Politics In India Since Independence Chapter 5 Challenges To And Restoration Of The Congress System

A.

(b) Indira Hatao! – Opposition Alliance in 1971

(c) Garibi Hatao! – Indira Gandhi

A.

(i) Advantages :Unity in the party due to lack of differences between the party and the government.

(ii) Disadvantages : May lead to dictatorship of the president in the party.

(b) Listen to the majority group :

(i) Advantages :Sense of participation by all members may lead to more unity in the party.

(ii) Disadvantages : May lead to delay in the decision making process.

(c) Secret ballot voting on every issue :

(i) Advantages : It may reduce tension in the party.
(ii) Disadvantages : It will delay in the decision making process.

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

(i) Advantages :It may lead to more cooperation and unity between old and young members in the party.

(ii) Disadvantages : Increase in the influence and control of the senior leaders and reduction in the importance of workers/ordinary members.

(a) The absence of a charismatic leader in the Congress party : There was no charismatic leader like Nehru in the Congress party. Nehru was very popular among the masses. No opposition leader could match him in politics till his death in 1964. The Congress party was fighting a general election without Nehru. On the other hand, the new Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was seen as a political novice. She had been in office for less than a year.

(b)Split within the party: The party got split into Congress(O) and Congress(R) over the issue presendential canditure and even the Prime Minister herself was expelled from the party. This presented the Party in poor light to public.

(c)Increased mobilisation of regional, ethnic and communal groups: DMK, a regional Party in Tamil Nadu had secured a clear majority by leading a massive anti- Hindi agitation against the centre on the issue of imposition of Hindi as the official as the official language.                                           
(d)Increased unity among non-Congress parties : Non-Congressism led to the defeat of the Congress in 1967. There was grave economic crisis in the country. The opposition parties were oraganising public protests against the government. These parties also realised that the division of their votes in the previous elections had kept Congress in power. This brought opposition parties with different ideologies and programmes together. These parties formed anti-Congress fronts and entered into electoral adjustments of sharing of seats in different states.

(e) Internal differences within the Congress party : There were some internal differences within the Congress. For example, after the death of Shastri, there was intense competition between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi. The contest was decided through a secret ballot among Congress MPs. The opposition thought that this internal factionalism within the Congress provided them an opportunity to topple the Congress.

(i) The 1971 elections were followed by the crisis in East Pakistan and the Indo-Pak war leading to the establishment of Bangladesh. These events increased the popularity of Indira Gandhi. Even the opposition leaders admired her statesmanship.

(ii) Indira Gandhi's party swept the State Assembly elections held in 1972. She was seen as the protector of the poor and the underprivileged as well as a strong nationalist leader.

(iii) Following victory in 1971, the Constitution was amended to remove legal obstacles for abolition of privy purses. This added to the popularity of Indira Gandhi's government among the masses.

Their role in the Congress party was significant. Both Lai Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi owed their position to the support received from the syndicate. The group had a decisive say in Indira Gandhi’s first Council of Ministers and also  in policy formulation and implementation.

(i) She launched a series of initiatives to give the government policy a Left orientation. She got the Congress working committee to adopt a Ten Point Programme in May 1967. This programme included social control of banks, nationalisation of General Insurance, ceiling on urban property and income, land reforms and other items. While (syndicate) leaders approved this left wing programme, they had serious reservations about the same.

(ii) The factional rivalry between the syndicate and Indira Gandhi came in the open in the Presidential election in 1969. The official Congress candidate was N. Sanjeeva Reddy. Indira Gandhi, however, encouraged V.V. Giri, to file nomination as an independent candidate. The Congress President issued a whip but Indira Gandhi called for a ‘conscience vote’ leading to V.V. Giri victory.

(iii) In the meantime, Indira Gandhi also announced the nationalisation of fourteen leading private banks and the abolition of privy purses which led differences between Indira Gandhi and the Finance Minister Morarji Desai resulting in Desai leaving the government.

These events led to the split in the Congress in 1969 into two - Congress (Organisation) and Congress (Requisitionists).

(b) The Congress ‘died’ because it was no more a federal, democratic and ideological formation. On the other hand, the entire nature of politics had been changed by Indira Gandhi. Now populist politics turned political ideology where slogan merely translated into government policies. 

