Concepts of Sovereignty, Socialism, Secularism, Democracy and Republic

At a Glance

• What it is The five terms that the Preamble uses to describe the Indian State: sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic and republic
• Sovereign Neither a dependency nor a dominion of any other nation; no authority above the State
• Socialist and Secular Added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976
• Democratic Based on popular sovereignty; India has a representative parliamentary democracy
• Republic An elected head of state, the President, elected indirectly for five years
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Basic Concepts

Where Does It Fit?

The earlier topics of this category dealt with kinds of constitutions and with federal and unitary features. This topic explains five concepts that describe the nature of the Indian State. They come from the Preamble, which declares India to be a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic”. The ideas that sit beside them, rule of law, separation of powers and judicial review, follow in the next topics.

What Do the Five Terms Mean?

What Does Sovereign Mean?

The word sovereign implies that India is neither a dependency nor a dominion of any other nation, but an independent state. There is no authority above it, and it is free to conduct its own affairs, both internal and external.

Till the passage of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, India was a dependency (colony) of the British Empire. From 15 August 1947 to 26 January 1950, India’s political status was that of a dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations. India ceased to be a British dominion on 26 January 1950, by declaring herself a sovereign republic.

In 1949, India declared the continuation of her full membership of the Commonwealth of Nations and accepted the British Crown as the head of the Commonwealth. This extra-constitutional declaration does not affect India’s sovereignty in any manner. India’s membership of the United Nations Organisation also does not limit her sovereignty. To dispel the fears of some members of the Constituent Assembly, Pandit Nehru said in 1949 that the association of the Commonwealth is “an agreement by free will, to be terminated by free will”.

Being a sovereign state, India can either acquire a foreign territory or cede a part of its territory in favour of a foreign state.

What Does Socialist Mean?

The term socialist was added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. Even before that, the Constitution had a socialist content in the form of certain Directive Principles of State Policy. What was implicit in the Constitution has now been made explicit. The Congress party had also adopted a resolution in its Avadi session in 1955 to establish a “socialistic pattern of society”.

The Indian brand of socialism is a democratic socialism and not a communistic socialism (also known as state socialism), which involves the nationalisation of all means of production and distribution and the abolition of private property. Democratic socialism holds faith in a mixed economy, where the public and private sectors co-exist side by side. As the Supreme Court says, democratic socialism aims to end poverty, ignorance, disease and inequality of opportunity. Indian socialism is a blend of Marxism and Gandhism, leaning heavily towards Gandhian socialism.

The Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, said, “We have always said that we have our own brand of socialism. We will nationalise the sectors where we feel the necessity. Just nationalisation is not our type of socialism.” The new Economic Policy of 1991, with its liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, has diluted the socialist credentials of the Indian State.

What Does Secular Mean?

The term secular was also added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976. The Supreme Court had said in 1974 that although the words “secular state” were not expressly mentioned in the Constitution, there could be no doubt that the Constitution-makers wanted to establish such a state. Articles 25 to 28, which guarantee the fundamental right to freedom of religion, were included for that purpose.

The Indian Constitution embodies the positive concept of secularism: all religions in the country, irrespective of their strength, have the same status and support from the State.

On the basis of the attitude of the State towards religion, three types of states can be conceived of.

The then Union Law Minister, H.R. Gokhale, said that the State will not have anything to do, as a state, with any religion except to treat every religion equally. P.B. Gajendragadkar, a former Chief Justice of India, said that in the Indian Constitution “the State does not owe loyalty to any particular religion as such: it is not irreligious or anti-religious; it gives equal freedom to all religions”.

What Does Democratic Mean?

The word democracy comes from two Greek words, demos and kratia, meaning people and rule. A democratic polity, as stipulated in the Preamble, is based on the doctrine of popular sovereignty, that is, possession of supreme power by the people.

Democracy is of two types, direct and indirect. In direct democracy, the people exercise their supreme power directly, as in Switzerland. There are four devices of direct democracy.

In indirect democracy, also known as representative democracy, the representatives elected by the people exercise the supreme power, carry on the government and make the laws. It is of two kinds, parliamentary and presidential. The Indian Constitution provides for a representative parliamentary democracy, under which the executive is responsible to the legislature for all its policies and actions.

Universal adult franchise, periodic elections, rule of law, independence of the judiciary, and absence of discrimination on certain grounds are the manifestations of the democratic character of the Indian polity.

The term “democratic” is used in the Preamble in the broader sense, embracing not only political democracy but also social and economic democracy. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stressed this in his concluding speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949: “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.” Social democracy, he said, means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity, and these cannot be treated as separate items in a trinity.

What Does Republic Mean?

A democratic polity can be classified into two categories, monarchy and republic. In a monarchy, the head of the state (usually a king or queen) holds a hereditary position and comes to office through succession, as in Britain. In a republic, the head of the state is always elected, directly or indirectly, for a fixed period, as in the USA.

The term “republic” in the Preamble therefore indicates that India has an elected head, the President, who is elected indirectly for a fixed period of five years. A republic also means two more things: first, the vesting of political sovereignty in the people and not in a single individual like a king; second, the absence of any privileged class, and hence all public offices being open to every citizen without any discrimination.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Opening words of the Constitution: The five terms describe the Indian State in the Preamble, and every question on the Preamble returns to them.
• Statement-based questions: Which words were added in 1976, what kind of socialism and secularism India follows, and which devices belong to direct democracy are questions that can be asked directly from this topic.
• Foundation for later topics: Secularism, the Preamble, fundamental rights, the Directive Principles and the President’s election all build on these concepts.

What Came Next?

The next topics of this category take up the ideas that support a democratic republic in practice: the rule of law, the separation of powers and judicial review, and then the parliamentary and federal forms of government.

Key People and Terms

• Popular sovereignty Possession of supreme power by the people; the basis of a democratic polity
• Democratic socialism Belief in a mixed economy where the public and private sectors co-exist
• Positive secularism All religions have the same status and support from the State
• Referendum, Initiative, Recall, Plebiscite The four devices of direct democracy
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Stressed in 1949 that political democracy needs social democracy at its base
• 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 Added the words Socialist, Secular and Integrity to the Preamble

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions on these terms usually ask how India has understood each concept. Use these points to add depth.

• Sovereignty and the Commonwealth: India’s continued membership of the Commonwealth and of the United Nations does not limit its sovereignty.
• A distinctive socialism: India follows democratic socialism with a mixed economy, and the Prime Minister described it as “our own brand of socialism” in which nationalisation is not the only method.
• Dilution after 1991: The new Economic Policy of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation has diluted the socialist credentials of the State.
• Secularism by equal treatment: The positive concept gives all religions, irrespective of their strength, the same status and support from the State.
• Democracy beyond voting: Ambedkar held that political democracy cannot last without social democracy, a way of life that recognises liberty, equality and fraternity.