Who among the following became the acting Prime Minister of India after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru?
- A.Indira Gandhi
- B.Gulzarilal Nanda
- C.Morarji Desai
- D.Zakir Hussain
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Gulzarilal Nanda. When Jawaharlal Nehru died on 27 May 1964, Gulzarilal Nanda, the senior-most minister, was sworn in as acting Prime Minister and held office for about two weeks until the Congress party chose Lal Bahadur Shastri. When Shastri died at Tashkent in January 1966, Nanda again served as acting Prime Minister until Indira Gandhi took over. He is the only person to have been acting Prime Minister twice, and he received the Bharat Ratna in 1997.
Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister only in 1966, after Shastri's death, not after Nehru's. Morarji Desai was a contender for the post in 1964 and 1966 but became Prime Minister only in 1977, as the first non-Congress Prime Minister. Zakir Husain was Vice-President in 1964 and later became President; he never held the office of Prime Minister. The Constitution has no post of acting Prime Minister; the President simply appoints a Prime Minister to fill the gap.
Read the full article: Prime Minister and Council of Ministers: Notes, Articles and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allArticle 74 of the Constitution elaborates on which of the following?
- A.Appointment of Chief Justice by President
- B.Appointment of Vice President by President
- C.Council of Ministers to aid and advise President
- D.Appointment of Chairman of Finance Commission
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Article 74(1) says there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at its head to aid and advise the President, who shall act in accordance with that advice.
Read the full explanation →The Prime Minister and the other Ministers of the Indian Union are appointed by the President under ______ of the Constitution of India.
- A.Article 70
- B.Article 79
- C.Article 75
- D.Article 85
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Article 75(1) says the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Read the full explanation →Article 77 of the Indian Constitution deals with the ________.
- A.term of office of the Vice-President
- B.Vice-President of India
- C.oath of office by the Vice-President
- D.conduct of business of the Government of India
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Article 77 says all executive action of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the President, and that the President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the government's business and for allocating it among ministers.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is dealt in Article 78 of the Constitution?
- A.President's power to send advisory messages to the Parliament
- B.Emergency powers of the President
- C.President's power to get information from the Council of Ministers
- D.Prime Minister's duty regarding keeping the President informed about the government's decisions and policies
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Article 78 makes it the duty of the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the Union and proposals for legislation; to furnish such information about them as the President may call for; and, if the President so…
Read the full explanation →For how long a person can serve as a minister without being a member of either House of Parliament of India?
- A.6 consecutive months
- B.3 consecutive months
- C.12 consecutive months
- D.2 consecutive month
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Article 75(5) says a minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of either House of Parliament shall, at the end of that period, cease to be a minister.
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