Prime Ministers India
Key Concepts
| # | Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First PM | Jawaharlal Nehru (15 Aug 1947 – 27 May 1964) – longest-serving (17 yrs). |
| 2 | Only Woman PM | Indira Gandhi (1966-77 & 1980-84) – first woman PM of India. |
| 3 | PM vs President | PM is head of government; President is constitutional head. |
| 4 | Appointment | PM is appointed by the President; must be leader of majority party/coalition in Lok Sabha. |
| 5 | Oath | PM takes oath of office & secrecy before the President. |
| 6 | Article 75 | Contains provisions for appointment, term, and collective responsibility of Council of Ministers headed by PM. |
| 7 | Shortest tenure | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (13 days, May 1996). |
| 8 | Non-Congress PM | Morarji Desai (first non-Congress PM, 1977-79, Janata Party). |
15 Practice MCQs
1. Who was the first Prime Minister of independent India?
A) Sardar Patel B) C. Rajagopalachari C) Jawaharlal Nehru D) B. R. Ambedkar **Answer:** C) Jawaharlal Nehru **Solution:** Nehru took oath on 15 Aug 1947. **Shortcut:** “Nehru = 15-8-47” (date-match). **Concept tag:** First PM2. The only Prime Minister to be awarded the Bharat Ratna while in office was:
A) Indira Gandhi B) Lal Bahadur Shastri C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee D) Rajiv Gandhi **Answer:** A) Indira Gandhi (1971) **Solution:** Awarded during her 2nd term. **Shortcut:** “IG = BR-71” (Indira Gandhi, Bharat Ratna 1971). **Concept tag:** Awards3. Who succeeded Lal Bahadur Shastri as PM after his death at Tashkent?
A) Gulzarilal Nanda B) Indira Gandhi C) Morarji Desai D) Charan Singh **Answer:** B) Indira Gandhi **Solution:** Took oath on 24 Jan 1966. **Shortcut:** “Shastri-66 → Indira-66” (same year switch). **Concept tag:** Succession4. The first non-Congress Prime Minister of India was:
A) Morarji Desai B) V. P. Singh C) Chandra Shekhar D) H. D. Deve Gowda **Answer:** A) Morarji Desai **Solution:** Led Janata Party govt. (1977-79). **Shortcut:** “Morarji = Janata = 1977” (first break of Congress). **Concept tag:** Party change5. Who has the shortest term as PM (13 days)?
A) Chandra Shekhar B) Atal Bihari Vajpayee C) Deve Gowda D) I. K. Gujral **Answer:** B) Atal Bihari Vajpayee **Solution:** May 1996, could not prove majority. **Shortcut:** “13-day Vajpayee” (rhymes). **Concept tag:** Shortest tenure6. The first PM to resign after losing no-confidence motion was:
A) V. P. Singh B) Morarji Desai C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee D) H. D. Deve Gowda **Answer:** B) Morarji Desai **Solution:** July 1979; resigned before vote. **Shortcut:** “Morarji = 1st to resign” (alphabetical first among options). **Concept tag:** No-confidence7. Who was the PM during the 1971 Indo-Pak war that created Bangladesh?
A) Lal Bahadur Shastri B) Indira Gandhi C) Rajiv Gandhi D) Morarji Desai **Answer:** B) Indira Gandhi **Solution:** Dec 1971 victory. **Shortcut:** “IG-71 = Bangladesh” (same year). **Concept tag:** War & PM8. The PM who launched the “Green Revolution” programme in 1960s:
A) Nehru B) Shastri C) Indira Gandhi D) Rajiv Gandhi **Answer:** B) Lal Bahadur Shastri **Solution:** Coined slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”. **Shortcut:** “Shastri = Kisan” (farmer connect). **Concept tag:** Schemes9. Who headed the National Front government of 1989-90?
