Saturday, March 1, 2025

Council of ministers shyam institute

 Prime Minister - Council of Ministers

  • Part V of the Indian Constitution mentions the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

  • India follows a parliamentary form of government. In this system:

    • President – Nominal Head.

    • Prime Minister – Real Head.

  • According to the Indian Constitution, all ministers are equal.

  • In the Indian Constitution, if any position is to be compared with the US President, it should be compared with the Prime Minister. It should not be compared with the President, as described by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

  • The Prime Minister is the first among equals.

Article 74: There shall be a Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President.
74(1): There shall be a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to advise and assist the President in the administration of the country.

  • The Indira Gandhi government, through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, amended the Constitution to state that the advice given by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to the President must be compulsorily followed.

  • The Janata government, through the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1978, allowed the President to send back the advice given by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister for reconsideration. If the Council of Ministers sends it back to the President for the second time, the President must compulsorily approve it.
    Article 74(2): The advice given by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers to the President shall not be questioned in any court.

Article 75: Appointment of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
75(1): According to this, the President of India appoints the Prime Minister of India, and on the advice of the Prime Minister, the President also appoints other ministers.
75(1)A: According to this, the Central Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha. (Including the Prime Minister).
75(1)B: According to the Anti-Defection Law, if the Speaker declares a member disqualified, that member shall not be given a ministerial post.

Note: Articles 75(1)A and 75(1)B, these two provisions were added in 2003 through the 91st Constitutional Amendment.

Article 75(2): The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers shall continue in office as long as they have the confidence of the President.

  • Central Ministers are individually responsible to the President.

  • The President has the power to remove ministers. (On the advice of the Prime Minister).

75(3): The Central Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

  • The Central Council of Ministers remains in office as long as it has confidence in the Lok Sabha.

Article 75(4): Central Ministers take oath of office in the presence of the President.

  • Their oath of office is mentioned in the 3rd Schedule.
    75(5): A person being appointed as the Prime Minister and "Central Ministers" must be a member of either House of Parliament.

  • If a person is appointed without being a member, they must acquire membership in either House within 6 months.
    75(6): The salaries and allowances of the Central Ministers are determined by Parliament.

Article 77: Explains about the executive action of the Government of India.
77(1): All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the President.
77(2): Orders and other instruments made and executed in the name of the President shall be authenticated in such manner as may be specified in rules to be made by the President, and the validity of an order or instrument which is so authenticated shall not be called in question on the ground that it is not an order or instrument made or executed by the President.
77(3): The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business. (Allocation of portfolios to ministers).

Article 78: According to this, the Prime Minister shall 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.
Article 78(A): According to this, the Prime Minister shall communicate to the President the decisions of the Union Council of Ministers regarding administrative matters and the decisions taken to formulate laws.

  • (Prime Minister is the link between the Council of Ministers and the President).
    78(B): Regarding matters related to administration, matters related to laws, any information, if the President requests to be sent to him, the Prime Minister must immediately send such information to the President.
    78(C): The President may inquire whether the statements made by ministers are personal or collective decisions.

Prime Minister & Council of Ministers:
Article 75(1): According to this, the President appoints the Prime Minister.

  • When the President appoints the Prime Minister, he appoints the leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister.

  • When no party gets a majority in the general elections to the Lok Sabha, the President, using his discretionary powers, appoints the leader of the political party or coalition of parties that can form a stable government as the Prime Minister and asks them to prove their majority in the Lok Sabha.

Note:

  • In the history of the country, for the 'first time, using presidential discretion, the Prime Minister appointed was - 'Charan Singh'.

  • In 1979, when Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the President, the appointment of Charan Singh as Prime Minister led to some controversy. At that time, the then opposition leader Y.B. Chavan was invited by President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy to form the government. But he did not show interest.

  • However, at this time, President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy appointed Charan Singh as Prime Minister instead of Babu Jagjivan Ram.

  • President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy asked Charan Singh to prove his confidence in the Lok Sabha within a month.

  • Charan Singh resigned from his post as Prime Minister on the 24th day.

  • "The only Prime Minister who never set foot in Parliament - Charan Singh."

→ In the Indian Constitution, there are no specific qualifications related to the Prime Minister and Minister.
→ The person to be appointed as Prime Minister must be at least 25 years of age.
→ The person to be appointed as Prime Minister must have membership in either House of Parliament. If a person is appointed as Prime Minister without membership in any House, they must acquire membership in either House within 6 months. If they fail to do so, the Prime Minister loses their position.

