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Question 81 of 98 · Parliament
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SSC

A motion of no-confidence in the Lok Sabha is moved against the:

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Answer: Option A — Council of Ministers

Detailed Solution

A no-confidence motion is moved against the entire Council of Ministers, because under Article 75(3) the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

Collective responsibility:

  • All ministers share responsibility for the decisions of the government.
  • If the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion, the whole Council of Ministers, including ministers from the Rajya Sabha, must resign.
  • Ministers must publicly support Cabinet decisions, even if they disagreed in private.

Features of a no-confidence motion:

  • It can be moved only in the Lok Sabha.
  • It needs the support of at least 50 members for admission.
  • It need not state the reasons for which it is moved.

Other related motions:

  • Confidence motion: moved by the government to show that it enjoys the support of the House.
  • Censure motion: moved against the Council of Ministers or a particular minister for specific policies or actions; it must state reasons, and its passage does not require the government to resign.
  • Motion of thanks: moved on the President's address; its defeat is treated as a defeat of the government.
  • Cut motions on budget demands: their passage also shows a lack of confidence.

History of no-confidence motions:

  • The first no-confidence motion was moved in 1963 against the government of Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • Many no-confidence motions have been moved since then, but most have failed.

Governments have fallen mainly by losing confidence votes, such as those of V.P. Singh (1990), Deve Gowda (1997) and Vajpayee (1999).

Morarji Desai resigned in 1979 before a no-confidence motion could be voted on.

Role of the Prime Minister:

The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers, and the resignation or death of the Prime Minister dissolves the whole Council.

States:

In states, a no-confidence motion is moved in the Legislative Assembly against the state Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Article 164(2)).

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The motion is against the whole Council of Ministers, not the Prime Minister alone.
  • ✗The President is removed only by impeachment.
  • ✗The Speaker is removed by a resolution of the House, not a no-confidence motion against the government.

Quick tip

Remember: No-confidence motion = against the Council of Ministers (collective responsibility, Article 75(3)); Lok Sabha only.

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Parliament — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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