Prime Ministers of India

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The Prime Minister of India, as addressed to in the Constitution of India, is the chief of government, chief advisor to the President of India, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament. The prime minister leads the executive branch of the Government of India.

The prime minister is the senior member of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet; allocates posts to members within the Government; is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet and is responsible for bringing proposal of legislation.

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The resignation or death of the prime minister dissolves the cabinet. The prime minister is appointed by the president to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive. Current Prime Minister - The incumbent prime minister is Manmohan Singh, in office since 22 May 2004.

Role and power of the prime minister The prime minister leads the functioning and exercise of authority of the Government of India. He is invited by the President of India in the Parliament of India as leader of the majority party to form a government at the federal level (known as Central or Union Government in India) and exercise its powers. In practice the prime minister nominates the members of their Council of Ministers[3][4][5] to the president. The prime minister represents the country in various delegations, high level meetings and international organisations that require the attendance of the highest government office[9] and also addresses to the nation on various issues of national or other importance.

Selection process Eligibility A prime minister must: * be a citizen of India. * be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. * be above 25 years of age if he is a member of Lok Sabha or above 30 years of age if he is a member of the Rajya Sabha. * not hold any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority

Oath The Prime Minister is required to make and subscribe in the presence of President of India before entering office, the oath of office and secrecy.

Prime Ministers of India 1. Jawaharlal Nehru (15th August 1947 - 27 May 1964) 2. Gulzarilal Nanda ( 27 May 1964 - 9 June 1964) 3. Lal Bahadur Shastri (9 June 1964 - 11 January 1966) 4. Indira Gandhi (24 January 1966 - 24 March 1977, 14 June 1980 - 31 October 1984) 5. Morarji Desai (24March 1977 - 28 July 1979) 6. CHaran Singh (28 July 1979 - 14 January 1980) 7. Rajiv Gandhi ( 31 October 1984 - 2 December 1989) 8. Vishwanath Pratap Singh ( 2 Decemeber 1989 - 10 November 1990) 9. Chandra Shekhar (10 November 1990 - 21 June 1991) 10. P.V. Narsimha Rao ( 21 June 1991 - 16 May 1996) 11. H.D.Deve. Gowda (1 june 1996 - 21 April 1997) 12. I.K. Gujral (21 April 1997 - 19 March 1998) 13. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ( 19 March 1998 - 22 May 2004) 14. Manmohan Singh ( 22 May 2004 - till now)

If I Were the President of India

Gandhiji's full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born on October 2, 1869 in a town called Poxbandar, Gujarat. He was the architect of India's freedom and one of the greatest men of this century. Mahatma Gandhi's life was dedicated to the ideals of truth, non-violence and love.

Young Gandhi had his primary education up to the seventh year at Porbandar. Then his education continued at Rajkot. Once an Inspector of Schools visited the school. The teacher dictated some English words. Gandhiji had spelt the word 'Kettle' incorrectly. The teacher noticed this, and made signs to Gandhiji to correct it by copying from his neighbour. But Gandhiji did not do so. He also felt that the same teacher, who had taught him that copying was bad, was not right in prompting him to do so. Still, the respect he had for his teacher did not grow less. When Mahatma Gandhi was only nineteen years old, he went to England to become a barrister. He obtained the degree of Barrister-at-Law and started practising law in South Africa.

Once he had to make a journey by train,, so he bought a first-class ticket. During the journey, an officer of the railway asked him to vacate his seat for a white man, and to move to the van on the train. Mahatma Gandhi refused. The railway officials, with the help of the police, had his things thrown out. He was also removed from the carriage by force. Thus Gandhiji was subject to untold shame. This incident transformed him. Gandhi started an organisation and called it 'The Natal Indian Congress'. It was to carry on the struggle of the Indians against racial discrimination. He also started a newspaper called 'The Indian Opinion'. The paper became an organ to give information about the struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi stayed on in South Africa for nearly 21 years to fight against racial discrimination against Indian settlers. He propagated the concept of Satyagraha (satya means truth and agraha firmness). It was the use of 'Soul-Force' against 'Brute-Force' or violence.

He trained men, women and children as volunteers. He called his band a 'Peace Brigade'. He won his battle when, finally, the South African Government gave in to his demands. Gandhi now became a world-renowned person. He soon earned the title of 'Mahatma' (maha means great and atma means soul) among Indians all over the world.

Gandhiji came back to India in 1915 and built an ashram on the banks of the Sabaramati river near Ahmadabad. It was called 'Satyagraha Ashram'. The way of life that he practised there was known as 'Sarvodaya' the well-being of all. He fought peacefully for many causes and succeeded in persuading the government to abolish many abuses against labourers in Bihar, the Kaira peasants in Gujarat, etc.