Question 4 - Past Year Questions - 5 Marks - Chapter 2 Class 10 Political Science - Federalism - Political Science

What challenges did centre-state relations in India face before the 1990s? Why is power sharing between centre and state more effective today?

Answer:

Points to Remember

-lock-

Centre-State Relations before the 1990s-

1. No autonomous federal state units.
2. Parties ruling at the Centre undermined State power .
3. Misuse of the constitution to dismiss State govt.

Center-state Relations after 1990-

1. Emergence of regional political parties.
2. Era of a coalition government .
3. Respect for State autonomy.

Answer to be written in exam 

Challenges in Centre-State Relations before the 1990s -

1. The same party held power at the Center and in the majority of the States for a very long time. As a result, the State governments were not able to exercise their authority as independent federal entities.
   
   
2. The parties in control at the Centre attempted to weaken the States' authority whenever the party in power at the State level changed.
   
   
3. The Central Government would frequently misuse the Constitution back then to overthrow State governments that were governed by competing parties. The principles of federalism were thus undermined.

Centre-State Relations after the 1990s - 

1. In various states around the nation, the decade after the 1990s saw the emergence of regional political parties.
   
   
2. At the Centre, this marked the start of the era of Coalition Governments - The major national parties had to create an alliance with numerous parties, including a number of regional parties, to establish a government at the Centre because no single party received a clear majority in the Lok Sabha.
   
   
3. A new culture of power sharing and respect for the independence of State Governments resulted from this.

-endlock-