History of Indian Parliament (Set of 2 Volumes)

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Parliament's pivotal position in India's democratic polity is not only a matter of fundamental principle in constitutional theory but it is also a well-established fact in our political life. As a microcosm of the nation, Parliament has consistently reflected the feelings, hopes, aspirations and even weaknesses and frustrations of the people of India. It is, above all, their supreme representative institution. notwithstanding all its shortcomings and failures.

During the nearly six decades of the operation of the Constitution, the resilience and relevance of the Institution of Parliament has been amply proved. Notwithstanding temporary aberrations, decline in the standards of debate and conduct of members, In times of crises like foreign aggressions, internal disturbances, etc. Parliament has stood Its own and retained its identity and legitimacy. This is an honest attempt to objectively trace and authoritatively narrate the Interesting story of the origin and growth of representative parliamentary institutions in India and present a comprehensive history of the Parliament of India covering the various stages of its growth in all their Such a gigantic undertaking called for sustained and extensive research and digging out, collection and collation of a lot of data and Information.

In a parliamentary polity, history of the nation is very largely shaped in the houses of Its Parliament and to that extent, the history of Parliament is bound to encompass much of the history of the nation. Inasmuch as this is the only work on the history of our Parliament. It is hoped that it would fill a vold and would be widely welcomed.

Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap is an advocate and a well-known expert In constitutional law, parliamentary affairs and political management. A former Secretary-General of Lok Sabha, Dr. Kashyap was a close witness to the functioning of Parliament from the times of the first Lok Sabha of Nehru and Mavalankar. He headed an International organisation (CIDP, IPU) at Geneva. Earller, he was for several years, Director of the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, Honorary Constitutional Advisor to the Government of India on Panchayat Raj laws and institutions, etc. Recipient of several awards for his contribution to the field of law and political science. Dr. Kashyap was awarded the Nehru Fellowship for 1996-98. Currently, Dr. Kashyap is an Honorary Research Professor at the Centre for Policy Research. He has published more than 500 research papers and articles and over 100 books including the two-volume Constitutional Law of India (2008), and the Treatise on Parliamentary Procedure. Dr. Kashyap also served as a member of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution and as Chairman of its Drafting & Editorial Committee.

National Legislatures with whatever name called are the primary and the supreme fora where the history of democratic nations gets made and takes shape. Life of legislative institutions has therefore fascinated historians, political scientists, sociologists, parliamentarians and others the world over Attempts have been made to record not only their obscure origins and gradual growth in a historical perspective but also to analyse their transformation in the matter of their practices, composition, functions, role, representative and sovereign character etc. Parliament's pivotal position in India's democratic polity is not only a matter of fundamental principle in constitutional theory but it is also a well-established fact in our political life. As a microcoum of the nation, Parliament has consistently reflected the feelings, hopes, aspirations and even weaknesses and frustrations of the people of India. It is, above all, their supreme representative institution, notwithstanding all its shortcomings and failures. While many outstanding works are available on the histories of foreign Parliaments-some of them running into several volumes-unfortunately, till recently no serious effort was made by any scholar or institution to collect and analyse the record, shift the data and present an authentic and complete history of the Parliament of India from its earliest beginnings to its present. Although there were some works from a legal or constitutional angle or in the nature of case studies devoted to the analysis and assessment of the various Reform Acts brought about during the colonial period under pressure of the Indian public opinion, it could not be over-emphasised that constitutional history is not parliamentary history. There was, therefore enough justification for undertaking a definitive study of the origin and growth of parliamentary institutions in India and in particular of the functioning of the Parliament, bringing out clearly at every stage the elements of continuity and change. A serious effort in this direction was made by me when during the years 1990-2000, I wrote and published with a Foreword from the then President of India, the six-volume History of Parliament of India. The present work is an abridged and updated edition meant for wider circulation.

During the nearly six decades of the operation of the Constitution, the resilience and relevance of the institution of Parliament has been amply proved. Notwithstanding temporary aberrations, decline in the standards of debate and conduct of members, in times of crises like foreign aggressions,internal disturbances, etc. Parliament has stood its own and retained its identity and legitimacy This is an honest attempt to objectively trace and authoritatively narrate the interesting story of the origin and growth of representative parliamentary institutions in India and present a comprehensive history of the Parliament of India covering the various stages of its growth in all their ramifications. Such a gigantic undertaking called for sustained and extensive research and digging out, collection and collation of a lot of data and information.

At a time when the constitutional edifice appears to be in shambles, the political system itself is threatened and many well-meaning people are increasingly attributing the source of our failures on various fronts to the structure and spirit of the Constitution and are talking of an urgent need fo systemic reforms, it is of the greatest relevance to try to analyses and understand the vision of the founding fathers, their perception of the aims and objectives of the Constitution, what did they wi or hope to achieve through the Constitution, how did they visualize the future of the Indian nation bow did the Constituent Assembly come into being, etc It is hoped this work would help this process. Separate space is devoted to the as-yet-unchartered field of the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) which was free India's first law-making body. It was a body different from the Constituent Assembly While the latter was a constitution-making body, the former was for law-making only This body which sat from 1947 to 1949 had many historic achievements to its credit. Some far reaching laws were passed, Rules of Procedure adopted, rulings given and precedents for future guidance established. The chapters that follow cover the life and work of the Provisional Parliament (1950-1952), the first to the thirteenth Lok Sabha (1952-2004) an what has gone of the present fourteenth Lok Sabha (2004-2007). It is an intresting saga of the begnings of representative institutions in India to the framing of the Constitution, laying the foundations of modern parliamentary democracy, the Golden Era, periods of transition and turbulence, the Emergency, triumph and tragedy, initiatives and achievements, changing canvas, content and culture, and the rise and fall of our parliamentary institutions. The narrative and analysis here are largely confined to Lok Sabha as it was proposed to cover the entire histroy of Rajya Sabha in a separate Volume. sources like the Lok Sabha Debates, Parliamentray Commitee reports, Journal of Parliamentray Information. Lok Sabha Souvenirs and other publications of the Secratariat Also, I have made extensive use of my notes taken contemporariously as also of some of my writings published earlier take full responsibility for any shortcomings that the readers may find. However, if they find the book in anyway useful, their thanks should go to my Savita and family and the several institutions and individuals too numerous to be named, without whose help and cooperation, this work could not have been completed. In a parliamentray polity, history of the nation is very largely shaped in the houses of its of the history. Parliament and to that extent, the history of Parliament is bound to encompass much of the nation. Inasmuch as this is the only work on the history of our Parliament, it is hoped that it would fill a void and would be widely welcomed.

**Contents and Sample Pages**