RAS question
The President can exercise absolute veto on which of the following?
Correct answer: (C) State bills reserved by the Governor for Presidential consideration.
The President can exercise absolute veto by withholding assent to a State Bill reserved by the Governor for Presidential consideration under Article 201.
Explanation
Article 201 is the decisive provision. It applies after a Governor reserves a State Bill for the President's consideration, and it gives the President two possible declarations: assent to the Bill or withhold assent. Withholding assent is the absolute veto, because the Bill is blocked at the assent stage and no constitutional duty or time limit forces Presidential assent in this situation. The proviso only adds that, for a non-Money Bill, the President may direct the Governor to return it to the State Legislature for reconsideration within six months; it does not remove the President's power to withhold assent. That is why the reserved State Bill category fits the question, unlike Union Money Bills, amendment Bills, or joint-sitting ordinary Bills.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A Money Bill is not the answer because it requires prior Presidential recommendation and must receive assent, so it is not the Article 201 situation where assent may be withheld.
- (B) A Constitutional Amendment Bill is not the answer because Article 368 says a duly passed amendment is presented to the President, who shall give assent to it.
- (D) An ordinary Bill passed in a joint sitting is not the answer because it belongs to the parliamentary joint-sitting route, while Article 201 expressly covers State Bills reserved by the Governor and permits withholding assent.
Concept
This tests Presidential assent to Bills, especially the Article 200-201 link between a Governor's reservation and Presidential consideration. RAS repeatedly asks this because veto powers look similar in shorthand but differ sharply by Bill type and constitutional route.