Laxmikanth Test: The Prime Minister-1 - UPSC MCQ

The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. The total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers, shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.

1. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy - Appointed Charan Singh as PM in 1979:

- Correct. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the then President, appointed Charan Singh as the Prime Minister in 1979 after the fall of the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai.

2. Zail Singh - Appointed Rajiv Gandhi as PM after Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984:

- Correct. After Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984, President Zail Singh appointed Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister.

3. Morarji Desai - Appointed by the President in 1977:

- Incorrect. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister in 1977 as the leader of the Janata Party, which had won the general elections. He was not directly appointed by the President but was the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha.

4. Charan Singh - Appointed by the President in 1980:

- Incorrect. Charan Singh was appointed as Prime Minister by President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy in 1979, not in 1980.

So, only pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched.

Statement-I correctly defines the roles of the President and Prime Minister in the government structure. The President holds a symbolic position while the Prime Minister wields actual executive power.
Statement-II accurately mentions that the President appoints the Prime Minister following the parliamentary system's conventions. However, it does not elaborate on the distinct roles of the President and Prime Minister as highlighted in Statement-I. Hence, both statements are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I.

1. Statement 1 is correct: The President of India is indeed the nominal executive authority (de jure executive), while the Prime Minister is the real executive authority (de facto executive). The President is the head of the State, and the Prime Minister is the head of the government.

2. Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the conventions of the parliamentary system of government, the President of India must appoint the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister. The President does not have the discretion to appoint anyone as the Prime Minister regardless of whether they belong to the majority party or not.

3. Statement 3 is incorrect: The President first exercised his discretion in appointing the Prime Minister in 1979, not 1984. In 1979, President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy appointed Charan Singh as the Prime Minister after the fall of the Janata Party government.

Therefore, only Statement 1 is correct.

Duties of Prime Minister as respects the furnishing of information to the President, etc It shall be the duty of the Prime Minister

(a) to communicate to the President all decisions of the council of Ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the union and proposals for legislation;

(b) to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation as the President may call for; and

(c) if the President so requires, to submit for the consideration of the Council of Ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister but which has not been considered by the Council CHAPTER II PARLIAMENT General

Powers and functions of the Prime Minister

• Advises the President: The prime minister advises the President for the appointment or resignation of the council of ministers and other significant officials such as CAG, Chairman of UPSC, Election Commissioners etc.
• Allocate Portfolios: The prime minister is responsible for the location and reshuffling of portfolios of the Council of Ministers.
• Act as a communication channel between the Council of Ministers and the President: He communicates information related to administrative affairs to the president.
• Act as Chairman: The prime minister acts as a chairman of various councils such as Niti Aayog, National Development Council, National Integration Council (NIC), Inter-state Council (ISC), and National Water Resource Council.
• Act as a head: The Prime Minister presides over the meetings of the council of ministers and announces government policies in houses of parliament.
• Other functions: Shaping foreign policies, leader of the party, political head etc.

Statement-I is correct because the Prime Minister does recommend persons who can be appointed as ministers by the president and also presides over the council of ministers. Statement-II is also correct as the Prime Minister is indeed the principal channel of communication between the President and the council of ministers and advises on important official appointments. However, Statement-II does not directly explain Statement-I but rather provides additional powers and functions of the Prime Minister in relation to the President.

The correct answer is 1 and 2 only.

Important Points

CABINET COMMITTEES

​The following are the features of Cabinet Committees:

• They are extra-constitutional in emergence. In other words, they are not mentioned in the Constitution. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • However, the Rules of Business provide for their establishment.
• They are of two types–standing and ad hoc.
  • The former is of a permanent nature while the latter is of a temporary nature.
  • The ad hoc committees are constituted from time to time to deal with special problems. They are disbanded after their task is completed.

They are set up by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Hence, their number, nomenclature, and composition vary from time to time.

• Their membership varies from three to eight.
  • They usually include only Cabinet Ministers.
  • However, the non-cabinet Ministers are not debarred from their membership.
  • They not only include the Ministers in charge of subjects covered by them but also include other senior Ministers
• They are mostly headed by the Prime Minister. Some times other Cabinet Ministers, particularly the Home Minister or the Finance Minister, also acts as their Chairman.
  • But, in case the Prime Minister is a member of a committee, he invariably presides over it.
• They not only sort out issues and formulate proposals for the consideration of the Cabinet but also take decisions.
  • However, the Cabinet can review their decisions. Hence, statement 3 is NOT correct.
• They are an organisational device to reduce the enormous workload of the Cabinet.
• They also facilitate in-depth examination of policy issues and effective coordination.
• They are based on the principles of division of labour and effective delegation.