Question

Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people? Choose the most appropriate answer and give reasons for your choice.
A. In a Parliamentary democracy only the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha can become the Prime Minister.
B. Lok Sabha can remove the Prime Minister and the council of ministers even before the expiry of their term
C. Since the Prime Minister is appointed by the President there is no need for it.
D. Direct election of the Prime Minister will involve a lot of expenditure on election.

Answer 1

Hint: The Prime Minister is the most important and functionary of the State. Hw is the head of the Council of Ministers and all powers of the President are actually exercised by the Prime Minister.

Complete answer: The Constitution of India both at the Centre and in the States provides for a Parliamentary form of government. The provisions with regard to the parliamentary system of government of both the Union and state level have been mentioned in Articles 74 and 75 (union level) and Articles 163 and 164 (state level) of the Indian Constitution.

In a Parliamentary system or Parliamentary democracy, the Prime Minister is not directly elected by the citizens of India. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, who is not free to appoint any person as Prime Minister. He has to appoint that person as Prime Minister who is the leader of the party or parties having an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha elections. However, this is to ensure that the Prime Minister secures the support of the majority which further prevents him from becoming a dictator since he has to function along with the Council of Ministers to implement his policies or pass a law in the Parliament. If the Prime Minister resigns or dies, the whole Council of Ministers goes out along with him. Without the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers cannot exist.

Now let us examine the options
Option A - The Republic of India adopted parliamentary democracy and in a parliamentary democracy the President is not free to appoint any person as Prime Minister. He can only appoint the leader of the majority party or parties who have secured an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha elections.
Option B - The Lok Sabha can indeed remove the President by passing a vote of no-confidence by a simple majority by the members present in the house and voting, has no say in appointing or electing the Prime Minister of India.
Option C - This option is invalid because India has adopted the parliamentary democracy and in a parliamentary system, the President is not free to appoint any person as Prime Minister. He can only appoint the leader of the majority party or parties who have secured an absolute majority of seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Option D - In a parliamentary system, the leader of a majority party who has secured an absolute majority of seats in the Lok Sabha is appointed as the Prime Minister of the country by the President. In addition, we the people of India vote for a party and not to an individual.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: The Prime Minister gets the same salary and allowances which are paid to members of Parliament. He also receives a Constituency allowance. In addition, he gets a sumptuary allowance. He also gets the facility of free official residence, free travels, medical facilities etc.