  • Prime Ministers who held the post of Prime Minister without being a member of Parliament:

    1. Deve Gowda

    2. P.V. Narasimha Rao.

  • Prime Ministers who were members of the Rajya Sabha:

    1. Indira Gandhi - 1966

    2. Deve Gowda - 1996

    3. I.K. Gujral - 1997

    4. Manmohan Singh - 2004/2009

  • Deve Gowda was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

  • P.V. Narasimha Rao was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nandyal.

  • According to the judgment given by the Delhi High Court in 1980, a Prime Minister is not required to prove their majority before being appointed. The President may first appoint them as Prime Minister.

  • The majority must be proven in the Lok Sabha within the time limit given by the President.

Ex:

  • Charan Singh - 1979

  • V.P. Singh - 1989

  • Chandrasekhar - 1990

  • Deve Gowda - 1996

  • I.K. Gujral - 1997

  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee - 1998

Prime Minister's Oath, Salaries, Term of Office:
Article 75(4): According to this, the Prime Minister of India takes the oath of office in the presence of the President.

  • The salaries and allowances of the Prime Minister are determined by Parliament.

  • To this extent, the Parliament enacted the Ministers' Salaries Act in 1952.

  • There is no fixed term for the Prime Minister. The usual term is 5 years.

→ The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers remain in office as long as they enjoy the confidence of the Lok Sabha.
→ If confidence is lost in the Lok Sabha, the Council of Ministers must resign.
→ The Prime Minister shall submit their resignation letter to the President.
→ If the Prime Minister resigns from their membership, they must submit it to the Speaker of the House in which they have membership.
→ If the office of the Prime Minister becomes vacant for any reason, the Council of Ministers must resign.
→ The Prime Minister acts as the Chairman of the following organizations:

  1. NITI Aayog

  2. Chairman of the National Security Council

  3. Chairman of the National Integration Council

  4. Chairman of the National Water Resources Council

  5. Chairman of the Inter-State Council

  6. Chairman of the Indian Board for Wildlife

  7. Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee.

  8. Chairman of the International Affairs Committee.

  9. Chairman of the Indian Disaster Management Authority.

  10. Chairman of the National Population Control Board.

  11. Chairman of the National AIDS Control Board.

Leader of Lok Sabha:

  • Generally, the Prime Minister acts as the leader of the Lok Sabha.

  • If the Prime Minister is a member of the Rajya Sabha, they act as the leader of the Rajya Sabha.

  • Appoints their representative as the leader of the Lok Sabha.

Functions of the Prime Minister:

  • The Prime Minister leads the Council of Ministers.
    → On the advice of the Prime Minister, the President appoints the Central Ministers.
    → Changes and amendments in the Central Council of Ministers depend on the discretion of the Prime Minister.
    → On the advice of the Prime Minister, the President allocates and reallocates portfolios to ministers.
    → On the advice of the Prime Minister, he asks ministers who are not working properly to resign.

The Prime Minister presides over the meetings of the Council of Ministers.

Note:

  • Drafts the agenda to be discussed in the Council of Ministers meetings.

  • On the advice of the Prime Minister, the President dissolves the Lok Sabha.

  • The Prime Minister acts as the leader of the country.

  • Represents India as the leader of the nation when touring abroad.

  • Informs the President of all decisions taken by the Council of Ministers.

  • Announces government policies in Parliament.

  • Requests the President to convene and adjourn Parliament sessions for a long time.

Deputy Prime Ministers:

  • The post of Deputy Prime Minister is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution.

  • The main reason for creating the post of Deputy Prime Minister can be said to be regional and political parties.

  • The Deputy Prime Minister is an integral part of the Union Council of Ministers.

  • Deputy Prime Ministers have no special powers or special status.

  • Manages the department allotted to them.

Devi Lal vs. Sharma Case (1990):

  • The Supreme Court, in its judgment, ruled that the swearing-in of Devi Lal as Deputy Prime Minister was not unconstitutional. It also ruled that he is also an integral part of the Council of Ministers.

Prime MinisterDeputy Prime MinisterTerm
1. Jawaharlal NehruSardar Vallabhbhai Patel1947-1950
2. Indira GandhiMorarji Desai1967-1969
3. Morarji DesaiCharan Singh, Babu Jagjivan Ram1977-1979, 1979-1979
4. Charan SinghY.B. Chavan1979-1980
5. Vishwanath Pratap SinghDevi Lal1989-1990
6. ChandrasekharDevi Lal1990-1991
7. A.B. VajpayeeL.K. Advani2002-2004

Note:

  • Morarji Desai appointed two Deputy Prime Ministers.

  • Devi Lal worked as Deputy Prime Minister under two Prime Ministers.

