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Question 58 of 78 · Union Executive: President, VP & PM
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The Union minister who resigned in the wake of the India-China war of 1962 was:

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Answer: Option A — V.K. Krishna Menon

Detailed Solution

Krishna Menon. V.K. Krishna Menon, who was the Defence Minister of India, resigned in November 1962 after India's defeat in the war with China.

Why he resigned:

  • India suffered serious military setbacks in the war, which began on 20 October 1962.
  • Krishna Menon was blamed for poor military preparedness, interference in army appointments and misjudging China's intentions.
  • There was strong criticism in Parliament and in the Congress party.
  • Prime Minister Nehru at first defended him but finally accepted his resignation.

Who succeeded him:

Y.B. Chavan, then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, became the new Defence Minister.

About Krishna Menon:

  • He was born in 1896 in Kerala.
  • He lived for many years in Britain, where he led the India League, which campaigned for Indian independence.
  • He was a close friend and adviser of Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • He served as India's first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1947 to 1952.
  • He led the Indian delegation to the United Nations and was known for his long speech on Kashmir in the Security Council in 1957, which lasted about eight hours.
  • He was Defence Minister from 1957 to 1962.

Achievements as Defence Minister:

  • He promoted the development of the defence industry, including ordnance factories and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
  • He is credited with starting the production of some military equipment in India.

Later life:

He was elected to the Lok Sabha several times and died in 1974.

The 1962 war:

  • It ended with a unilateral ceasefire declared by China on 21 November 1962.
  • The Henderson Brooks-Bhagat report studied the reasons for India's defeat.

Why not the other options?

Y.B. Chavan succeeded Menon as Defence Minister.

Gulzarilal Nanda and Morarji Desai held other ministries.

Quick tip

Remember: Defence Minister V.K. Krishna Menon resigned after the 1962 war with China; succeeded by Y.B. Chavan.

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Union Executive: President, VP & PM — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Union Executive: President, VP & PM, 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 Union Executive: the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the Attorney General. It includes their election or appointment, qualifications, powers, removal, and the relationship between the President and the Council of Ministers. Common questions cover the electoral college that elects the President, impeachment under Article 61, the President's ordinance-making power (Article 123) and pardoning power (Article 72), and the fact that the Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Lists of past Presidents and Prime Ministers are also tested. Practise the Union Executive 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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