Power and Function of Prime Minister

 

The Prime Minister is the head of the majority party also the leader of the Lok Sabha. The President acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is a link between the President and the people. He or she is the person who is actually responsible for the effective functioning of the government.

 

Position and Powers of the Prime Ministers

 

The Prime Minister is the keystone of the Cabinet arch. If a Prime minister resigns, the entire Council goes with him or her. The Prime minister�s special position is that of the first among equals. The prime minister is the leader of the Parliamentary party where the party commands an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha.

 

He has the power of selecting other ministers and also of advising the President to dismiss anyone of them individually or require anyone of them to resign. Virtually the Ministers hold office at the pleasure of the Prime Minister.

 

The Prime Minister takes decisions with regard to the assignment of various ministries to individual ministers. He may transfer a Minister from one Department to another. As Chairperson of the Cabinet, he summons its meetings and presides over them.

 

The resignation or death of the Prime Minister dissolves the Cabinet. In the case of a Minister such a happening only creates a vacancy. The Prime Minister stands between the President and the cabinet. Communications relating to policy are made only through the Prime Minister.

 

The Prime Minister is also the ex-officio Chairperson of the Planning Commission. Can a prime Minister belonging to a party that has the absolute majority of its members in the Lok Sabha and also in the Rajya Sabha turn into a dictator?

 

The answer is both Yes and No. There are a number of built-in checks. Any Prime Minister attempting to turn into a dictator would need to override all the checks.

 

There is the opposition which shall have to be locked up. There is the party that may have to be silenced. Then there is the party that may have to be silenced. Then there is the judiciary which could be made ineffective through constitutional amendments.

 

The President has to be docile and incapable of asserting. The press and media would need to be put under strict censorship. Honest bureaucrats will have to be terrorized. Experience has shown that even if all these conditions are met, public opinion would ultimately assert. A Prime Minister disregarding public opinion may be able to continue in office for some time but not for all times or even a long time.

 

A Prime minister running a coalition of political parties or dependent on any political party outside the government for support is forced to exercise his or her powers under a number of restrictions.

 

The stability of the Prime Minister remains perpetually threatened and the performance of the government suffers badly. India has been experiencing such problems since 1989. any government at the Centre or the States can show results if it has the freedom to make decisions and also time to implement them.

 

If the Prime Minister is subjected to contradictory pulls and pressures, the performance of the government is very adversely affected. Similarly, if there are frequent changes in government, the results of new policy measures fail to show.

 

Power and Function of Prime Minister: Role of the Prime Minister

 

The Constitution vests all executive powers in the President but only formally. He/she acts as the constitutional head of the country acting on the advice of Ministers responsible to the Lok Sabha. The President appoints the Prime Minister. The leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha is invited to form the government.

 

If no single party commands an absolute majority in the House, the President can invite anyone who can claim to command a majority in the House. The majority however has to be proved on the floor of the House within such specified period as the President may deem fit and allow.

 

Other members of the Council of ministers including the Cabinet Ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. The President cannot disregard the choice of the Prime Minister. The Minister could be a Member of either House.

 

In case the appointed Minister is not a member of either house, he can continue for a period of six months within which time he has to get elected to either House. Every Minister is administered the oath of secrecy before assuming office. The salary and allowances of the Ministers are fixed by the parliament from time to time.

 

Read More: The President: Eligibility, Election, Term, Salary and allowances