In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Mark your answer as per the codes provided:
Assertion (A): The Constitution has described India as a 'Union of States', and not a Federation.
Reason (R): Indian polity is a result of an agreement between States to form an indestructible Union.
Which of the options given below is/are correct?
- A(A) is false, while (R) is true
- BBoth (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation for (A)
- C(A) is true, while (R) is false
- DBoth (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation for (A)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (c) (A) is true, while (R) is false
Explanation
(A) is true and (R) is false.
Article 1 describes India as a "Union of States", not a federation. Dr B. R. Ambedkar explained the choice of words in the Constituent Assembly:
- the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the states, as the American federation is;
- so no state has the right to secede from it.
The Union is indestructible, but the states are not: Parliament can change their areas, boundaries and names (Article 3). India is therefore called "an indestructible Union of destructible states".