RAS question
The Council of Ministers under Article 75 is collectively responsible to:
Correct answer: (D) The Lok Sabha.
Under Article 75(3), the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of the People, that is, the Lok Sabha.
Explanation
Article 75 deals with the Union Council of Ministers, and clause (3) gives the direct constitutional answer: the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People. The House of the People is the Lok Sabha, not the Rajya Sabha or Parliament as a combined body. Collective responsibility means the ministry stands or falls together before the Lok Sabha. If the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion, the entire Council of Ministers must resign. This is why the option naming the Lok Sabha is precise: Article 75(3) ties ministerial accountability to the popularly elected House, using the constitutional phrase "House of the People".
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The President appoints ministers and they hold office during the President's pleasure, but Article 75(3) fixes collective responsibility to the House of the People, not to the President.
- (B) The Rajya Sabha is not the House named in Article 75(3); the clause specifically says the Council of Ministers is responsible to the House of the People.
- (C) Article 75(3) does not make the Council of Ministers collectively responsible to both Houses of Parliament; it singles out the House of the People.
Concept
This tests the parliamentary executive and collective responsibility under Article 75. It recurs in RAS because many polity questions turn on the exact constitutional phrase rather than a broad idea of Parliament or executive control.