Prime Minister — Set 3

Correct Answer: C. 91st Amendment

• **91st Amendment** = 2003 Act that capped Council of Ministers (including PM) at 15% of the total strength of Lok Sabha. • **Anti-defection link** — the 91st Amendment also strengthened the anti-defection law; a disqualified member cannot be appointed as minister until re-election. • 💡 Option A (44th Amendment) is wrong — the 44th Amendment (1978) restored civil liberties post-Emergency; it did not deal with cabinet size. Option B (97th Amendment) is wrong — the 97th Amendment (2011) added Part IXB regarding cooperative societies. Option D (86th Amendment) is wrong — the 86th Amendment (2002) made Right to Education a fundamental right.

Correct Answer: A. Prime Minister

• **Prime Minister** = the principal channel of communication between the President and the Council of Ministers, mandated by Article 78. • **Article 78 duties** — the PM must communicate all Cabinet decisions to the President, furnish any information requested, and place before the Cabinet any matter the President requires. • 💡 Option B (Home Minister) is wrong — the Home Minister handles internal security and state–centre relations, not the President–Cabinet communication channel. Option C (Speaker) is wrong — the Speaker manages Lok Sabha proceedings; they have no role in President–Cabinet communication. Option D (Vice-President) is wrong — the Vice-President chairs the Rajya Sabha and has no executive communication role between Cabinet and President.

Correct Answer: A. Prime Minister

• **Prime Minister** = summons and presides over Cabinet meetings; their view shapes the consensus of all decisions. • **Cabinet Secretariat** — the Cabinet Secretary supports the PM in preparing the agenda; the PM can also set up Cabinet Committees to deal with specific policy areas. • 💡 Option B (Senior-most Minister) is wrong — the senior-most minister does not automatically chair Cabinet; only a PM-nominated minister does so in PM's absence. Option C (Cabinet Secretary) is wrong — the Cabinet Secretary is a civil servant who supports meetings but does not preside. Option D (President) is wrong — the President does not attend or preside over Cabinet meetings.

Correct Answer: D. Britain

• **Britain** = the country where the 'Shadow Cabinet' is a formal institution; opposition leaders mirror each government portfolio to prepare for an alternative government. • **India vs Britain** — India has a Leader of Opposition but no formal Shadow Cabinet; the Westminster (British) model is the parent of India's parliamentary system, yet India dropped this feature. • 💡 Option A (Japan) is wrong — Japan's parliament (Diet) does not have a formal Shadow Cabinet institution either. Option B (USA) is wrong — USA has a Presidential system, not a Cabinet system; there is no Shadow Cabinet. Option C (France) is wrong — France has a semi-presidential system and does not maintain a Shadow Cabinet.

Correct Answer: D. Indira Gandhi

• **Indira Gandhi** = abolished Privy Purses in 1971 via the 26th Constitutional Amendment, ending special payments to former rulers of princely states. • **26th Amendment, 1971** — derecognised the princes and removed the Privy Purse provision from the Constitution; this followed the failed 1970 attempt to do so via the 24th Amendment Bill. • 💡 Option A (Rajiv Gandhi) is wrong — Rajiv Gandhi launched economic liberalisation seeds and the anti-defection law (52nd Amendment), not Privy Purse abolition. Option B (V.P. Singh) is wrong — V.P. Singh implemented the Mandal Commission, not the Privy Purse abolition. Option C (Jawaharlal Nehru) is wrong — Nehru agreed to Privy Purses during integration of princely states; it was Indira Gandhi who abolished them.

Correct Answer: C. Morarji Desai

• **Morarji Desai** = PM when the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act was passed in 1978 by the Janata Party government. • **44th Amendment, 1978** — reversed key changes made by the 42nd Amendment (1976, during Emergency); restored judicial review, made Right to Life more secure, and removed 'socialist' and 'secular' from the basic structure argument by Janata. • 💡 Option A (Indira Gandhi) is wrong — Indira Gandhi passed the 42nd Amendment (1976) during Emergency, not the 44th Amendment. Option B (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) is wrong — Vajpayee became PM in 1996 and 1999, not in 1978. Option D (Charan Singh) is wrong — Charan Singh succeeded Morarji Desai as PM in 1979, after the 44th Amendment was passed.

Correct Answer: B. Prime Minister

• **Prime Minister** = directly holds charge of the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space as a convention in India. • **Strategic sectors** — both departments are linked to India's national security and strategic autonomy; the PM's direct oversight ensures highest-level control without inter-ministry bottlenecks. • 💡 Option A (Defence Minister) is wrong — the Defence Minister heads the Ministry of Defence, which covers armed forces and defence production, not Atomic Energy or Space. Option C (Minister of Science) is wrong — the Minister of Science & Technology deals with DSIR, CSIR, and DBT, not the strategic Space and Atomic departments. Option D (Home Minister) is wrong — the Home Minister handles internal security, border management, and state affairs.

Correct Answer: B. Indira Gandhi

• **Indira Gandhi** = first sitting PM to lose her own Lok Sabha seat, defeated in Rae Bareli by Raj Narain in the 1977 general elections. • **1977 elections** — held after the Emergency (1975–77) ended; the Janata Party swept to power; Indira Gandhi's Congress was routed, reflecting public anger over Emergency excesses. • 💡 Option A (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) is wrong — Vajpayee never lost his own seat while serving as PM. Option C (P.V. Narasimha Rao) is wrong — Rao did not lose his seat while serving as PM in 1991–96. Option D (Rajiv Gandhi) is wrong — Rajiv Gandhi lost the 1989 elections as PM (Congress lost majority) but he retained his Amethi seat.

Correct Answer: B. Lal Bahadur Shastri

• **Lal Bahadur Shastri** = coined 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' in 1965 during the Indo-Pakistan War and simultaneous food crisis. • **Later addition** — PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee added 'Jai Vigyan' (science) and PM Narendra Modi added 'Jai Anusandhan' (research) to this slogan in later years. • 💡 Option A (Jawaharlal Nehru) is wrong — Nehru's famous slogan was 'Aram Haram Hai' (rest is sin); he did not coin 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. Option C (Morarji Desai) is wrong — Morarji Desai is not associated with any famous national slogan. Option D (Indira Gandhi) is wrong — Indira Gandhi's famous slogan was 'Garibi Hatao' (remove poverty), coined during the 1971 elections.

Correct Answer: B. V.P. Singh

• **V.P. Singh** = implemented the Mandal Commission report in 1990, providing 27% reservation for OBCs in central government jobs and services. • **Mandal Commission** — chaired by B.P. Mandal, set up in 1979 under Morarji Desai; recommended 27% OBC quota; report submitted 1980 but implemented only in 1990 by V.P. Singh. • 💡 Option A (Chandra Shekhar) is wrong — Chandra Shekhar succeeded V.P. Singh but did not implement the Mandal Commission. Option C (P.V. Narasimha Rao) is wrong — Rao implemented economic reforms, not the Mandal Commission. Option D (Rajiv Gandhi) is wrong — Rajiv Gandhi's tenure (1984–89) preceded V.P. Singh; the Mandal report was not implemented during his tenure.