Previous Year Question
The concept of ‘A Union of States in the Indian Constitution’ has been derived from:
The American Declaration of Independence
The Australian Constitution
The British North-American Act
The Swiss Constitution
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Article 1(1) of the Indian Constitution states that “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” India is therefore described as a Union of States rather than a Federation of States. During the Constituent Assembly debates, it was specifically noted that the Drafting Committee considered the language of the British North America Act, 1867 while adopting the expression Union for India.
The British North America Act, 1867 was the foundational statute of Canada's federal constitutional arrangement. It is now known as the Constitution Act, 1867; the official Canadian consolidation confirms that it was formerly called the British North America Act, 1867.
The word Union in the Indian context was not merely a matter of terminology. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar explained in the Constituent Assembly that the Indian federation was not the result of an agreement among the States and that the constituent States had no right to secede from the Union.
Thus, the useful association is “Union of States” → British North America Act, 1867 → Canada.