The Westminster Model' adopted in the Indian Constitution is related to

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The "Westminster Model" is fundamentally related to the **Parliamentary System** of government, and India explicitly adopted this model. This system originated in the United Kingdom, where the Parliament is located in the Palace of Westminster. Key features of this model, all present in the Indian Constitution, include the fusion of the legislative and executive powers, the head of government (Prime Minister) being different from the head of state (President, mirroring the UK's monarch), and the principle of collective responsibility of the executive (Council of Ministers) to the lower house of the legislature (Lok Sabha). The Indian Constitution's provisions for the cabinet government, the role of the Prime Minister as the real executive, and the dissolution of the lower house are all directly derived from the conventions of the Westminster system. The Constituent Assembly chose this model because it was familiar, having been governed under a similar framework during the British rule, and because it was believed to ensure greater responsibility of the executive to the legislature.

The incorrect option is 2: Republicanism

Republicanism refers to a state in which the head of state is elected and not a hereditary monarch, meaning the sovereignty resides in the people. India is a republic, as its head of state (the President) is indirectly elected. However, the Westminster Model specifically refers to the structure of the relationship between the executive and the legislature (the Parliamentary nature), not the nature of the head of state (Republicanism vs. Monarchy). While India is both a Parliamentary democracy and a Republic, the Westminster Model *itself* defines the **parliamentary** nature of the government, not the republican nature of the state's head. The UK is the original home of the Westminster model but is a constitutional monarchy, demonstrating that the model can exist without being a republic.

The incorrect option is 3: Federalism

Federalism refers to the distribution of power between the central government and the regional/state governments. India has a federal system with a strong unitary bias. The term "Westminster Model," however, is a concept focusing on the operation of the central government, particularly the executive's accountability to the legislature, and not the division of powers among different territorial levels of government. Canada, which is a federation, also follows the Westminster model, but the model itself does not define the federal distribution of power; it defines the executive-legislative relationship. Therefore, while India is a federal state, the term 'Westminster Model' does not primarily relate to this feature of its Constitution.

The incorrect option is 4: Secularism

Secularism, as enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, means the state maintains a principled distance from all religions and supports all religions equally. This is a characteristic of the Indian state's commitment to religious neutrality and equality. The Westminster Model, in contrast, is an institutional framework describing the structure and mechanics of the government (the executive and legislative relationship). Although Britain has a state religion (Church of England), the adoption of the Westminster framework by India was entirely separate from its commitment to secularism. One is a procedural model of government, and the other is a substantive goal regarding the state's interaction with religion.