Page – 11
Q. What would have happened if India was not a
democracy? Could we have stayed a single nation?
Ans. The answers to this question can be different for different
people but we can see the merits of democracy to answer such
questions.
An important argument in favour of democracy is, “Democracy
provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts.”
India is the most diverse country in the world with different religions,
languages, cultures and ethnicity etc. Such a great diversity
generates conflicts and chaos. Democracy is considered the best
form of government in resolving such conflicts through dialogues
and discussions by giving all the right to express their opinions.
Everyone is given a say in democracy.
The dignity of every citizen is maintained in a democracy.
Democracy allows to correct its own mistakes.
The above points help in concluding that for India, Democracy is the
best form of government in keeping it together as a single nation by
accommodating religious, linguistic, social and ethnic diversities. .
Page – 12
Q. This cartoon was published in Canada just before
its Parliamentary elections of 2005. Everyone, including
the cartoonist, expected the Liberal Party to win once
again. When the result came, the Liberal Party lost the
elections. In this cartoon an argument against democracy
or for democracy?
Answer: The cartoon is mostly in favour of democracy.
democracy gives the freedom to judge your rulers and change them
if you desire so. The cartoon shows how the cartoonist is examining
critically the tenure of the Liberal Party. Ultimately, it is he himself
who decides to bring the Liberal party back to power. We can
question his decision by a voter is free to vote.
Page – 13
Q. This famous cartoon by RK Laxman comments on
the celebrations of the fifty years of independence.
Democracy Cartoons-8, NCERT Class 9 Civics
(i) How many images on the wall do you recognise?
(ii) Do many common people feel the way the common
man in this cartoon does?
Answers
(i) The images are of the 12 Prime Ministers of India.
1. Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Lal Bahadur Shastri
3. Gulzari Lal Nandu
4. Morarji Desai
5. Choudhary Charan Singh
6. Indira Gandhi
7. Rajiv Gandhi
8. VP Singh
9. Chandra Shekhar
10. Narasimhan Rao
11. Devegowda and
12. A B Vajpayee
(ii) Yes, many common men feel the way the cartoon is showing. He
is holding the flag of India but indifferently sleeps before the TV
programme telecast on the occasion of 50 years of Independence.
The big words like industrial growth, secularism, democracy,
economic progress do not attract him. The slogans of poverty
alleviation, safe drinking water, food and shelter appear fake for a
common man because he feels cheated when finds his own
condition not changed much since independence.
Such programmes more are formal than mass oriented.
Working of The Institutions: Cartoons
Intext Questions and Cartoon Explanations
Page – 58
Working of the instructions Class 9 Civics
Q. Is every office memorandum a major
political decision? If not, what made this one
different?
Answer: No, every office memorandum is not a major political
decision. Most of them are routine in nature. This office
memorandum relating to reservation for the Socially and
Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in government services.
It was different because it affected all the sections of society, the
SEBC’s in a positive way and the other classes in a negative way.
This reservation issue was a major source of controversy for several
years and led to many agitations and court cases.
Q. Which points, other than the ones
mentioned above, do you recall about these
institutions from the previous class? Discuss in
class.
Ans. An example of a major decision is given here. There have been
many others. A major decision taken by the Uttar Pradesh State
Government in 2008 was not to allow the Reliance Group to open
their retail shops selling vegetables and fruits in the states, as it
would harm the interests of the small traders selling these items.
This order was approved by the Council of Ministers and the order
was promulgated by the Governor. Since it did not involve finances,
it was not raised in the State Assembly. The courts were in no way
involved, as it did not have any Constitutional implications.
Q. Can you think of a major decision made by
your State Government? How were the
Governor, the Council of Ministers the State
Assembly and the courts involved in that
decision?
Ans, In the Lok Sabha elections of 1989, the Janata Dal Party in its
election manifesto promised that if voted to power it would
implement the Mandal Commission Report. With this announcement
Mandalisation of politics took place and voting was influenced by the
Mandal Commission Report.
Page – 59
Q. Reservation debate was such an important issue during 1990-91
that advertiser used this theme to sell their products. Can you spot
some references to political events and debates in these Amul
Butter hoardings?
Answer: Reference to political events and debates are given below.
‘No reservation for this quota’ – refers to situation prior to
reservation i.e. availability of seats to all.
‘Amul the riot taste” – refers to the riots which took place after the
reservation quota was made into a law.
“Reserved for this Outstanding Butter Classic” – refers to the
after-reservation situation i.e. availability of seats not free for all
but now some of them stad reserved for OBC.
The Initial Yellow coloured letters ‘O, B, C‘ – refer to the
reservation allocation to Other Backward Classes.
Page – 60
Q. Who did what in this case of reservations for
backward classes?
Answer
Supreme Court Upheld reservations as valid
Cabinet Took the decision to give 27 % job reservations
President Made formal announcement about this
decision
Government Officials Implemented the decision by issuing an order
Q. Which institutions are at work in the running
of your school? Would it be better if one person
alone took all the decisions regarding
management of your school?
