INSIGHTS MISSION 2018

STATIC TEST 11 SYNOPSIS

1.What is the First Past the Post System? Critically comment on the practice
with highlights on ways to make it better.
Answer:
First Past the Post system implies that the candidate who gets most votes than all other
candidates is declared winner and people vote essentially for a party member. All other votes
are disregarded. The person elected from the constituency is held accountable for the progress
of the region.
Merits:
1. It is simple and less complicated for illiterate masses as there is only one candidate
from a constituency unlike Proportional Representation system.
2. It ensures a stable government as voting is based on the merit of the candidates.
3. Candidates are linked with constituencies and therefore can easily reach out to the
people.
Demerits:
1. Smaller parties that have a presence throughout the country but lack a strong hold in
constituencies are penalized.
2. The system in particular does not ensure stable government as India has seen mixed
results through this system.
3. Slight changes in vote share can cause dramatic change in the vote share and there is
wastage of votes.
4. Expenditure is higher on elections.
Suggested Reforms:
The Alternative Vote (AV) can be a solution to address wastage of votes. The voter has the
chance to rank the candidates in order of preference. The voter puts a '1' by their first choice a
'2' by their second choice, and so on, until they do not have to express any further preferences
or run out of candidates. Candidates are elected outright if they gain more than half of the first
preference votes. If not, the candidate who lost (the one with least first preferences) is
eliminated and their votes are redistributed according to the second (or next available)
preference marked on the ballot paper.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
1
Adopting a mix of Proportional Representation and First Past the Post system might help to
address these issues, as the Indian population is not fully literate and aware yet to completely
switch to a different system. Reserving a certain percentage of total seats in Parliament
through Proportional Representation might ensure better representation of candidates in the
legislature.

2. Politicization of Criminals and Criminalization of Politics plague the Indian

electoral process. Comment.
Answer:
India is going through a crisis of quality, fairness and empathy amongst all the chosen MPs or
MLAs. There is a serious question lying over the fairness of electoral procedure followed and an
even greater concern lies in the kind of people who are entering the polity of India. There is
alarmingly high number of people with criminal background entering and polluting Indian
polity.
The main reason for criminals entering politics is because of the petty interests of the political
parties. These criminals have all sort of power, money, resources, which help a party, win over
other parties. The problem, which arises out of criminalization, is that once a criminal
becomes a politician, the police, who should keep him under check and investigate his crimes,
become his protector.
A person who doesn’t even know about the law or the politics is given the right to vote as
he/she attains 18 years of age. These people can easily be influenced by power or money,
which further leads to increasing number of criminals in politics enjoying local support.
Criminalization of politics is a huge issue that needs to be resolved. The members of the
legislature are expected to fulfill the aspirations and concerns of the people whom they
represent. Hence it is important for the legislature of a representative democracy to be a true
reflection of the people and also to be fair, honest and accountable to them.

3. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is expected to politically neutral while not being
apolitical. Comment.
Answer:

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
2
The Speaker is the member of the Lok Sabha and also its Presiding Officer at the same time. It
is the Speaker's task to ensure that decorum of the Parliament is maintained under all
circumstances. He/she is expected to voluntarily quit the party membership after being
elected as Speaker, and avail the benefit of exemption from disqualification guaranteed by the
Constitution. Paragraph 5 of the 10th Schedule, even as it aims at curbing defection, gives
meaning and substance to the convention that the Speakers must be politically neutral while
performing his/her duties. He/she is expected to exercise a casting vote in the case of equality
of votes, under Article 100. Even here, he/she is expected as per convention, to vote for status
quo, rather than for change, notwithstanding whether the vote would be in favour of his/her
party or not.
The Speaker is considered the guardian of the rights and privileges of the House, its
Committees and members. It is through the Speaker that the decisions of the House are
communicated to outside individuals and authorities. He/she decides the form and manner in
which the proceedings of the House are published. He/she issues warrant to execute the
orders of the House, wherever necessary, and delivers reprimands on behalf of the House.
The entire Lok Sabha is under the authority of the Speaker.
Therefore, Lok Sabha Speaker is expected to be politically neutral while not being apolitical.

