Suppose the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa have different policies on how their state police should respond to the naxalites. Can the Prime Minister of India intervene and pass an order that all the Chief Ministers will have to obey?
No, the Prime Minister cannot directly intervene and pass an order that all Chief Ministers must obey regarding their state police policies on naxalites.
The Constitution provides for a division of powers between the Centre and the States. Law and order, including the functioning of state police, is primarily a State subject. Therefore, different States can have different approaches to dealing with issues like naxalism based on their specific circumstances.
The President's Rule can only be imposed in a State if the government is not being run according to the provisions of the Constitution. Having different policies on how to respond to naxalites does not constitute a constitutional breakdown that would justify Central intervention. The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations also recommended that the Central government should maintain a non-partisan approach and not arbitrarily interfere in the functioning of State governments.
Explanation
The textbook context discusses the division of powers between Centre and States, and specifies that President's Rule can only be imposed when the constitutional machinery breaks down. Since police and law & order are State subjects, the Prime Minister cannot unilaterally issue orders bypassing State governments. The context also mentions the Sarkaria Commission's recommendations on maintaining non-partisan Centre-State relations, which supports the argument against arbitrary Central intervention.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify that the Constitution provides for division of powers between Centre and States.
Step 2: Note that President's Rule has specific conditions and cannot be imposed merely due to policy differences.
Step 3: Conclude that the PM cannot directly override State policies on police matters.