UPSC Prelims 2015 Q91: Indian Polity – Union & State Executive

UPSC Prelims 2015, General Studies Paper I · Indian Polity

There is a Parliamentary System of Government in India because the

Answer: (d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha

Explanation

Why India has a Parliamentary System of Government

The defining feature of a parliamentary system is that the executive is responsible to the legislature.

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

Option	True?	Is it the reason?
(a) Lok Sabha is elected directly by the people	True	No; lower houses are directly elected in presidential systems too
(b) Parliament can amend the Constitution	True	No; this is about amending power
(c) Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved	True	No; this is a feature of bicameralism
(d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha	True	Yes

Features of the parliamentary system:

Feature	Detail
Two heads	Nominal (President) and real (Prime Minister)
Majority party rule	The leader of the majority becomes Prime Minister
Double membership	Ministers are members of Parliament
Dissolution	The Lok Sabha can be dissolved before its term ends

Answer: (d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha.

(a) Incorrect. A directly elected lower house exists in presidential systems too.
(b) Incorrect. The power to amend the Constitution does not define the system.
(c) Incorrect. That the Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved is unrelated to this.
(d) CORRECT. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha: the core of the system.

Parliamentary system = executive responsible to the legislature (Article 75(3)); nominal and real heads; ministers sit in Parliament.

Parliamentary system = ministers answerable to Lok Sabha.

Picking a true statement that is not the reason.
Forgetting that responsibility is to the Lok Sabha, not to Parliament as a whole.
Confusing the parliamentary system with federalism.

All four options are true facts. Choose the one that answers 'because'.