https://youtu.be/GM6KiF9zwII?si=hA3U2WAY_lh18jLF

Democracy Dialogues Series 35 / Organised by New Socialist Initiative

Theme : India’s Federal Democracy @ 75: Is it Secure?

Speaker : Prof Balveer Arora

Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism and Former Professor of Political Science and Rector, JNU

Time and Date : Sunday, 5 th January, 2025 6 PM ( IST)

Live Streamed on : facebook.com/newsocialistinitiative.nsi

Abstract :As we celebrate the 75th year of the Constitution, it is important to remember that Indian federalism flowered late. In the initial years, the development of democracy overshadowed the federal provisions of the Constitution. Certain formulations of the Constitution and single-party dominance even cast doubts on its very existence.

Dismissed as quasi, much was made of the preference for the term Union to question even the federal intent of the framers of the Constitution. As India’s federal polity developed, it became clearer that federalism was not merely intended but also an integral part of the basic structure of the Constitution. It was further defined and refined with asymmetrical provisions to accommodate its burgeoning diversity.Is it being denied today?

The federal fact is central to the understanding of contemporary Indian politics. Federalism has imparted resilience to Indian democracy. Traditionally, the concept of federalism involved relationships between central governments and federated units. Defined in legal- constitutional terms as different power distributions between the central government vis-à-vis the states and local governments, they typically limited relationships to those between governments, notably between various actors in the executive branch. We seek to go beyond this framework to look at federalism as a democratic process.

The threats to the federal essence of the polity are many, majoritarianism being the foremost. Majoritarian democracy is incompatible with the federal principle, which is based on the recognition of the right to self-rule for all constituents of the federal polity. Is this under siege today by an integrationist vision that seeks unity through uniformity? How can federal democracy be protected and preserved under these conditions? Can it be made more secure?

About the Speaker : BALVEER ARORA is Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism and Former Professor of Political Science and Rector, JNU. Earlier, he was a visiting fellow at the National Political Science Foundation, Paris and the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, USA. He has edited / co edited many books : Here is a list of few of his publications :
– Transforming India: Social and Political Dynamics of Democracy
– Multiple Identities in a Single State: Indian Federalism in Comparative Perspective
– Party System in India: Emerging Trajectories ,
– Federalism in India: Origins and Development
– The Value of Comparative Federalism: The Legacy of Ronald L. Watts
– Federalism and Public Health in India: Dissonant Discourses