polity medium Fill in the Blank

The Preamble's declaration of India as 'Sovereign' signifies that India has supreme authority in internal and external affairs, free from external control, and can determine its own ______ relations, defense policies, and constitutional arrangements.

  1. economic
  2. foreign
  3. cultural
  4. administrative

Answer: foreign

Sovereignty in Preamble: (a) Internal sovereignty: Supreme authority within territory; Parliament, State Legislatures can legislate subject to constitutional limits; executive, judiciary function independently, (b) External sovereignty: Freedom from external control; India can determine its own foreign relations, defense policies, international commitments, (c) Applications: (i) Foreign policy: Non-alignment, strategic autonomy, multilateral engagement reflect sovereign decision-making, (ii) Defense: Independent defense policies, nuclear doctrine, military modernization reflect sovereign security choices, (iii) Constitutional arrangements: Federal structure, Fundamental Rights, amendment procedure reflect sovereign constitutional design, (d) Limits: (i) International law: Sovereignty exercised within framework of international law, treaties, UN Charter, (ii) Constitutional limits: Sovereign power subject to constitutional limits (basic structure, Fundamental Rights), (e) Illustrates calibrated sovereignty: Preamble's sovereignty not absolute but exercised within constitutional, international frameworks; balance between national autonomy and global cooperation, rule of law.

Topic Preamble - Sovereignty and International Relations
Exam Relevance Preamble sovereignty concept frequently asked in UPSC and SSC exams