Federalism: An Idea Behind the Success of Indian Democracy

Abstract

India is the largest democracy with multireligious, multilingual, multiracial and multicultural country of the world. Its high complex and colourful social variety mosaic is clearly a discernible pattern, wherein sociocultural diversity draws its strength and sustenance from India’s composite culture and civilizational plunge. The present study introduces a conceptual distinction between diversity claims and equality claims in order to reflect critically on the relation between federalism and democracy in India. Since, one of the most pressing issues facing by Indian democracy is the politicization of ethno-cultural diversity. Meanwhile, the paper engages with the issue of accommodation of diversity in the wake of federation building and the relation between federalism and democracy in India. A large attempt has been made in the paper to answer the sensitive question as, ‘how far Indian federalism and decentralization contributed as well as succeeded in world’s largest democratic State to foster its cultural diversity?’ India’s federal experiment has undergone, over the past sixty six years, an attempt has been made in the next part of paper therefore to capture the defining features of this experience, the hesitations, mistakes and failures as well as the success of Indian federal system. Viewed from this position, the paper finally concludes with an argument that federalism in India can be understood as a constitutional model, which would not only tolerate diversity but also foster it as an additional value for which the Indian multicultural state stands.