(c)The other parties too become centralised like congress.  As in the Congress, the Party Presidents in the regional political parties started assuming all political authority.The parties became undemocratic because organisational elections were rarely held.

(ii)The reference has been made to Lal Bahadur Shastri.

(ii) Indira Gandhi.

(iii) Morarji Desai.

Even after sudden death of Shastri at Tashkent in January 1966, the transition from Shastri to Indira Gandhi was peaceful despite intense competition for leadership between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi. All this shows a sign of maturity of India's democracy. 

(i) Two Prime Ministers-Nehru and Shastri-had died in succession and new Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was seen as a political novice had been in office for less than a year.

(ii) There was grave economic crisis resulting from successive failure of monsoons, decline in agricultural production, food shortage, depletion of foreign exchange reserves and resources diversion.

(iii) Rupee had to be devalued under pressure from the US.

(iv)Bandhs and hartals were frequently called across the country to protest against the increase in prices of essential commodities.

(v)The communist and socialist parties launched struggles for greater equality, led armed agrarian struggles and organised peasant agitation.

(vi)Period also witnessed some of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots since Independence.

(ii) In 1967 Assembly polls, the Congress did not get majority in the states of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal. Orissa, Goa, Kerala and Madras. In Rajasthan it did not get majority but formed government with help from others.

(iii) Madras State (Now Tamil Nadu).

(i) Before 1967 elections the opposition parties had realised that division of their votes kept the Congress in power.Thus parties that were entirely different and disparate in their programmes and ideology got together to form anti congress front in some states and entered into electoral adjustment of sharing seats in others. 

(ii) The split in the Congress reduced Indira Gandhi government to a minority. However, she remained in office with the support of Communist Party of India and DMK. It was issue-based support. The fact was, however, that the new Congress of Indira Gandhi was just one faction of an already weak party and split had further weakened its position.

(i) The government made conscious attempts to project its socialist credentials.

(ii) Indira Gandhi vigorously campaigned for implementing the existing land reform laws.

(iii)Further Land ceiling legislation were undertaken by the government.

(iv) In order to end her dependence on other political parties, strengthen her party's position in the Parliament, and seek a popular mandate for her programmes, Indira Gandhi's government recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970.

The hereditory privileges were not consonant with the principles of equality and social and economic justice laid down in the Constitution of India.

Her programmes were based on the famous slogan “Garibi Hatao”, which included the following subjects :

(a) Growth of pubic sector;

(b) Imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property;

(c) Removal of disparities in income and opportunity;

(d) Abolition of princely privileges.

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.

Congress (O) was represented by Syndicate and Congress (R) by Indira.

The reasons:

 (i) She focused on the growth of the Public sector and imposed ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property.

 (ii) She abolished princely privileges and put forth the popular slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’, remove poverty.

Consequences:
(i) According to Shah Commission nearly one lakh eleven thousand people were arrested under Preventive detention laws.

 (ii) Torture and custodial deaths occurred, arbitrary relocation of poor people and compulsory sterilisation.

 (iii) Formation of Janata Party and the defeat of congress in most of the states

After the Lok Sabha General election of 1977, the Congress Party lost its dominance for the first time at the center.

After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, there was an intense competition between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi. 

(i) Lal Bahadur Shastri

(ii) Indira Gandhi

The factors which led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s government in the Early 1970s are:

(i) After its massive victory in the 1971, Indira Gandhi amended the constitutions to remove legal obstacles for abolition of privy purse.

(ii) She focused on the growth of the public sector.

(iii) Imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property.

(iv) Through ‘Garibi Hatao’ she had generated a support base among the disadvantaged, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities.

(v) The crisis in East Pakistan and Indo-Pak war leading to the establishment of Bangladesh

(vi) The characteristic features of statesman and strong nationalist leader.

The positive programe captured in the famous slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’(remove poverty).

(i) The Congress led by Indira Gandhi after the split in Congress is referred as the New Congress.

(ii) The steps were:

(a) Nationalisation of Banks

(b) Abolition of Privy Purse

(iii)To call this alliance of opposition parties as a Grand Alliance is justified because all the major parties were included in this alliance against congress.

