R. Ambedkar
7.1 What Is Federalism?
Federalism divides power between a central government and constituent units (states), each supreme within its sphere. Features:
- Written constitution with division of powers
- Supremacy of constitution over both levels
- Independent judiciary to resolve disputes
- Bicameral legislature representing states
India is often called "quasi-federal" or "federation with a strong Centre" due to unitary features.
7.2 Federal Features of the Indian Constitution
- Dual polity — Union and States (Art. 1: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States")
- Division of powers — Seventh Schedule: Union List, State List, Concurrent List
- Rajya Sabha — represents states
- Independent judiciary — settles Centre–State disputes
- Constitutional amendment involving states (Art. 368)
7.3 Unitary Features
- Single citizenship (Art. 5–11) — unlike USA's dual citizenship
- Strong Centre — residuary powers with Union (Art. 248); Union List dominates
- All-India services — IAS, IPS appointed by Centre
- Emergency provisions (Part XVIII):
- Art. 352 — National Emergency
- Art. 356 — President's Rule in states
- Art. 360 — Financial Emergency
- Governor appointed by President; can reserve state bills for President (Art. 200)
7.4 Centre–State Relations
| Dimension | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Legislative | Lists in Seventh Schedule; Concurrent List — Centre prevails (Art. 254) |
| Administrative | All-India services; Centre can give directions to states (Art. 256, 257) |
| Financial | Finance Commission (Art. 280); GST Council; grants-in-aid (Art. 275) |
Inter-State Council (Art. 263) and NITI Aayog facilitate cooperation.
7.5 Federalism in Practice
- Regional parties and coalition governments strengthened state bargaining
- Sarkaria Commission (1988) and Punchhi Commission recommended greater state autonomy
- Art. 356 misuse reduced after S.R. Bommai (1994) — assembly can be dissolved only on floor test failure
- Debates on fiscal federalism, GST, and asymmetric federalism (special status, Sixth Schedule areas)
Chapter Summary
- Federalism divides sovereignty between Union and States under constitutional law
- India combines federal structure with strong central powers
- Seventh Schedule and Finance Commission shape legislative and fiscal relations
- Emergency provisions tilt balance toward Centre
- Judicial and political dynamics continue to define Indian federal practice
Exercises (NCERT)
- Exercise 1 — federal vs unitary features of the Indian Constitution
- Exercise 2 — role of Rajya Sabha in representing states
- Exercise 3 — evaluating President's Rule under Article 356