Question

Compare the relative positions of the Rajya Sabha and the United States Senate in their respective systems.

Answer 1

Both the Rajya Sabha of India and the Senate of USA are Upper Houses of their respective legislatures. This means that both houses represent the member states. In contrast, the lower houses i.e., Lok Sabha in India and House of Representatives in the USA do not represent the member states but represent constituencies. The practical understanding of this is: Each state of the country is divided into several constituencies and from each one, one representative is elected who becomes a part of the lower house. This person represents the constituency from which he/she is elected. This is in contrast to members of the upper houses. Each state of the country is represented by two senators and both of them represent the entire state and not any particular constituency as such.

The difference is in the power of each house wields. And the reason for this difference of power lies in the difference in the nature of government in both nations i.e., India and the USA. The USA is a classic example of a federation. A federation is one that has “member states” that are partially self-governing, but that operate under the ambit of the central government. In the USA, each state has its own constitution and provides its own citizenship. In India, however, federalism has a unitary bias and hence separate citizenship is not recognized, separate constitutions do not exist and neither does any real freedom of state governments. Rather, state governments depend largely on the center for resources and party affiliations guide this center-state relationship to a.great extent.

An upper house is less powerful than the lower house, as a general principle. This is because a lower house is directly elected by the people. However, the USA can be said to be the “exception” to this. The Senate is considered to be the “most powerful upper house in the world”. In comparison, the Rajya Sabha is a weak, superfluous and redundant house.

• Election Method: The Senators are in fact directly elected by the citizens of the states. Hence, they have direct support and approval of the people. In contrast, members of the Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected. They are elected by the legislatures of the state govern¬ments. They do not have a direct representation of the people.
• Composition:
  The Senate gives equal representation to all states irrespective of size or population. This means that both small states and large states get two members. All states get an equal voice in the process of law-making. This is in contrast to Rajya Sabha members where each state’s representation depends upon a population. More populated states get a louder voice and hence rule of the majority is very common. This makes it easy for the ruling party to ignore the opposition and interests of the minorities.
• Powers:
  The Senate is more powerful than the House of Representatives in many ways. First, the Senate has almost complete control over the Budget. Second, the President requires the ratification of the Senate for treaties. The Rajya Sabha in comparison has no control over the Budget, except for a “delaying” power. Not passing a bill has no productive outcome since the joint sessions method for resolving a dispute between the houses favors the Lok Sabha since it would be headed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha itself.
• Representation:
  Each member of the Senate represents say half of the state he/she is elected from (the other member representing the other half). Hence, they have more voter backing. The Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, represents a smaller number (a fixed number) and hence has a smaller voter backing.
• Compactness:
  Since the Senate has just 100 members, it makes discussions and deliberations simpler. Members get more time to speak as well. The Rajya Sabha, however, has 235 members. Members may not get enough time to speak. Plus, more people always lead to more chaos. One can say that both houses are similar merely in the fact that they are “upper houses” and represent state interests. But they radically differ in the context of powers, functions and the nuanced implications of the same.

One can say that both houses are similar merely in the fact that they are “upper houses” and represent state interests. But they radically differ in the context of powers, functions and the nuanced implications of the same.