Indira Gandhi was the daughter of popular ex Prime Minister J.L Nehru. She had become Congress President in 1958 and had been Union Minister for Information in Shashtri’s Cabinet from 1964-66.

i. She had given a positive famous slogan “Garibi Hatao”.

ii. She had focused on the growth of the public sector and had imposed the ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property to remove disparities in income and opportunity.

iii. She had abolished the princely privileges to prevail the principles of equality and social and economic justice.

iv. Decisive victory in the 1971’s India – Pakistan war soared Indira Gandhi’s popularity. First nuclear explosion in 1974, which termed it a peaceful explosion, had also increased her popularity.

OR

Circumstances that led to imposition of emergency:

i. Clash between the executive Government & judiciary.

ii. Rising prices and lower growth rate.

iii. Students movements in Bihar and Gujrat against price rise and corruption.

iv. Railway strike led by Gorge Fernades.

v. A big rally at Ram Lila Maidan and call to the employees including police/ army not to obey the undemocratic orders.

vi. Judgement of Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Indira Gandhi.

(i) (a) The slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ and the programmes that followed it.
(b) Also, the Indo-Pak war of 1971 and formation of Bangladesh as independent nation made Indira Gandhi a towering leader with tremendous popularity.

(ii)The parliament had amended the constitution saying the parliament can abridge Fundamental rights for giving effect to Directive Principles of state policy. But the Supreme Court rejected this initiative as unconstitutional.

(iii) The welfare programes were:

(a) Imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property.

(b) Abolition of princely privileges or Privy Purse.

The factors responsible for Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s dramatic win in 1971 were:

(i) The grand alliance did not have a coherent political programme. Congress had something which its opponents lacked – it had an issue, an agenda and a positive
slogan.

(ii) Indira Gandhi said that the opposition alliance had only one common programme i.e. ‘Indira Hatao (Remove Indira)‟,’in contrast to this, she put forward a positive programme captured in the famous slogan: ‘Garibi Hatao’.

(iii) Through Garibi Hatao, she tried to generate a support base among the disadvantaged especially among landless labourers, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, women and the unemployed youth. This was part of her political strategy of building an independent nationwide political support base.
                                                                     Or

(i) The excesses committed during the emergency i.e. misuse of police and administrative power, role of certain people who had no official position, denial of civil liberties, arrest of political workers and restrictions on the press.

(ii) The 1977 elections turned into a referendum on the experience of the Emergency. The opposition fought the election on the slogan of ‘Save Democracy’. People‟s verdict was decisively against the excesses of emergency.

(iii) The opposition parties came together and formed a new party, the Janta Party and accepted the leadership of Jayprakash Narayan. The public opinion was against the congress. Jayprakash Narayan became the symbol of restoration of democracy. Also, the formation of the Janata Party ensured that the non- Congress votes would not be divided and the going would be tough for the Congress.

 The dramatic changes that took place in the party system in India during 1969 to 1977 are as follows:-

(i) The factional rivalry between the Syndicate and Indira Gandhi came in the open in 1969 during Presidential election. She projected to split as an ideological divide
between socialist and conservative factions of the congress party.
(ii) The Congress party now identified itself with a particular ideology, claiming to be the only socialist and pro-poor party.
(iii)Since 1969, the Congress party had started shedding its character as an umbrella party which accommodated leaders and workers of different ideological dispensations and view points.
(iv)With the change in the nature of the Congress party, other opposition parties relied more and more on what is known in Indian politics as ‘non-Congressism’. They also realised the need to avoid a division of non-Congress votes in the election.

Acts of dissent and resistance to the Emergency imposed in 1975:-

(i) Many political workers who were not arrested in the first wave, went ‘underground’ and organised protests against the government.
(ii) Newspapers like the Indian Express and the Statesman protested against censorship by leaving blank spaces where news items had been censored. Magazines like the Seminar and the Mainstream chose to close down rather than submit to censorship.
(iii)Many journalists were arrested for writing against the Emergency. Many
underground newsletters and leaflets were published to bypass censorship.
(iv)Kannada writer Shivarama Karanth, awarded with Padma Bhushan, and Hindi writer Fanishwarnath Renu, awarded with Padma Shri, returned their awards in protest against the suspension of democracy.
(v) The Parliament also brought in many new changes to the Constitution. In the background of the ruling of the Allahabad High Court in the Indira Gandhi case, an amendment was made declaring that elections of Prime Minister, President and Vice-President could not be challenged in the Court.
  Effects:-

(i) After the declaration of Emergency, the urban middle classes were generally happy over the fact that agitations came to an end and discipline was enforced on the government employees.
(ii) The poor and rural people also expected effective implementation of the welfare programmes that the government was promising.
Thus, different sections of society had different expectations from the emergency and also different viewpoints about it.

