The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister

He describes Prime Minister as 'primus inter pares' (first among equals) and 'key stone of the Cabinet arch'. He said, "The head of the Cabinet is 'primus intro pares', and occupied a position which so long as it lasts, is one of exceptional and peculiar authority".

- Lord Morely

The Prime Minister

Introduction

Executive: The Constitution provides for a collegiate executive i.e Council of ministers under the chair members of the Prime Minister

Meaning: A body of persons having authority to initiate major policies, make decisions and implement them on basis of the Constitution and laws of the country.

There are two important organs of the Union Government.

v The Union Legislature (or) the Union Parliament

v The Union Executive

In the previous unit you have learnt about the Union Legislature. Let us now deal with Union Executive. You should remember that articles 52 to 78 in Part V of the Indian Constitution deal with “Union Executive”.

India has adopted the British Parliamentary executive mode with the Prime Minister as the Head of the Government. Prime Minister is the most important political institution. But in the council of Ministers (Cabinet), the Prime Minister is primus inter pares (first among equals).

Appointment

The Constitution does not contain any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Prime Minister. There is no direct election to the post of the Prime Minister. Article 75 says that the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President. Appointment is not by the choice of the President. The President appoints the leader of the majority party or the coalition of the parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha, as the Prime Minister. In case, no single party gets a majority, the President appoints the person most likely to secure a majority support. The Prime Minister does not have a fixed tenure. He/she continues in power so long as he/she remains the leader of the majority party or coalition.

Functions and Position

The first and foremost function of the Prime Minister is to prepare the list of his ministers. He meets the President with this list and then the Council of Ministers is formed. Very important ministers are designated as Ministers of the Cabinet rank, others are called Ministers of State, while ministers belonging to third rank are known as Deputy Ministers. It is one of the discretionary powers of the Prime Minister to designate a minister as Deputy Prime Minister. The President allocates portfolios among the ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister may keep any department or departments under his control; he may also advise the President to reshuffle portfolios of his ministers from time to time; he may bifurcate of trifurcate a department or have different departments amalgamated into one department.

The Prime Minister`s pre eminent position is evident from these points:

1. He/She is the leader of the party that enjoys a majority in the popular House of the Parliament (Lok Sabha).

2. Has the power of selecting other ministers and also advising the President to dismiss any of them individually or require any of them to resign.

3. The allocation of business amongst the Ministers is a function of the Prime Minister. He can transfer a minister from one Department to another.

4. Is the Chairman of the Cabinet, summons its meetings and presides over them. The Prime Minister is also the Chairman of many bodies like Inter-State Council, Nuclear command Authority and many more.

5. Is in-charge of co-coordinating the policy of the government and has accordingly a right of supervision over all the Departments.

6. While the resignation of a Minister merely creates a vacancy, the resignation or death of the Prime Minister means the end of the Council of Ministers.

7. The Prime Minister is the sole channel of communication between the President and the Ministers and between the Parliament and his Ministers. He/ she is the chief spokesperson of the government in foreign affairs.

Prime Minister’s Office

Meaning

Being the head of the government and the real executive authority, the Prime Minister plays a very vital role in the politico- administrative realm of our country. In order to fulfill his responsibilities, the Prime Minister is assisted by the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO) . The Prime Minister`s Office is an agency meant for providing secretarial assistance and advice to the Prime Minister. It is an extra constitutional body which offers important role in the top level decision making process of the Government of India. The Prime Minister`s Office has the status of a department of the Government of India. The Prime Minister`s Office came into existence in 1947. Till 1977, it was called Prime Minister`s Secretariat (PMS). The Prime Minister`s Office is headed politically by the Prime Minister and administratively by the Principal Secretary.

The Prime Minister’s Office performs Several Functions

Functions

1. Assists the prime minister in his overall responsibilities as head of the government, in maintaining communication with the central ministries/departments and the state governments.

2. Helps the prime minister in his responsibilities as chairman of the Niti Aayog and the National Development Council.

3. Looks after the public relations of the prime minister like contact with the press and the general public.

4. Deals with all references, which under the Rules of Business have to come to the Prime Minister.

5. Provides assistance to the Prime Minister in the examination of cases submitted to him for orders under prescribed rules.

6. Maintains harmonious relationship with the President, Governors and foreign representatives in the country.

7. Acts as the `think- tank` of the Prime Minister. It deals with all such subjects that are not allotted to any department/ministry.

8. It is not concerned with the responsibility of the Prime Minister as the chairman of the union Cabinet. The Cabinet cases are directly dealt by the Cabinet secretariat, which also functions under the direction of the prime minister.