RAS question
The Council of Ministers in Rajasthan is collectively responsible to:
Correct answer: (A) The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
Under Article 164(2), the Council of Ministers in Rajasthan is collectively responsible to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
Explanation
Article 164(2) of the Constitution places the State Council of Ministers under collective responsibility to the Legislative Assembly of the State. For Rajasthan, that means the ministry stands or falls before the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, not before an individual constitutional office. The no-confidence principle follows from this rule: if the Assembly withdraws confidence from the ministry, the Council as a whole must resign. This is why the provision is central to the parliamentary system at the State level. Article 164(1) deals with appointment by the Governor, while Article 164(2) fixes collective accountability to the Assembly.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The President of India is not the forum for constitutional collective responsibility of a State Council of Ministers; Article 164(2) places that responsibility with the State Legislative Assembly.
- (C) The people are the broader democratic source of accountability, but Article 164(2) makes collective ministerial responsibility a constitutional relationship with the Legislative Assembly.
- (D) The Governor appoints the Chief Minister and ministers under Article 164(1), but Article 164(2) separately makes the Council collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly.
Concept
This tests the State executive under Article 164 and the parliamentary principle of collective responsibility. It recurs in RAS because candidates must separate appointment by the Governor from accountability to the Assembly.