Council of Ministers:

  • There shall be a Council of Ministers to advise and assist the President in administration.

  • The original Constitution did not mention the maximum number of members in the Council of Ministers. Through the 91st Constitutional Amendment in 2003, it was decided that the maximum number of members in the Council of Ministers should not exceed 15%.

  • The minimum number of members in the Council of Ministers is not mentioned.

Classification of Council of Ministers:

  • There is no classification of the Council of Ministers in the original Constitution.

  • According to the Indian Constitution, all ministers are equal.

  • Based on the "Reorganization of the Government Machinery" report by Gopalaswamy Ayyangar, for the first time in 1952, 3 types of classification were made in the Council of Ministers.

    1. Cabinet Ministers

    2. Ministers of State

    3. Deputy Ministers

1. Cabinet Ministers:

  • Cabinet Ministers are the most senior ministers.

  • They are usually 15 to 20 in number.

  • The Cabinet is the highest policy-making body in the country. (Policy Making Body).

  • They are assigned the most important portfolios in the country.

    • Eg: - Defence, Finance, External Affairs, Home Affairs, etc.

  • The word "Cabinet" is not mentioned in the original Constitution.

  • Through the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, the word "Cabinet" was added in Article 352.

2. Ministers of State:

  • In some cases, these may assist the Cabinet Minister.
    → (Or) May have "Independent Charge" of a Ministry/Department. (Independent Charge).

  • They have full authority over the department assigned to them.
    → They do not attend Cabinet meetings.

  • They attend Cabinet meetings if invited by the Prime Minister.

3. Deputy Ministers:

  • These assist Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State.

  • The position of Deputy Minister is like training.

They do not have the authority to take decisions independently on the department assigned to them.
→ They oversee political administration and parliamentary affairs.

Kitchen Cabinet / Inner Cabinet / Informal Cabinet:

  • Kitchen Cabinet includes two to four influential persons who are closest to the Prime Minister.

  • This system is in practice in America and Britain.

  • In India, it is used depending on the context.

Shadow Cabinet:

  • This is in practice in Britain.

  • Shadow Cabinet means that those in the opposition party also form a government to question the government in power.

Parliamentary Secretary:

  • This concept is followed by various countries from Britain.

  • However, in that system, the Parliamentary Secretary is a Member of Parliament.

  • He performs duties as an assistant to a senior minister.

  • In India also, earlier there was a ministerial post called Parliamentary Secretary. This post was of a lower rank than the Deputy Minister.

  • No one has been appointed to this post since 1967. However, in 1985, the Rajiv Gandhi government appointed some people as Parliamentary Secretaries.

  • They do not have portfolios related to any department. They only conduct parliamentary affairs. Currently, this system is not in practice.

Principle of Collective Responsibility:

  • If the no-confidence motion introduced by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha is defeated, the Council of Ministers/government is dissolved.

  • If a bill officially introduced by a minister in the Lok Sabha is defeated, the Council of Ministers is dissolved.

  • If the motion of thanks moved in the Lok Sabha on the President's address is defeated, the government must resign.

  • If private bills (non-official bills) are passed in the Lok Sabha, the government must resign.

  • If the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the government is passed in the Lok Sabha, the Council of Ministers must resign (or) the government must resign.

  • If a cut motion is passed in the Lok Sabha, the Council of Ministers must resign.

Individual Responsibility:
Article 75(2): According to this, ministers are individually responsible to the President.

  • The Prime Minister may ask any minister who disagrees with the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers to resign.

  • On the advice of the Prime Minister, the President removes ministers.

  • The President cannot remove ministers at his discretion.

Ministers who resigned taking individual responsibility:

  1. Due to differences in financial matters, when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru asked to resign, the person who resigned - "C.D. Deshmukh".

  2. The person who resigned from his post as he was involved in unethical activities based on the report given by William Bose, as directed by Feroze Gandhi - "T.T. Krishnamachari".

  3. Due to the 2G-Spectrum scam, the person who resigned from his post in 2010 - "A. Raja".

  4. In the Mee-too movement, the person who resigned from his post due to allegations of sexual harassment against him by Pallavi Gogoi - "M.J. Akbar."

Ministers who resigned due to defying/violating the principle of collective responsibility:

  1. In 1953, due to differences with Nehru on the Hindu Code Bill, the person who resigned from the post of Central Minister - "Dr.B.R. Ambedkar."

  2. The person who resigned from his post due to differences with Nehru regarding the importance given to the Planning Commission or its structure - "V.V. Giri".

  3. The person who resigned opposing the Tashkent Agreement with Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistan - "Mahavir Tyagi".

