HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 100 : Model Answer

Question: What do you mean by Collective Responsibility of Council of Ministers (4 Marks)

Answer:

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
a) Principle of collective responsibility is the fundamental principle underlying the working of the parliamentary system.
b) Article 75 – Explicitly states that the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This implies that all the ministers own joint responsibility to the Lok Sabha for all their acts of omission and commission. Philosophy is working as a team and swimming or sinking together.
c) When the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion against the Council of Ministers, all the ministers have to resign including those ministers who are from the Rajya Sabha.

d) On other side, the Council of Ministers can advise the president to dissolve the Lok Sabha on the ground that the House does not represent the views of the electorate faithfully and call for fresh elections. The President may not oblige the Council of Ministers that has lost the confidence of the Lok Sabha.
e) The principle of collective responsibility also connotes that the Cabinet decisions bind all cabinet ministers (and other ministers) even if they differ in the cabinet meeting.
f) It is the duty of every minister to stand by cabinet decisions and support them both within and outside the Parliament.
g)  If any minister disagrees with a cabinet decision and is not prepared to defend it, he must resign.