If a state government budget is defeated in the legislature, what is the usual constitutional consequence?

Introduction / Context:
In a parliamentary system, including the system followed in Indian states, the executive (Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister) is collectively responsible to the legislature. A budget or appropriation bill is a key measure of confidence. If the budget is defeated, it usually indicates that the government no longer enjoys the confidence of the majority in the legislature. This question examines your understanding of the constitutional convention that follows such a defeat at the state level.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are dealing with a state government within the Indian Union.
• The budget or appropriation bill has been defeated in the state legislature.
• The system of government is parliamentary, not presidential.
• Collective responsibility to the legislature is a key principle.

Concept / Approach:
Under the principle of collective responsibility, the Council of Ministers is responsible as a body to the legislative assembly. Defeat of a money bill or budget is treated as a vote of no confidence. If the government cannot secure passage of its budget, it is considered to have lost the confidence of the house. The usual consequence is that the entire Council of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, must resign or seek dissolution of the assembly. It is not just the Finance Minister who is personally responsible; responsibility is collective.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognize that the budget is a crucial measure of confidence in a parliamentary system. Step 2: Recall that defeat of the budget is equivalent to a loss of majority support in the legislature. Step 3: Apply the principle of collective responsibility, which requires the entire Council of Ministers to answer to the legislature. Step 4: Conclude that the appropriate consequence is that the Council of Ministers along with the Chief Minister has to resign.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare this situation with a vote of no confidence. In both cases, the government is unable to demonstrate majority support. In practice, when a budget is defeated, the Chief Minister submits the resignation of the entire Council of Ministers to the Governor, or the government may advise dissolution and fresh elections, but resignation is the primary constitutional consequence. This confirms that the answer involves the whole Council, not just one minister.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The Finance Minister alone has to resign: This misunderstands collective responsibility. The entire government, not just one minister, is accountable.
The Finance Minister is suspended: Suspension is not a standard constitutional response to budget defeat and does not address the underlying issue of majority support.
Fresh elections are automatically ordered: Elections may follow if the assembly is dissolved, but they are not automatic. First, the government must resign or attempt to prove majority by other means; alternative government formation is also possible.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes treat the budget as solely the Finance Minister's responsibility, forgetting that the whole Council collectively endorses it. Another pitfall is assuming that defeat of the budget automatically leads to elections, ignoring the possibility of a new government being formed within the same assembly. Understanding the logic of parliamentary accountability helps to avoid these errors.

Final Answer:
If a state budget is defeated in the legislature, the Council of Ministers along with the Chief Minister has to resign.