  4. The person who resigned protesting against the devaluation of the rupee - "Morarji Desai!"

  5. In the Janata government period, the person who resigned on the issue of dual membership - "Charan Singh",

  6. Due to mutual contradictory statements during the war with China, the person who resigned from the post of Central Minister - "V.K. Krishna Menon".

  7. In the matter of Muslim women's marriage, divorce & rights law, the person who resigned disagreeing with Rajiv Gandhi - "Arif Mohammad Khan,"

  8. The person who resigned protesting the differences that arose while proposing the Three-Language Formula :- "M.C. Chagla"

  9. The person who resigned protesting against the classification of Bombay State - "C.D. Deshmukh."

Official Functions of the Union Council of Ministers:

  • The highest policy-making body in the country.

  • Takes decisions related to governance and legislative affairs of the country.

  • Collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

  • Drafts the speech given by the President in Parliament.

  • All appointments and schemes in the Centre are carried out as per the Cabinet decision.

  • Formulates the country's financial policies including the budget.

  • Formulates India's foreign policy.

  • Makes changes in government policies in line with global changes.

Cabinet Committees:

  1. Cabinet Committees are not mentioned in the Indian Constitution.

  2. Cabinet Ministers cannot meet every time, so Cabinet Ministries are divided into committees and work is done.

  3. The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet Committees. It can have three to eight members.

  4. Usually Cabinet Ministers are in this committee. However, there is no rule that only Cabinet Ministers should be appointed.

Important Cabinet Committees:
1. Political Affairs Committee (Super Cabinet):
→ It decides foreign policy and internal policies.
→ This is the most powerful committee.
→ Its Chairman - "Prime Minister"
→ Members: Home Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister, External Affairs Ministers.

2. Economic Affairs Committee:
→ It decides economic policy.
→ Its Chairman: Prime Minister.
→ Members: Finance Minister, Rural Development Minister, Agriculture, Industry Ministers.

3. Appointments Committee:
→ It recommends appointments of officers to be made in the Secretariat, Public Sector Undertakings & Banks.
→ Its Chairman: Prime Minister
→ Members: Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Home Minister, Finance Minister, Ministers of State.

4. Parliamentary Affairs Committee:
→ This drafts the agenda of Parliament sessions.
→ Its Chairman: Home Minister
→ Members: Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Information Broadcasting Minister, Law Minister, Justice Department, Labour Ministers.

Bharat Ratna Award Winners who became Prime Ministers:

  • Jawaharlal Nehru : 1955

  • Lal Bahadur Shastri : 1966

  • Indira Gandhi : 1971

  • Rajiv Gandhi : 1991

  • Morarji Desai : 1991

  • Gulzarilal Nanda : 1997

  • A.B. Vajpayee : 2014

  • P.V. Narasimha Rao : 2024

  • Chaudhary Charan Singh : 2024

Non-Congress Prime Ministers:

  • Morarji Desai

  • Charan Singh

  • V.P. Singh

  • Chandrasekhar

  • A.B. Vajpayee

  • Deve Gowda

  • Narendra Modi.

Prime Ministers who became Prime Ministers after serving as Chief Ministers:

  • Morarji Desai → Bombay State

  • Charan Singh → Uttar Pradesh

  • V.P. Singh → Uttar Pradesh

  • Deve Gowda → Karnataka

  • P.V. Narasimha Rao → Andhra Pradesh

  • Narendra Modi → Gujarat.

Prime Ministers who received the Best Parliamentarian Award:

  • A.B. Vajpayee : 1994

  • Chandrasekhar : 1996

  • Manmohan Singh : 2002

Opinions of Prominent People on the Role of Prime Minister:

  • The Prime Minister is like the "pillar" of the building called the Cabinet - Ambedkar, Lord Morley.

  • Prime Minister is the first among equals - Lord Morley (Primus Inter Pares)

  • Although Prime Minister is the first among equals initially, now the Prime Minister is like the moon among the stars - Herbert Morrison & William Werner Harcourt.

  • Prime Minister is like the captain of the ship called Parliamentary Government (or) Kingdom - Ramsay Muir.

  • If the Prime Minister is the Sun, the ministers are the planets revolving around the Sun - Ivor Jennings.

  • The Prime Minister is like the foundation stone for the building called the Cabinet Government - Lord Munro

  • If the government is the owner of the country, the Prime Minister is the owner of the government - H.R.G. Greaves.

  • Prime Minister is like the captain of the ship called the state - Munro

  • Prime Minister, Leader and Chief Decision Maker - Emery.

  • Comparing the Indian Prime Minister with the President, the Prime Minister is a more appropriate comparison, but not the President - B.R. Ambedkar.



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