“The familiarity with political institutions of the colonial rule helped to develop an agreement over the institutional design.” Justify the statement.

The familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule helped to develop an agreement over the institutional design in the following ways.

A. The British rule gave voting rights to only a few. Later Election Commission was set up and voting rights were granted to all.

B. Elections were held in 1937 to Provincial Legislatures and Ministries were formed all over British India. The experience gained by Indians in the working of these institutions proved to be very useful for the country in setting up its own institutions and working in them.

C. The Indian Constitution adopted many institutional details and procedures from colonial laws like the Government of India Act, 1935.

D. The ideals of the French Revolution, the practice of Parliamentary democracy in Britain and Bill of Rights in the US inspired us to set up fundamental rights and duties.

F. The political institutions of the colonial rule are not just copied. They are questioned at every step to suit our nation’s conditions and set-up. In a way they serve as a blueprint for setting up our institutions.