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Recent Developments in Indian politics
In February 2002, four bogies of Sabarmati Express carrying karsewaks from Ayodhya were set on fire in Godhra killing 58 people. This incident is known as Godhra incident.
The effects of Godhra incident were as described below :
(i) There was large scale violence against Muslims in many parts of Gujarat because it was suspected that the Muslims were responsible for this incident. The violence continued for about a month. Nearly 1100 persons were killed. The National Human Rights Commission criticised the Gujarat government for not controlling violence and providing relief to the victims.
(ii) As a result of violence in the state, the Election commission postponed the Assembly elections.
(iii) This incident proved that sometimes the government machinery becomes susceptible to sectarian passions.
(iv) Such instances warn us that using religious sentiments for political purposes is dangerous and poses a threat to democratic politics.
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Party politics in India has confronted numerous challenges. Not only has the Congress system destroyed itself, but the fragmentation of the Congress coalition has triggered a new emphasis on self-representation which raises questions about the pary system and its capacity to accommodate diverse interests.....An important test facing the polity is to evolve a party system or political parties that can effectively articulate and aggregate a variety of interests. —Zoya Hasan
(a) Write a short note on what the author calls challenges of the party system in the light of what you have read in this chapter.
(b) Give an example from this chapter of the lack of accommodation and aggrigation mentioned in this passage.
(c) Why is it necessary for parties to accommodate and aggregate variety of interests ?
‘1989 elections marked the end of what the political scientists have called the ________.”
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