SSC · Railway
The opening words of the Constitution's first Article, 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States', are found in:
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Answer: Option D — Article 1
Detailed Solution
Article 1(1) of the Constitution declares: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
What Article 1 contains:
- Clause (1): the name of the country, India, that is Bharat, and its description as a Union of States.
- Clause (2): the States and the Union Territories shall be as specified in a Schedule of the Constitution.
- Clause (3): the territory of India shall comprise the territories of the States, the Union Territories, and such other territories as may be acquired.
Why "Union of States" and not "Federation":
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar explained the use of the words "Union of States" in the Constituent Assembly.
He said that the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the states, like the American federation.
The states have no right to secede from the Union.
The Union is indestructible, but the states can be reorganised by Parliament.
The name "Bharat":
- The name "Bharat" is derived from ancient Indian literature; it is associated with the legendary king Bharata.
- The Constituent Assembly debated the name, and decided to use both "India" and "Bharat".
- Some members wanted "Bharat" alone, or "Hindustan", but the final wording kept both names.
Territory of India and Union of India:
The "Territory of India" is a wider term than the "Union of India", because it includes the Union Territories and any acquired territories, while the "Union of India" includes only the States.
Related provisions:
- Article 3 empowers Parliament to form new states and to alter the areas, boundaries or names of existing states.
- Article 4 says that laws made under these provisions are not to be considered amendments of the Constitution.
- Article 5 deals with citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Article 3 deals with the formation of new states; Article 4 with the nature of such laws; Article 5 with citizenship.
Quick tip
Remember: Article 1 = "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States"; Union of States, not a federation (Ambedkar).
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Union, Territory & Citizenship — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Union, Territory & Citizenship, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers Part I and Part II of the Constitution: the Union and its territory (Articles 1-4), the formation and reorganisation of states, and the provisions on citizenship (Articles 5-11), including how citizenship is acquired and lost under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Questions commonly ask which article describes India as a 'Union of States' (Article 1), how Parliament can create new states (Article 3), and the five ways of acquiring citizenship (birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory). Remember that India provides for single citizenship. Practise the union, territory and citizenship questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.