ABSTRACT
A major problem facing the leaders of third world countries is creating stable political institutions capable of governing effectively, accomplishing sociopolitical changes peacefully, and providing smooth transitions of power. The Indian constitution represents a triumph of the modernists over the neotraditionalist elements. It represents the viewpoint of the nationalist leaders who envisioned India as a modern nation-state. Indira Gandhi was quite successful in projecting the image of a dynamic leader seeking the establishment of an egalitarian social order. The Indira Gandhi era set in motion the theory that the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty was critical to India's destiny and that Indian secularism was tied to rule by the Nehru dynasty and the Congress Party. The government in India is headed by the president, the executive by the prime minister, and the judiciary by the Supreme Court; the parliament is entrusted with the exercise of legislative power.