A) V. P. Singh B) Chandrasekhar C) Deve Gowda D) I. K. Gujral **Answer:** A) V. P. Singh **Solution:** Implemented Mandal Commission report. **Shortcut:** “VP = Mandal-89” (VP & year). **Concept tag:** Coalition era10. The first PM born after independence (1949) is:
A) Manmohan Singh B) Narendra Modi C) Rajiv Gandhi D) H. D. Deve Gowda **Answer:** B) Narendra Modi (b. 17 Sept 1950) **Solution:** Only post-1947 born among list. **Shortcut:** “Modi-50” (remember 50). **Concept tag:** Birth year11. Who was the acting PM twice for short intervals (1964 & 1966)?
A) Gulzarilal Nanda B) Charan Singh C) Chandra Shekhar D) I. K. Gujral **Answer:** A) Gulzarilal Nanda **Solution:** After Nehru & Shastri deaths. **Shortcut:** “Nanda = 2-time caretaker” (N for Number-2). **Concept tag:** Acting PM12. The slogan “Garibi Hatao” was given by:
A) Nehru B) Indira Gandhi C) Rajiv Gandhi D) V. P. Singh **Answer:** B) Indira Gandhi (1971 election) **Solution:** Focus on poverty alleviation. **Shortcut:** “IG-71 = Garibi” (G for both). **Concept tag:** Slogans13. Which PM piloted the 1991 economic liberalisation budget as Finance Minister?
A) P. V. Narasimha Rao B) Manmohan Singh C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee D) I. K. Gujral **Answer:** A) P. V. Narasimha Rao **Solution:** PM 1991-96; FM role delegated but reforms under his leadership. **Shortcut:** “Rao = Reform-91” (R-R). **Concept tag:** Economic reform14. Who was the PM when India conducted Pokhran-II nuclear tests in May 1998?
A) Deve Gowda B) I. K. Gujral C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee D) Manmohan Singh **Answer:** C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee **Solution:** 11-13 May 1998. **Shortcut:** “Vajpayee-98 = Atom” (V looks like funnel of blast). **Concept tag:** Nuclear tests15. The first Sikh Prime Minister of India:
A) Manmohan Singh B) Charan Singh C) I. K. Gujral D) Deve Gowda **Answer:** A) Manmohan Singh (2004-14) **Solution:** 10-year tenure. **Shortcut:** “M-Singh = Sikh” (same word root). **Concept tag:** ReligionSpeed Tricks
| Situation | Shortcut | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Remembering first 5 PMs | “N-S-N-I-R” | Nehru, Shastri, Nanda (acting), Indira, Rajiv |
| Coalition era order (1989-99) | “V-C-V-G” | V. P. Singh → Chandrasekhar → Vajpayee → Gujral |
| Nuclear tests years | “74-98” | 1974 (Smiling Buddha under Indira), 1998 (Pokhran-II under Vajpayee) |
| Bharat Ratna to PMs | “N-I-R-V-M” | Nehru (1955), Indira (1971), Rao (posthumous), Vajpayee (2015), Manmohan (2021) |
| Shortest/longest | “13-17” | 13 days (Vajpayee 1996), 17 years (Nehru total) |
Quick Revision
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru – 1st & longest (17 yrs). |
| 2 | Gulzarilal Nanda – only acting PM twice. |
| 3 | Lal Bahadur Shastri – “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”; died at Tashkent. |
| 4 | Indira Gandhi – 1st woman PM; 1st PM to get Bharat Ratna while in office. |
| 5 | Morarji Desai – 1st non-Congress PM; born 1896 (oldest to become PM). |
| 6 | Rajiv Gandhi – youngest PM (40 yrs); computer & telecom push. |
| 7 | V. P. Singh – Mandal Commission implementation. |
| 8 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee – 1st PM from BJP; 13-day, 13-month & full-term tenures. |
| 9 | P. V. Narasimha Rao – Father of Indian economic reforms (1991). |
| 10 | Narendra Modi – 1st PM born after independence; launched GST, Swachh Bharat. |
BETA
