Importance of Parliament | Social Studies (SST) Class 8 PDF Download

Importance of Parliament

Parliament of India

• We in India pride ourselves on being a democracy. There is a relation between the ideas of participation in decision-making and the need for all democratic governments to have the consent of their citizens. It is these elements that together make us democracy and this is best expressed in the institution of the Parliament. 
  
• Parliament enables citizens of India to participate in decision making and control the government, thus making it the most important symbol of Indian democracy and a key feature of the Constitution.

People Power 

• India became independent on 15 August 1947. Many sections of society participated in the struggle. People from various backgrounds joined the struggle and they were inspired by the ideas of freedom, equality, and participation in decision making.
• Under colonial rule, the people had lived in fear of the British government and did not agree with many of the decisions that they took. But they faced grave danger if they tried to criticize these decisions. The freedom movement changed this situation. 
• The nationalists began to openly criticize the British government and make demands. As far back as 1885, the Indian National Congress demanded that there be elected members in the legislature with a right to discuss the budget and ask questions. 
• The Government of India Act 1909, allowed for some elected representation. The dreams and aspirations of the freedom struggle were made concrete in the Constitution of independent India that laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, i.e. that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

People and their Representatives

Elected Members at the First Constituent Assembly

• The take-off point for democracy is the idea of consent, i.e. the desire, approval, and participation of people. It is the decision of people that create a democratic government and decides about its functioning. 
• The basic idea in this kind of democracy is that the individual or the citizen is the most important person and that in the principle, as well as other public institutions, needs to have the trust of these citizens.
• People elect their representatives to the Parliament, one group from among these elected representatives forms the government. The Parliament, which is made up of all representatives together, controls and guides the government. In this sense, people, through their chosen representatives, form the government and also control it.