 Indira vs Syndicate:-
(i) The real challenge to Indira Gandhi came not only from the opposition but from within her own party. Indira Gandhi had to deal with the ‘syndicate’, a group of powerful and influential leaders from within the Congress.
(ii) The Syndicate had played a role in the installation of Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister by ensuring her election as a leader of the Parliamentary party, but Syndicate wanted to control after they managed to make her the Prime Minister.
 Challenges faced by Indira Gandhi
(i) She needed to build her independence from the Syndicate.

(ii) She needed to work to regain the ground, the Congress had lost in the 1967elections.
(iii) Indira Gandhi adopted a very bold strategy. She converted a simple power struggle into an ideological struggle.
(iv)She launched a series of initiatives and a Ten Point Programme, included social control of banks, nationalisation of general insurance, ceiling on urban property and income.

Left parties in India believe in the ideology of Marxism, Socialism, Maoism,
Egalitarian Society, State-ownership, pro-poor programmes.

(a)Lal Bahadur Shastri - (iv) Coined the famous slogan ‘ Jai Kisan

(b) C. NatarjanAnnadurai-(ii) Founder of D.M.K.
(c) CharuMajumdar- (i)Founder of communist party of India( Marxist-Leninist)
(d) Jagiiwan Ram- (iii) A member of parliament from 1952 till his death in 1986.

 Factors responsible for the downfall of the Janata Government
(i) The Janta Party could not keep together due to internal conflict.
(ii) It lacked direction and leadership
(iii) It lacked a common programme.
(iv) It could not bring a fundamental change in policies followed by the Congress Party.
(v) The Janta Party split and the government fell

 Socialists credentials, Ten point programme, Nationalisation of Banks, Nationalisation of General Insurance, Pro-poor programmes.
 Land Reforms, Land Celling Act.
 GaribiHatao – Positive programme.
 Abolition of Privy Purse.
 Generation of a support base among the disadvantaged, landless Labourors, dalits, adivasis, minorities, women and unemployed youth.
 Results of the General Elections 1971 – Congress Victory.
 Victory in the Indo-Pak War 1971 – Indira Gandhi seen as the protector of the poor & the underprivileged but also as a strong nationalist leader.
 Sweeping through State Assembly Elections in 1972 by the Congress.  With two successive election victories, one at the Center and the other at the State level, the dominance of the Congress was restored.
 Indira Gandhi had reinvented the party – It relied on the popularity of a supreme leader. It had a weak organizational structure and did not have many factions. She restored the Congress by changing the nature of the Congress itself.

(i) End of Congress System.
(ii) Rise of OBC politics – Mandal Issues.
(iii) Demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992.
(iv) Rise of the BJP.
(v) Beginning of the Coalition Era / alliance politics.
(vi) Rise of regional parties as they played a role in the formation of coalitions at the Union Government level.

i) – (c) J.C.Shah

ii) – (d) Morarji Desai

iii) – (a) Choudhary Charan Singh

i) V.P. Singh

ii) The National Front Government did not get the clear majority. It was

being supported by BJP and the Communist Party from outside. The

government of V.P. Singh worked according to the directions of leaders

of BJP and CPI so it was called a puppet government.

iii) The puppeteers were :- a) Jyoti Basu of Communist Party.

b) L.K. Advani from BJP.

Major changes country witnessed at the time of Fourth General Elections’

(i) Two prime ministers died in quick succession.

(ii) The period was fraught with grave economic crises.

(iii) Widespread drought and decline in agricultural production.

(iv) Serious food shortage.

(v) Depletion of foreign exchange reserves.

(vi) Drop in industrial production and exports.

(vii) Sharp rise in military expenditures.

(viii) Diversion of resource from planning and economic development.