Prime Minister — Set 2

Correct Answer: A. President

• **President** = administers the oath of office and secrecy to the Prime Minister under Article 75(4). • **Third Schedule** — the forms of oath for the PM are given in the Third Schedule of the Constitution; the PM swears fidelity to the Constitution and impartial service. • 💡 Option B (Chief Justice of India) is wrong — the CJI administers oath to the President, not to the PM. Option C (Speaker of Lok Sabha) is wrong — the Speaker administers the oath to Lok Sabha members, not to the PM. Option D (Vice-President) is wrong — the Vice-President administers oath to Rajya Sabha members, not to the PM.

Correct Answer: A. The President on the advice of the Prime Minister

• **President on PM's advice** = the correct answer — portfolios are formally allocated by the President but only on the specific advice of the Prime Minister. • **Article 75(1)** — ministers are appointed by the President on PM's advice; the same convention applies to portfolio allocation and reshuffles. • 💡 Option B (The Parliament) is wrong — Parliament does not allocate portfolios; it only scrutinises government work. Option C (The Speaker) is wrong — the Speaker has no role in executive portfolio allocation. Option D (The President personally) is wrong — the President acts on PM's advice, not independently.

Correct Answer: D. It is dissolved immediately

• **Dissolved immediately** = the entire Council of Ministers is automatically dissolved upon the death or resignation of the Prime Minister. • **Constitutional basis** — the Council's existence depends on the PM; as its head, the PM's departure ends the Council collectively (Article 75 read with convention). • 💡 Option A (waits for President's directions) is wrong — there is no waiting; dissolution is automatic. Option B (elects a new leader internally) is wrong — the Cabinet has no power to elect its own new head. Option C (continues under the senior-most minister) is wrong — no minister can lead the Council without a new PM being sworn in.

Correct Answer: D. Article 75

• **Article 75(3)** = the Collective Responsibility provision — the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok Sabha). • **Collective Responsibility** — if a no-confidence motion is passed against any single minister or the Cabinet as a whole, the entire Council must resign together. • 💡 Option A (Article 78) is wrong — Article 78 deals with the PM's duty to inform the President, not collective responsibility. Option B (Article 74) is wrong — Article 74 states that there shall be a Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President. Option C (Article 77) is wrong — Article 77 deals with the conduct of government business, not collective responsibility.

Correct Answer: B. Nuclear Command Authority

• **Nuclear Command Authority (NCA)** = headed by the Prime Minister (Political Council), the sole body authorised to order use of nuclear weapons. • **Two-tier structure** — Political Council (chaired by PM) takes the final call; Executive Council (chaired by National Security Advisor) prepares options and implements decisions. • 💡 Option A (Atomic Energy Commission) is wrong — AEC oversees civilian nuclear programmes, not nuclear command authority. Option C (National Security Council) is wrong — NSC is an advisory body for security policy, not the nuclear command authority. Option D (Defence Ministry) is wrong — Defence Ministry is not a separate nuclear command body; NCA is distinct.

Correct Answer: C. P.V. Narasimha Rao

• **P.V. Narasimha Rao** = introduced the 'Look East Policy' in 1991–92 to strengthen economic and strategic ties with Southeast Asian countries. • **Act East Policy** — in 2014, PM Narendra Modi upgraded the 'Look East Policy' to the 'Act East Policy' to signal more proactive engagement with ASEAN nations. • 💡 Option A (Manmohan Singh) is wrong — Manmohan Singh continued and expanded the policy but did not introduce it. Option B (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) is wrong — Vajpayee strengthened ties with ASEAN but did not introduce the Look East Policy. Option D (I.K. Gujral) is wrong — Gujral is known for the Gujral Doctrine of neighbourhood policy, not the Look East Policy.

Correct Answer: D. Charan Singh

• **Charan Singh** = resigned as PM without facing the Lok Sabha even once; Congress withdrew support before the session could be convened. • **1979** — Charan Singh's tenure (July 1979 – January 1980) was about 170 days; he never addressed Parliament as PM, making it uniquely short. • 💡 Option A (Chandra Shekhar) is wrong — Chandra Shekhar also had a brief tenure but did address Parliament. Option B (V.P. Singh) is wrong — V.P. Singh lost a no-confidence motion in Parliament, meaning he did face Parliament. Option C (Morarji Desai) is wrong — Morarji Desai completed nearly a full term and regularly faced Parliament.

Correct Answer: A. Parliament

• **Parliament** = the PM advises the President on summoning, proroguing, and dissolving sessions of Parliament (both Houses). • **Article 85** — empowers the President to summon and prorogue Parliament; in practice this is done on the PM's advice, reflecting the parliamentary system. • 💡 Option B (State Assemblies) is wrong — summoning of State Assemblies is the role of State Governors acting on advice of the respective Chief Ministers. Option C (Supreme Court) is wrong — the PM has no advisory role regarding Supreme Court sessions. Option D (Cabinet) is wrong — Cabinet meetings are summoned by the PM directly, not through the President.

Correct Answer: A. Prime Minister

• **Prime Minister** = the political head of the Civil Services; the Cabinet Secretary is the administrative head. • **Two-tier leadership** — PM provides policy direction (political head) while the Cabinet Secretary coordinates day-to-day administration (administrative head) of all-India services. • 💡 Option B (President) is wrong — the President is the constitutional head of the Union, not specifically the political head of civil services in a day-to-day sense. Option C (Home Minister) is wrong — the Home Minister oversees internal security and police, not all civil services. Option D (Cabinet Secretary) is wrong — Cabinet Secretary is the administrative head, not the political head.

Correct Answer: B. Indira Gandhi

• **Indira Gandhi** = signed the Shimla Agreement with Pakistan's PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 2 July 1972. • **Shimla Agreement, 1972** — signed after India's victory in the 1971 war; established the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir and committed both sides to bilateral resolution of disputes. • 💡 Option A (Morarji Desai) is wrong — Desai became PM in 1977; the Shimla Agreement was signed in 1972 under Indira Gandhi. Option C (Lal Bahadur Shastri) is wrong — Shastri signed the Tashkent Declaration (1966) with Pakistan, not the Shimla Agreement. Option D (Rajiv Gandhi) is wrong — Rajiv Gandhi signed the Rajiv-Longowal Accord and the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, not the Shimla Agreement.