If collective responsibility is not followed within the Council of Ministers, what problem may arise in government?

Correct answer: Policy inconsistency and public confusion

Direct answer: A is correct. Collective responsibility means that the Council of Ministers acts as one team and publicly stands behind Cabinet decisions. Ministers may discuss and disagree internally, but after a decision is made they are expected to support it publicly or resign. This principle gives the government a common policy line and makes it possible for the Lok Sabha to hold the whole ministry responsible. If ministers openly follow conflicting policies, citizens may not know what the government actually intends, departments may work against one another and Parliament may find accountability unclear. B is unrelated to ministerial responsibility. C concerns a different constitutional process and does not follow from disagreement among ministers. D is impossible because the judiciary is a separate organ of government and does not become a ministry. The rule does not demand that every minister have identical personal opinions; it requires unity in public governmental action. Memory cue: discuss privately, stand together publicly.