POLITICS AND SOCIETY

1. POLITICS AND SOCIETY

A. Pressure Groups, Interest Groups & Civil Society

1. What are pressure groups? Discuss their role in decision-making in democracy. (2024)
2. Differentiate between pressure groups and interest groups. Describe the role of some prominent pressure groups in contemporary Indian politics. (2003)
3. Write short note: Role of pressure groups in Indian politics. (1996)
4. Write short note: Pressure groups in Indian politics. (1993)
5. Discuss the implications of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. Do you think that civil society has a role to play here? Substantiate your answer with examples. (2019)

B. Decentralisation, Panchayati Raj & Local Democracy

1. What do you understand by decentralisation of power? What is its role in strengthening the roots of democracy in India? Elaborate. (2024)
2. Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate. (2021)
3. What do you understand by democratic federalism? How does it promote decentralization of power in India? (2020)
4. What is meant by democratic decentralization? Assess the working of Panchayati Raj in India. (2001)
5. Discuss 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments with reference to decentralization of power. (1999)
6. “The 73rd and the 74th constitutional amendments have motivated social mobilisation in rural India.” Discuss. (2004)
7. Write short note: Reservation and Panchayat Raj institutions. (2002)
8. Write short note: Decentralisation of power and local development. (1994)
9. Write short note: Panchayati Raj and rural leadership. (1993)
10. Write short note: Democratic Decentralisation. (1988)

C. Political Elites & Leadership

1. Discuss the changing nature of political elites in India. (2024)
2. Who are the elites? Discuss their roles in bringing social transformation. (2014)
3. Write short note: Regional political elites and the democratic process. (2012)
4. Elaborate the concept of political elite. Explain how social structural origins of political elites influence their political orientations. (2001)
5. Describe the socio-cultural background of the political elites of contemporary India. What has been the influence of the background on their political orientations? (1997)
6. Write short note: Regionalism and democratic process. (2003)
7. Write short note: Changing social origins of political elites in India. (1995)
8. Write short note: Social responsibility of political elites. (1991)
9. Write short note: The emerging pattern of rural leadership. (1986)

D. Secularism, Religion & Politics

1. How do you account for the increasing significance of religion in public and personal spheres in the context of secularization thesis in India? Explain. (2023)
2. Examine different understandings of secularisation in India. (2022)
3. ‘Secularism was an outcome of 20th century humanistic radicalism.’ Comment. (2020)
4. With increase in education and economic development is Indian society becoming more secular? (2018)
5. Distinguish between ‘secularism’ and ‘secularisation’. Analyse the nature and extent of secularisation in contemporary India. (2011)
6. Write short note with a sociological perspective: Gandhi’s efforts on communal harmony. (2014)

E. Democracy, Citizenship & Nation-building

1. What do you mean by nation building? What is the role of religion in nation building? Elaborate your answer. (20 marks) (2025)
2. Is social democracy a precondition for political democracy? Comment. (2021)
3. Analyze the issues related to the citizenship in contemporary India. Give suitable illustrations. (2020)
4. Comment on the changing democratic profile of India. (2019)
5. What have been the functions of democracy in India? Has democracy been successful in eliminating some of the traditional social inequalities? (2000)
6. Identify the reasons for the resilience of democratic system in India. (2010)
7. Critically examine the concepts of nation and citizenship in the context of globalization. (2012)
8. To what extent does nation building depend on strengthening of pluralities in Indian society? (2017)
9. Is legitimacy of key political institutions declining in India? Discuss this issue in the context of the process of nation-building. (1991)
10. Write short note: National Unity. (1999)
11. Write short note: Pluralism and national unity. (2005, 1997)

F. Caste, Dalits & Politics

1. Discuss the social bases of political mobilization in Independent India. Has some change occurred in these during the last 60-70 years? (10 marks) (2025)
2. Bring out the various issues involved in Dalit movements in India. (2022)
3. Elaborate various forms of Dalit assertions in contemporary India. What are its implications on the Indian political system? (2018)
4. Explain the concepts of ‘dominant caste’ and ‘vote bank’, giving examples from specific regions. (2017)
5. Comment on the increasing significance of caste in politics. (2016)
6. Write short note: Protective discrimination – its sociology and politics. (1985)
7. “Protective discrimination not only protects but also discriminates.” Comment. (2011)
8. Give an account of the problems relating to the “creamy layer”. (2017)

G. Media, Social Movements & Public Sphere

1. Analyse the sociological interconnections between Social Media and Mass Mobilization in India. (2023)
2. Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Discuss. (2018)
3. Write short note: Electoral Reform in India. (1989)
4. Discuss the executive measures and peoples’ participation in implementing various development programmes at the village level in India. (1993)

H. Regionalism & Federalism

1. Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate your answer with relevant examples. (2021)
2. Write short note: Regionalism. (2007, 2003)
3. Write short note: Implications of emergence of regional political parties. (1998)
4. Explain how emerging rural-urban nexuses are reshaping the character of Indian political elite and functioning of political institutions. (1992)

I. Role of State & Governance

1. Evaluate the role of state in social and economic reconstruction of Indian Society since independence. (1994)
2. Discuss the role of the State in restructuring Indian Society since Independence. Examine the effectiveness of such interventions. (1988)
3. It is often alleged that the social situation in India is not conducive to the efficient functioning of a democratic polity. Comment. (1995)