2024 · GS Paper 2 · Q3 · 10 marks
The growth of cabinet system has practically resulted in the marginalisation of the parliamentary supremacy. Elucidate.
In short
A whip-bound majority lets the cabinet set Parliament's agenda, bypass scrutiny through ordinances and Money Bills, and turn Parliament into a ratifier, though confidence votes and committees still check it. Committee referral of bills fell from 71% in the 15th Lok Sabha to 25% in the 16th.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 267 words
Whip-bound majorities
The Tenth Schedule (52nd Amendment, 1985) disqualifies members who defy the whip, so votes follow the cabinet.
Agenda control
Government business dominates; only 14 private members' bills have become law, the last in 1970.
Bypass routes
Re-promulgated ordinances, condemned in Krishna Kumar Singh (2017), and the Aadhaar Act's Money Bill route (2016) sidestep scrutiny.
Shrinking scrutiny
Committee referral of bills fell from 71% in the 15th Lok Sabha to 25% in the 16th (PRS), and all 2023 demands for grants were guillotined.
Confidence
The Vajpayee government fell by one vote in April 1999, proving the Lok Sabha can still unmake a cabinet.
Answerability
Question Hour and the 2023 no-confidence motion on Manipur forced ministers to explain policy on the floor.
Financial checks
The Opposition-chaired Public Accounts Committee scrutinised the 2G audit, and Rajya Sabha resistance let the Land Acquisition ordinance lapse in 2015.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2024 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.