Question

Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

Madhavrao Scindia tendered his resignation as Civil Aviation Minister on January 9, 1993, following the crash of TU-154 aircraft, which was carrying 165 persons on board, including the crew. Although all the passengers survived the crash, Madhavrao resigned on moral grounds as the aircraft had been leased from Russia.

1. Does Madhavrao’s resignation reflect Individual Responsibility or Collective Responsibility? Justify.
2. State two important differences between Individual and Collective Responsibility.
3. Which of these two responsibilities is more important? Why?

Answer 1

1. Resignation Type and Justification:
   • Madhavrao Scindia’s resignation reflects Individual Responsibility.
   • A minister is personally accountable for the actions and failures of their specific department.
   • He stepped down voluntarily to take sole ownership of the aircraft crash under his Civil Aviation Ministry.
   • His resignation did not affect the tenure or stability of the rest of the government.
2. Differences Between Individual and Collective Responsibility:
   1. Collective Responsibility holds the entire Council of Ministers jointly accountable to the Lok Sabha for all decisions.
   2. Individual Responsibility holds a single minister separately accountable to Parliament for their specific ministry.
   3. A defeat under collective responsibility forces the entire ministry to resign together.
   4. A failure under individual responsibility leads to the resignation or dismissal of only that particular minister.
3. Comparison of Importance:
   • Collective Responsibility is the more critical principle of the two.
   • It forms the core structural foundation of a parliamentary democracy.
   • It ensures government solidarity and political stability.
   • It prevents internal friction by forcing all ministers to stand united behind Cabinet policies.