Answer The Principal’s office is the main decision-making institution
in running of a school. The other different departments like sports
department, music, library and teaching faculty act as the other
important institutions of the school which perform different functions
of the school.
No, it would not be good if one person takes all the decisions
regarding the management of our school because it is not possible
for one person to take proper decisions on all issues. All ideas do not
come in a single mind. Personal fancies and weakness may hamper
the suitable decisions. Implications and the resulting effects must be
foreseen before taking any decision. It is better that few others are
also involved including the stake holders before arriving at any
decisions.
Page – 62
Q. What is the point of having so much debate
and discussion in the Parliament when we
know that the view of the ruling party is going
to prevail?
Ans. Though, the view of the ruling party prevails in Parliament,
even then we should have debates and discussions because this
helps to bring out the positive and negative points of the issue
under consideration. The positive aspects might be adopted by the
ruling party, and similarly negative aspects could be omitted even if
the entire bill is not changed.
Also, it is not certain that the ruling party is not open to ideas, and
discussions might influence the ruling party to adopt new ideas.
Q. When the Parliament is in session, there is a
special programme every day on Doordarshan
about the proceedings in Lok Sabha and Rajya
Sabha. Watch the proceedings or read about
them in the newspapers and note the following
(a) Powers of the two Houses of Parliament.
(b) Role of the Speaker.
(c) Role of the Opposition.
Answer
(a) Powers of the Two Houses of Parliament:
Lok Sabha: It is regularly constituted after elections. The Members
of this House are directly elected by the voters and so are the final
voice in the passing of any laws. Lok Sabha is supreme in finance
related matters and a government proves majority in this house.
The Rajya Sabha: The members are indirectly elected or
nominated and they function mostly in an advisory capacity. But the
consent of both Houses is required for passing any Bill, making a
law, or making amendments to the Constitution. It is a permanent
House i.e. it does not dissolve itself.
(b) Role of the Speaker (Lok Sabha)
Regulate the proceedings of the House.
Maintain discipline in the House.
Supervise Parliamentary Committees.
Perform administrative duties like receiving documents, receiving
petitions, etc which are addressed to the House.
Exercise powers under the anti-defection law.
Exercise other powers as given in the Constitution.
(c) Role of the Opposition The major function of the opposition is
to act as a check on the ruling party so that any faults of theirs are
exposed and any mistakes made by the ruling party are corrected.
They can even bring a no-confidence motion against the
government if it is seen to be not functioning properly.
Page – 65
Q. The race to become minister is not new.
Here is a cartoon depicting ministerial
aspirants waiting to get a berth in Nehru’s
Cabinet after the 1962 elections. Why do you
think political leaders are so keen to become
ministers?
Answer: Political leaders are keen to become ministers for the
following reasons
They want to fulfil the promises made to the electorate at the
time of elections. In this way, at the time of the next election, they
will be in a favourable position to win again.
Becoming a minister gives them many additional powers which
they would not have if they were only MPs.
They can fulfil their ambitions and also help many of their family
members, associates and friends by sanctioning various schemes
which give benefit to them.
Page – 66
Q. Do you think similar cartoons could be
drawn about other prime ministers who
followed her?
Ans. Such similar cartoons could not be drawn for other prime
ministers that came after Indira Gandhi. It is so because Indira
Gandhi was a dominant personality in Indian politics with powerful
control over her cabinet. She could easily overshadow others in the
Cabinet. it happens mostly when a party is dependent mostly on the
persona of a person. Indira Gandhi was such a personality.
Q. List the names of five Cabinet Ministers and
their ministries each at the Union level and in
your state.
Answer Names of five Cabinet Ministers and their ministries at the
Union level are given below
Name Ministeries
Narendra Modi Many ministries which are not allocated to other
misters
Rajnath Singh Defence
Amit Shah Home affairs
Nirmala Finance
Sitaraman
Railways
Names of five Cabinet Ministers and their ministries at the state
level in Uttar Pradesh are given below:
Name Ministries
Adityanath Those which have not been allotted to other
ministers
Mohammad Urban Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Minority
Azam Khan Affairs, Urban Poverty Alleviation
Shivpal Yadav Public Works and Irrigation
Ahmed Hasan Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child
Welfare
Dr Waqar Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child
Ahmed Shah Welfare Labour
Q. Meet the Mayor or Municipal Chairperson of
your town or the President of Zila Parishad of
your district and ask him or her about how the
city, town or district is administered.
Do it yourself
Page – 67
Q. Why does the book refer to the President as
‘she? Have we ever had a woman President in
our country?
Answer: The book refers to the President as she to show that the
highest office in India can also be occupied by a woman.
Yes, we have had a woman President in our country. Pratibha Patil
has been the only woman President of our country.
Q. Did you protest when the book referred to
the Prime Minister as he? Have we not had a
woman Prime Minister? Why should we assume
that all the important positions are held by
men?