4. Disqualification provisions for Member of Parliament suffer from lack of will,

enforceability deficit, and impartial enquiry. Comment.
Answer:
Article 102 and 191 of the Indian Constitution deal with the provision regarding the
disqualification for membership of the Parliament or State Legislative Assembly. The
Representation of the People Act, 1951 was also enacted by the Parliament of India to provide
for the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the two Houses.
Dilution of Office of Profit Clause has been seen in multiple cases where persons holding
important political position and office of profit simultaneously are exempted from
disqualification by passing a law that specifically protect them from disqualification.
One of the most controversial sections of RPA 1951, is Section 8, which lays down the grounds
for disqualification of political criminals on the grounds of conviction. This section is divided
into 4 sub-sections wherein the first three sections state that if a person is convicted for more
than 2 years for the crimes mentioned in these sections, he/she would stand disqualified for
the period of six years from the date of conviction to contest elections.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
3
But, with the inclusion Section 8(4) in this Act, the MPs and MLAs have got a protective shield
to continue on their posts, provided they had appealed or filed an application for revision
against their conviction in higher courts within three months from the date of conviction.
Sub-section 4 of Section 8 of the Act, 1951 is an exception carved out from sub-sections (1), (2)
and (3). In 2013, Section 8(4) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 was declared
unconstitutional being beyond the legislative competence of the Parliament due to public
pressure and many MPs were found guilty as well.
Thus, law always protects the purity of electoral process. But it is equally important that the
public, police and judiciary remain vigilant and prepared for an impartial enquiry. If they come
to know of any unfair practices, the matter must be reported as no law can be implemented in
true letter and spirit unless there is a strong will behind it.

5.Televised national debates can address major roadblocks to an informed

electorate. Comment.
Answer:
Televised national debates are one of the top sources of information for voters, according to
analysis and TV ratings. They can have a profound effect upon the result of the election. For
many, these debates are what they rely upon to decide upon which candidate will receive their
vote.
Several reasons account for the preeminence of television debates:
1.These debates can reach a much wider audience than other standard forms of electoral
communication.
2.They provide the electorate with an understanding, however imperfect or incomplete, of
how the candidates differ on key campaign issues.
3.The debates allow voters to judge the temperament, knowledge, communication skills, and
personalities of the candidates.
4.They increase political interest in the campaign, and therefore may excite uninterested
citizens so that they will actually vote on Election Day. They reinforce existing candidate
preferences for most voters.
Thus, voters actually learn more (particularly about issues) from these debates than they do
from television news.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
4
6. Write a short note on the contribution of Amir Khusrau to Persian literature.
Answer:
Amir Khusrau (1252-1325) was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian
subcontinent. He was a Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. It is
said that he composed ninety-nine works on different themes and numerous verses of poetry.
His poetry was written in different forms of lyric, ode, epic and elegy. His writing style
represents the first instance of Persian styles being composed in the Indian context, which was
known as the Sabaq-i-Hindi (the Indian style). Among the important works composed by him
are:
1. Mutla-ul-Anwar,
2. Shirin Khusrau,
3. Laila Majnun and
4. Ayina-I-Sikandari
These works were dedicated to Alauddin Khalji. Among his five Diwans (Ghazals) are Tuhfat-us-
Sighar, Baqiya Naqiya and Nihayat-ul-Kamal. He has written Ghazal, Qata, Rubai, Do Beti and
Tarkibhand. He also wrote masnavis (narrative poems), which have been of great historical and
literary value. Among these are:
1. Qiran-us Sa’dain,
2. Miftah-ul Futuh (dealing with the military success of Jalauddin Khalji),
3. Tughluq Nama (describing Ghiyasuddin Tughluq’s rise to power) and
4. Khazain-ul Futuh (giving an account of Alauddin Khalji’s conquest of the South).
Amir Khusrau was also a musician, scholar and poet. He wrote poetry not only in Persian, but
also in Hindavi. He is regarded as the “father of qawwali” (the devotional music of the Indian
Sufis. His contribution to the development of Persian literature is particularly significant.

7. Critically analyze the growth of Regional literature in Medieval India.

Answer:
Different trends emerged during the medieval period, which shaped the languages and dialects
across various regions in India. Apabhramaha languages had started developing into modern
Indian languages. One of the earliest works in an early form of Hindi was Prithviaraj Raso by

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
5
Chandbardai, which depicts the heroic deeds of Prithviraj Chauhan. There were two main
forms of Hindi in this period Bhojpuri and Awadhi. Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote Padmavat
in Awadhi. The famous Ramacharitamanas by Tulsidas was also written in Awadhi in this
period.
Modern Indian languages and literature saw a growing trend during the Delhi Sultanate period.
Forms of Hindi such as Braj Bhasha and khari Boli, were being used in literary compositions.
Many devotional songs were composed in these languages. The regional kingdoms provided a
great stimulus to regional languages and literature. The Sultans of Bengal, Gujarat and other
states patronized local languages and literature.
Bhakti saints preached in the language of the people. Many of them like Kabir, Mirabai etc
were great poets. The tradition of writing devotional songs began with Chaitanya. Narasinh
Mehta wrote devotional songs in Gujarati and Namdev and Eknath in Marathi. Under the
patronage of Zainul Abidin (Kashmir), Sanskrit works like the Mahabhatata and the Rajataringini
were translated into Persian.
Literature in the Dravidian languages also began flourishing. Pampa, Ponna and Ranna were
known as the three gems (ratnatraya) of the early Kannada literature. Kamban wrote the
Ramayanam in Tamil. Great hymns were composed by Alvars and Nayanars in Tamil. Telugu
language reached its peak during the Vijaynagara period.
One of the most important developments during the medieval period was the birth of Urdu
language, which soon developed one of the richest literatures in India. Urdu became peoples'
language in urban parts of northern India and the Deccan.
The growth of these regional languages coincided with a growing regional sentiment and the
emergence of regional polities. Thus, medieval Indian literature became one of the best
examples of the growth of a common culture despite varied languages across regions.

