10 Difficult Questions about Indian Politics

Answer: None of these

The Indian National Congress party was founded in 1885 thanks to the efforts of an Englishman (Scotsman) named Allan Octavian Hume. WC Bannerjee was the first president of the party. Mahatma Gandhi was the Congress President in 1924 and Pandit Nehru presided over the party in 1929 & 1930.

Answer: Saifuddin Soz

The National Conference party of Farooq Abdullah had issued a whip to its members to vote in favour of the Vajpayee government, but Saifuddin Soz violated the whip and voted against the government bringing it down. This probably turned to be a blessing in disguise as Vajpayee came back to power with a more stable majority.

Answer: Kerala

It was Kerala which first elected a Marxist government (which was the very first elected communist government in the world) with EMS Namboodripad as the Chief Minister. This was also one of the first states that was a victim of the draconian Article 356 of the Indian Constitution. The central government headed by Pandit Nehru dismissed it and imposed President's rule in 1959.

Answer: Zail Singh

In the late 1980s, the relation between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President Zail Singh had grown so bad, that he had actually threatened to use his constitutional powers and dismiss the government. The crisis was finally resolved after the Information & Broadcasting minister KK Tewary (who initiated the crisis) was sacked. Even in the 1960s, there was tension between President Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Nehru, but it was resolved amicably and there was no crisis in the government.

Answer: Speaker

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is all powerful and enjoys immense power, including the right to chair joint sittings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Answer: Vice-President

If the president has to resign, he has to submit his resignation to the vice-president. This is as mentioned in Article 56 of the Indian Constitution.

Answer: Secular

The words 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of the original preamble of the Indian constitution and was inserted by the Indira Gandhi Government during the emergency period (Forty Second amendment).

The preamble of the Indian Constitution reads 'We the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all it's citizens
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY, of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
.... in our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt enact and give to ourselves this Constitution.'

Answer: False

Prevention of cow slaughter is mentioned not as a fundamental duty, but in the directive principles of state policy. These are not enforceable by law unlike the fundamental duties.

Answer: The Anti-defection act

The list of states & union territories is in the first schedule of the Constitution, the eight schedule contains the list of languages recognized by the Indian constitution, the laws beyond court jurisdiction is in the ninth schedule and the anti-defection bill is in the tenth schedule.

Answer: Rajiv Gandhi

Nehru and Shastri died while serving as PM and Indira Gandhi was assassinated while she was the PM of India. But when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, he was not the prime minister, but was the leader of the opposition in parliament.