Question

With reference to the Parliamentary government, which of the following features is/are correct?

1. President is both the head of the State and the head of government

2. Double membership

3. Dissolution of the lower house

4. Collective responsibility

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : 2, 3 and 4 only

The correct answer is ​2, 3, and 4 only.

• The Constitution of India provides for a parliamentary form of government, both at the Centre and in the states.
  • Articles 74 and 75 deal with the parliamentary system at the Centre.
  • Articles 163 and 164 in the states.
• Modern democratic governments are classified into parliamentary and presidential on the basis of the nature of relations between the executive and the legislative organs of the government.

• The features of parliamentary government in India:
  • Nominal and Real Executives - 
    • The President is the nominal executive (de jure executive or titular executive) while the Prime Minister is the real executive (de facto executive).
    • Thus, the President is head of the State, while the Prime Minister is head of the government. Hence, Statement 1 is not correct.
  • Majority Party Rule - 
    • The political party which secures majority seats in the Lok Sabha forms the government.
  • Collective Responsibility - (Asked in UPSC prelims)
    • This is the bedrock principle of parliamentary government.
    • The ministers are collectively responsible to the Parliament in general and to the Lok Sabha in particular (Article 75).
    • They act as a team, and swim and sink together.
    • The principle of collective responsibility implies that the Lok Sabha can remove the ministry (i.e., the council of ministers headed by the prime minister) from office by passing a vote of no confidence.
  • Political Homogeneity 
    • Usually, members of the council of ministers belong to the same political party, and hence they share the same political ideology.
    • In the case of a coalition government, the ministers are bound by consensus.
  • Double Membership 
    • The ministers are members of both the legislature and the executive.
    • This means that a person cannot be a minister without being a member of Parliament.
    • The Constitution stipulates that a minister who is not a member of the Parliament for a period of six consecutive months ceases to be a minister.
  • The Leadership of the Prime Minister
    • The Prime Minister plays a leadership role in this system of government.
    • S/He is the leader of the council of ministers, the leader of the Parliament, and the leader of the party in power.
  • Dissolution of the Lower House 
    • The lower house of the Parliament (Lok Sabha) can be dissolved by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
    • In other words, the prime minister can advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha before the expiry of its term and hold fresh elections.
    • This means that the executive enjoys the right to get the legislature dissolved in a parliamentary system.
  • Secrecy 
    • The ministers operate on the principle of secrecy of procedure and cannot divulge information about their proceedings, policies, and decisions.
    • They take the oath of secrecy before entering their office.
    • The oath of secrecy to the ministers is administered by the President.