UNION OF STATES.
#Unionanditsterritories Article 1 describes India, that is, Bharat as a ‘
Union of States’ rather than a ‘
Federation of States’.
This provision deals with two
things: one,
name of the country; and two,
type of polity. There was no unanimity in the Constituent Assembly with regard to the name of the country.
Some members suggested the
traditional name (Bharat), while other advocated the
modern name (India). Hence, the Constituent Assembly had to adopt a
mix of both (‘India, that is, Bharat’)
Secondly, the country is described as ‘
Union’ although its
Constitution is federal in structure.
According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the phrase ‘
Union of States’ has been preferred to ‘
Federation of States’ for two reasons:
• one, the Indian Federation is
not the result of an agreement among the states like the American Federation;
• and two, the
states have no right to secede from the federation. The federation is an Union because it is indestructible.