8. Examine the significance of Rajatarangi as a historical and a literary text.

Answer:
Rajatarangini (River of Kings) is a historical chronicle written by Kalhana, a Kashmiri Brahman in
Sanskrit language about North West Indian subcontinent especially Kashmir. It is considered to
be one of the most authentic works covering an entire span of history in the Kashmir region.
Therefore, he is also considered as the first historian of Kashmir as he has tried to explain and
understand the conditions prevailing at that time in the region.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
6
This narrative is composed at a time when dynastic revolutions and the emergence of new
social classes threatened the established social and political order. It is concerned with the
succession of kings and queens who ruled Kashmir during this period and portrays a rich
narrative of political, social and cultural history.
Rajatarangini is an unbiased writing without any influence from kings because Kalhana did not
get any patronage from them and this makes it different from other literary texts of that
period. He has analyzed the conditions and events of that time very minutely. His writing has
an ornate style full of verses. His writings have mention about transience of worldly life and
physical materials. He also referred to various sources while writing such as royal eulogies,
coins, monumental remains, local traditions etc.
Although, its chronology of events is debated, this book still provides an invaluable source of
information.

9. Mahabharata and Ramayana texts have literary, historical and didactic

aspects in them. Critically discuss the statement.
Answer:
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are two great epics of India. The Ramayana of Valmiki is
called Adikavya and Maharishi Valmiki is known as Adi Kavi. It presents a picture of an ideal
society and victory of good over evil.
The Mahabharata, was written by Ved Vyas. Originally written in Sanskrit, it contained 8800
verses and was called “Jaya” or the collection dealing with victory. These were raised to
24,000 and came to be known as Bharata, named after one of the earliest Vedic tribes. The final
compilation had 100,000 verses, which came to be known as the Mahabharata or the
Satasahasri Samhita. It contains narrative, descriptive and didactic material, relating to conflict
between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
The Mahabharata contains the famous Bhagavad Gita, which is the essence of divine wisdom
and is truly a universal gospel. This is mainly because it speaks of positivity in human actions. It
also speaks of duty of human beings towards God without being attached to the results. In
the Bhagvad Gita, Arjuna is explained about his duties as a warrior and prince by Lord Krishna. It
elaborates on different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies with examples and analogies. This
makes Gita a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and a parochial, self-contained guide to life.
Though Ramayana and Mahabharata are ancient scripture, their fundamental teachings are in
use even today and also have several renderings in different Indian languages.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
7
10. Discuss the role of Literature in freedom movement of India.
Answer:
Patriotic writings were used to express nationalist thinking of the people against foreign
domination, which began to emerge in the nineteenth century particularly in every Indian
language.
With poetic words as their weapon, poets from north, south, east and west raised their voice
against exploitation of India by the foreign rulers. India’s first battle for freedom in 1857,
indigo revolt, partition of Bengal along with the glorious deeds of warriors and martyrs
became their themes. The 20th century saw the poets emerging out of reformism and
revivalism to confront the alien ruler directly and support the freedom fighters and mass
movements.
The literary texts not only reflected the politics of Indias leaders (increasingly represented by
the Indian National Congress), but questioned some of their assumptions about the path
India's future should take. For instance, the Hindi novelist Premchand set his stories primarily
in rural India and satirized the machinations of the urban elite, emphasizing the rural-urban
divide that was increasingly visible in mainstream nationalist politics.
Bande Mataram song written by Bankim Chandra and Jana Gana Mana by Rabindra Nath
Tagore, which was later honoured as the National Anthem of India inspired generations for
decades. Sarojini Naidu, one of the great Indian poets writing in English, called Motherland ‘the
sovereign empress of the past’ and eulogized India in her poems. The Hindi stream of freedom
poetry began with Bhartendu Harish Chandra’s Bharat Durdasha. Swami Vivekananda, in his
‘Awakened India’ exhorted the people to resume their march, telling them ‘Once more awake,
for sleep it was, not death, to bring the life anew.
Thus, during 1920-30, literature had come to occupy a central role in the Indian nationalist
movement.

www.insightsonindia.com www.insightsias.com
8