India has a Parliamentary system of Government.

Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): India has a Parliamentary system of Government.

Reason (R): In India, the executive is responsible to the legislature.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
2. B. (A) is false, but (R) is true
3. C. (A) is true, but (R) is false
4. D. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A) (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

• Assertion is true. India has adopted the parliamentary system of government, at both the Centre and in the states.
• Reason is true. In India the executive (the Council of Ministers) is collectively responsible to the legislature — specifically to the Lok Sabha under Article 75(3).
• (R) explains (A): responsibility of the executive to the legislature is the defining feature of a parliamentary system, distinguishing it from a presidential one. Hence option (d).

Additional Information

• Features of the parliamentary system: nominal and real executives, majority party rule, collective responsibility, political homogeneity, double membership (ministers belong to the legislature), leadership of the Prime Minister and dissolution of the lower House.
• In a presidential system (USA), the executive is not responsible to the legislature, and the President is both head of state and head of government with a fixed tenure.
• India chose the parliamentary model for its greater responsibility, familiarity from the colonial period, need to avoid legislative-executive conflict, and suitability to a plural society where broad representation is needed.
• The Indian variant is sometimes called the Westminster model; unlike Britain, however, India has a republican head of state, written constitution, federalism and judicial review.