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Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress system
Question
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Examine how the new policies and ideologies facilitated the restoration of the Congress system. How far this restoration was the revival of the old Congress?

 

Answer

The slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’ and the programmes followed to implement it led to two successive election victories one at the centre and other at the state level. The Congress was now in power in almost all the States. It became popular among different social sections. The Congress had become the dominant party.

It was, however, not the revival of the old party. It was a different kind of party in the following ways :

(i) It relied entirely on the popularity of the supreme leader.

(ii) It had some what weak organisational structure.

(iii) It did not have many factions and therefore, it could not accommodate all kinds of opinions and interests.

(iv) It depended more on the poor, the women, Dalits, Adivasis and the minorities.

 

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Some More Questions From Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress system Chapter

Match the following :

Whom would you identify with the following slogans/phrases ?

(a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan

(b) Indira Hatao!

(c) Garibi Hatao!

Which of the following statement about the Grand Alliance of 1971 is correct ?
The Grand Alliance.....

How should a political party resolve its internal differences ? Here are some suggestions. Think of each and list out their advantages and shortcomings.

(a) Follow the footsteps of the party president

(b) Listen to the majority group

(c) Secret ballot voting on every issue

(d) Consult the senior and experienced leaders of the party

State which of these were reasons for the defeat of the Congress in 1967. Give reasons for your answer.

(a) The absence of a charismatic leader in the Congress party

(b) Split within the Congress party

(c) Increased mobilisation of regional, ethnic and communal groups

(d) Increased unity among non-Congress parties

(e) Internal differences within the Congress party

What were the factors which led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s Government in the early 1970s ?

What does the term ‘syndicate’ mean in the context of the Congress party of the sixties ? What role did the Syndicate play in the Congress party ?

Discuss the major issue which led to the formal split of the Congress Party in 1969.

Read the passage and answer the questions below : ... Indira Gandhi changed the Congress into highly centralised and undemocratic party organisation, from the earlier federal, democratic and ideological formation that Nehru had led.....But this ... could not have happened had not Indira Gandhi changed the entire nature of politics. This new. populist politics turned political ideology ....... into a mere electoral discourse, use of various slogans not meant to be translated into government policies ...... During its great electoral victories in early 1970s, amidst the celebration, the Congress party as a political organisation died................—Sudipta Kaviraj

(a) What according to the author is the difference between the strategies of Nehru and Indira Gandhi ?

(b) Why does the author say that the Congress party ‘died’ in the seventies ?

(c) In what way, did the change in the Congress party affect other political parties also ?

Who said the famous slogan of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ ?