Second chamber of Indian parliament

This unique work on the Upper House of the Indian Parliament breaks many new grounds and offers vital suggestions that would go a long way in bringing about a great qualitative change in the federal polity of the country. It suggests a new structural and power profile which, if adopted, would make this House more representative, more competent and more effective as also introduce a more equitable electoral system for its constitution.

The functional profile of the House has been studied from the new concept of watch-dog functions apart from critically and minutely examining the traditional functions of scrutiny, control, revision, and delay.

The way the nominated members have been appointed and the role actually played by them have been examined in detail for the first time and some revealing facts brought out. Similarly, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business had not been gone into before. This work points out their deficiencies and throws up a lot of suggestions for their removal and further improvement.

The work also involves consideration of some eminent historical views on the value and utility of the second chamber as a political institution; compares the locus standi of the Indian second chamber in the country's federal governmental system with that of the second chambers of a considerably large number of other sovereign states; goes quite deep into the relations between the two Houses of the Indian Parliament; and pinpoints the need to minimise the role of political parties in the Upper House so as to allow it to acquire a distinct and more useful identity.

The study has been described by some senior political scientists as "interesting, enlivening and enlightening" and as "a definite contribution to knowledge in the field of legislative studies characterised as it is by discovery of new facts" and collection of a large volume of related material.