Question

Select the Prime Minister who could not face Parliament during his tenure.
A.Chaudhari Devi Lal
B.Chaudhari Charan Singh
C.Chander Shekhar
D.Atal Behari Vajpayee

Answer 1

Hint: The leader of the party or coalition with the most seats in the Lok Sabha is appointed as the Prime Minister. The President’s discretion comes into full play when they are faced with a situation of a hung parliament. In such cases, they have to seem non-partisan and judicious so over the years the Presidents have developed a practice of asking the appointee Prime Minister, who does not have a clear party majority to prove their majority in the Lok Sabha within a minimum time by seeking a ‘vote of confidence’. If the opposition doubts the majority of a government, it may move a motion of no confidence immediately after the House assembles. If the appointee fails to get the confidence of a majority, they have to resign.

Complete step by step solution:
Option A: is incorrect. Chaudhari Devi Lal served as the Chief Minister of Haryana from 1977-1979 and then again between 1987-1989. He was also the Deputy Prime Minister under V.P Singh and Chandra Shekhar from 1989-1991.
Option B: is correct. Chaudhari Charan Singh’s government which was formed after a split in the Janata Party in 1979, was the first to seek the confidence vote. He had to resign just after 23 days before even facing the House when Indira Gandhi’s Congress withdrew support.
Option C: is incorrect. In 1989, Chandra Shekhar split from Janta party to form the Janata Dal (Socialist) and with the support from Congress headed by Rajiv Gandhi at the time, he became the Prime Minister in November 1990. However, he only served for seven months which was the shortest term after Chaudhari Charan Singh’s government.
Option D: is incorrect. Atal Behari Vajpayee had to resign after 13 days in office because he could not garner the confidence of the House in 1996. However, in 1998, he became the Prime Minister for a second time and served until 2004.

Note: The President also appoints the Council of Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister who may belong to either of the two Houses. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. Once a council of ministers has established its majority in the Lok Sabha, it is assumed that confidence lies reposed in it until proven otherwise.