RAS question
Censure motion differs from no-confidence motion in that:
Correct answer: (A) Censure motion must specify charges and government need not resign if passed.
A censure motion must state specific charges against government policy or action, and its passage does not by itself require the government to resign.
Explanation
The key distinction is the purpose and consequence of the motion. A censure motion is a targeted expression of disapproval: it censures the government, a minister, or a policy/action, so the reasons or charges must be stated clearly. Its passage does not automatically remove the Council of Ministers from office. A no-confidence motion works differently. It tests whether the Lok Sabha still has confidence in the Council of Ministers; no specific charges or reasons are required for moving it. If the House passes a no-confidence motion, the government must resign because it has lost the confidence on which its continuance depends.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) A no-confidence motion does not require specific charges; that requirement belongs to a censure motion.
- (C) A censure motion is not confined to the Rajya Sabha, and the cited distinction treats it as a Lok Sabha device against government policy or action.
- (D) They are not identical because censure requires stated reasons and does not automatically force resignation, while no-confidence needs no reasons and does force resignation if passed.
Concept
This tests parliamentary control over the executive, especially how the lower House holds the Council of Ministers politically accountable. It recurs in RAS because small procedural differences between censure, no-confidence, adjournment, and related motions are common prelims traps.