Answer: No, I did not protest, when the book referred to the Prime
Minister as he because at present we have a male person as a Prime
[Link] we are referring to the post in general, we can use
her/him simultaneously to show that the said post can be occupied
by either males or females.
Yes, we should not assume that all important positions are held by
men, women too occupy high positions but that is an exception and
not the rule, generally speaking in most of the cases important
positions are indeed occupied by men. There is a need to increase
the participation of women in politics by providing them at least
1/3rd reservation in the State Assemblies and Parliament.
Page – 68
Q. What is better for a democracy: a Prime
Minister who can do whatever he wishes or a
Prime Minister who needs to consult other
leaders and parties?
Answer: Both the extreme cases, one in which the Prime Minister
can do whatever he wishes and the second case in which the Prime
Minister has to consult other leaders and parties are not totally
correct. If a Prime Minister is free to do as he wishes, there is a
possibility that he might develop authoritarian or dictatorial
tendencies.
On the other hand, if all the time he has to consult other leaders and
parties it would hamper working of the Prime Minister and the
government’s functioning. Therefore, he should have freedom of
taking decisions but be should also seek the consultation of other
leaders and parties on important issues.
Q. Eliamma, Annakutti and Marymol read the
section on the President. Each of them had a
question. Can you help them in answering
these questions?
(a) Eliamma: What happens if the President and the Prime Minister
disagree about some policy? Does the view of the Prime Minister
always prevail?
(b) Annakutti: I find it funny that the President is the Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces. I doubt if the President can even
lift a heavy gun. What is the point in making the President the
Commander?
(c) Marymol: I would say, what is the point in having a President at
all if all the real powers are with the Prime Minister?
Answers
(a) Answer to Eliamma: The Prime Minister’s view prevails.
However, if the President does not agree to some Bill sent for
approval, she is empowered to send it back for reconsideration to
the Parliament, giving the reasons for doing so. Now, if the
Parliament approves it once again, the President cannot stop the
Bill. She will now have to approve it.
(b) Answer to Annakutti: The Supreme Commander is the one,
who gives the orders to fight a war. A commander is not always
required to use firearms; only she should have the wisdom (usually
after consultation with the senior members of the government and
armed forces) to issue the necessary orders.
(c) Answer to Marymol: – The President is a symbol of the power
of the country. The President is required to take decisions on
appointing the Prime Minister, who must have majority support. The
President has many other functions like appointing Governors of
States representing India as Head of State, etc.
Page – 69
Q. It is quite common in the USA for judges to
be nominated on the basis of well-known
political opinions and affiliations. This fictitious
advertisement appeared in the USA in 2005
when President Bush was considering various
candidates for nomination to the Supreme
Court.
(a) What does cartoon say about the
independence of the judiciary?
(b) Why do such cartoons not appear in our
country?
(c) Does this demonstrate the independence of
our judiciary?
Answers
(a) It shows that in the USA, the Judiciary is not considered to be
independent, in the eyes of the people. It voices the feeling that
justices of the Supreme Court there are appointed on their being
supportive of the President. Their qualifications and experience are
not so much important for their appointment to the US Supreme
Court.
(b) Such cartoons do not appear in India because
The appointment of justices to the Supreme Court is by a specified
procedure which is transparent and does not favour anybody
having sympathies with the government.
Indian judiciary is considered to be among one of the most
independent judiciaries in the world.
Judges normally do not speak in favour of or against any politician
either of the ruling party or the opposition.
(c) Yes, this definitely demonstrates that our judiciary is
independent.
Page – 70
Q. Why are people allowed to go to courts
against the government’s decisions?
Answer Sometimes, the actions of the government or a law passed
by the government might hurt the public interest or might be
against the spirit of the Constitution. In such cases, citizens have the
right to go to court to get justice. Such cases are called Public
Interest Litigations. (PILS)
• In case of violation of Fundamental Rights by the government, the
citizen can go to the courts for justice.
• The Right to Constitutional Remedies provides that if the
Fundamental Rights are violated, the citizen can go to court to seek
a remedy.
Q. Give one reason each to argue that Indian
judiciary is independent with respect to
(a)Appointment of judges.
(b)Removal of judges.
(c)Powers of the judiciary.
Answers
(a) Appointment of Judges The judges of the Supreme Court and
the High Courts are appointed by the President on the
recommendation of the Prime Minister and in Consultation with the
Chief Justice of India. In actual practice, the senior judges of the
Supreme Court select new judges for the Supreme Court as well as
for the High Courts. Here seniority and merit are the main
considerations with hardly any scope for manipulation by anybody.
(b) Removal of Judges The procedure of removal of judges of the
Supreme Court and High Courts is very difficult to actually carry out.
They can be removed only on the basis of an impeachment motion
passed by two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament
separately. So removal of judges cannot be Done arbitrarily.
(c) Powers of the Judiciary The powers are clearly spelt out in the
Constitution and they cannot be diluted by Parliament or by any
Presidential order. So no politician can reduce or increase their
powers. The Supreme Court has the power to declare illegal any law
made by Parliament if it goes against the Constitution.
