RAS question
The Rajya Sabha CANNOT be dissolved because:
Correct answer: (A) It is a permanent body with one-third members retiring every two years.
The Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved because Article 83(1) makes the Council of States a continuing House, with about one-third of its members retiring every second year.
Explanation
Article 83(1) gives the constitutional reason, not merely a convention: the Council of States is "not subject to dissolution". Instead of ending the whole House at once, the Constitution keeps it continuous by providing that, as nearly as possible, one-third of its members retire at the end of every second year under a law made by Parliament. That rotation is the point of the provision. It preserves institutional continuity while still allowing periodic renewal of membership. Therefore, the best answer is that the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body with one-third of its members retiring every two years.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Vice-President's inability to dissolve it is not the constitutional reason; Article 83(1) itself makes the Council of States not subject to dissolution.
- (C) This is too vague: the relevant rule is not a general statement that no dissolution is allowed, but the specific Article 83(1) rule for the Council of States.
- (D) State legislatures do not dissolve the Rajya Sabha; Article 83(1) ties its continuity and retirement cycle to provisions made by Parliament by law.
Concept
This tests the constitutional design of Parliament, especially the difference between a continuing Upper House and a House that can end as a whole. It recurs in RAS because Article-based questions often ask the reason behind a familiar institutional feature, not just the name of the feature.