Prime Minister — Set 1

Correct Answer: D. Article 75

• **Article 75** = explicitly states the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President of India. • **Article 75(1)** — also says other ministers are appointed by the President on the PM's advice, making PM the pivot. • 💡 Option A (Article 74) deals with the Council of Ministers collectively advising the President — not PM appointment. Option B (Article 78) defines PM's duty to inform the President. Option C (Article 76) relates to the Attorney General of India.

Correct Answer: C. Head of the Government

• **Head of the Government** = the Prime Minister's constitutional role; holds real executive power in India. • **Parliamentary System** — real power rests with the PM (Head of Government), not the President (Head of State), who is a nominal/constitutional head. • 💡 Option A (Head of the State) is wrong — that is the President's role. Option B (Head of the Parliament) is wrong — Parliament is headed by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) and Vice-President (Rajya Sabha). Option D (Head of the Judiciary) is wrong — that is the Chief Justice of India.

Correct Answer: A. Article 78

• **Article 78** = defines the Prime Minister's duty to furnish information about Cabinet decisions to the President. • **Three duties under Article 78** — (i) communicate Cabinet decisions to President, (ii) furnish any information the President calls for, (iii) submit individual minister's proposals for Cabinet consideration if President requires. • 💡 Option B (Article 74) deals with the Cabinet advising the President collectively, not PM's information duties. Option C (Article 79) establishes the Constitution of Parliament. Option D (Article 75) governs PM appointment and tenure.

Correct Answer: C. The Prime Minister

• **NITI Aayog ex-officio Chairman** = the Prime Minister of India, by virtue of holding the office. • **2015** — NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission; unlike the old Commission, it has no power to allocate funds and acts only as a policy think-tank. • 💡 Option A (The President) is wrong — the President does not chair NITI Aayog. Option B (The Finance Minister) is wrong — Finance Minister chairs the GST Council, not NITI Aayog. Option D (The Vice-President) is wrong — the Vice-President chairs the Rajya Sabha, not NITI Aayog.

Correct Answer: B. 25 years

• **25 years** = minimum age to become a Lok Sabha member, and thereby eligible to be Prime Minister via Lok Sabha. • **Rajya Sabha route** — if the PM is a Rajya Sabha member, the minimum age is 30 years; there is no upper age cap for PM. • 💡 Option A (21 years) is wrong — 21 is the minimum voting age before the 61st Amendment, not the Lok Sabha membership age. Option C (30 years) is wrong — 30 is the minimum age for Rajya Sabha, not Lok Sabha. Option D (35 years) is wrong — 35 is the minimum age for the President, not the PM.

Correct Answer: C. The Parliament

• **Parliament** = determines the salary and allowances of the Prime Minister from time to time by legislation. • **Salaries and Allowances of Ministers Act, 1952** — the specific law under which PM's pay is governed; Parliament can amend it as needed. • 💡 Option A (The President) is wrong — the President does not fix PM's salary; that is Parliament's role. Option B (The Constitution) is wrong — the Constitution only fixes the President's salary, not the PM's. Option D (The Supreme Court) is wrong — the Supreme Court has no role in fixing executive salaries.

Correct Answer: A. The President

• **President of India** = the authority to whom the Prime Minister submits their resignation letter. • **Automatic dissolution** — when the PM resigns, the entire Council of Ministers is automatically dissolved; no individual minister can continue independently. • 💡 Option B (The Vice-President) is wrong — the Vice-President receives resignations of Rajya Sabha members, not the PM. Option C (The Speaker of Lok Sabha) is wrong — Lok Sabha members submit their resignation to the Speaker, not the PM. Option D (The Chief Justice of India) is wrong — CJI has no role in the PM's resignation process.

Correct Answer: D. 6 months

• **6 months** = the time within which a non-MP appointed as Prime Minister must win a seat in either House of Parliament. • **Article 75(5)** — a minister (including PM) who is not a member of either House for 6 consecutive months ceases to be a minister. • 💡 Option A (3 months) is wrong — 3 months is not the prescribed period for parliamentary membership after ministerial appointment. Option B (9 months) is wrong — no such 9-month provision exists in the Constitution. Option C (1 year) is wrong — the limit is strictly 6 months, not 1 year.

Correct Answer: A. First among equals

• **Primus inter pares** = Latin for 'first among equals' — describes the PM's position as pre-eminent yet theoretically equal to other Cabinet ministers. • **Convention vs. reality** — in theory the PM is one of the ministers; in practice they exercise dominant authority over cabinet formation, portfolio allocation, and policy direction. • 💡 Option B (Leader of the House) is wrong — that is a specific parliamentary title, not the meaning of the Latin phrase. Option C (Supreme Commander) is wrong — Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the President, not the PM. Option D (Guardian of Constitution) is wrong — that role is associated with the Supreme Court, not the PM.

Correct Answer: D. President

• **President** = technically, the PM holds office during the President's pleasure under Article 75(2). • **Real check: Lok Sabha majority** — the President cannot dismiss the PM as long as the PM commands a majority in Lok Sabha; 'pleasure' is only exercised after a no-confidence vote is passed. • 💡 Option A (Chief Justice) is wrong — the CJI has no authority over the PM's tenure. Option B (Lok Sabha) is wrong as a formal constitutional answer — the Constitution says President, even though Lok Sabha confidence is the political reality. Option C (Speaker) is wrong — the Speaker manages parliamentary procedure, not the PM's appointment or removal.