Politics In India Since Independence Chapter 9 Recent Developments In Indian Politics

1)

The demolition of Babri Masjid

2)

Formation of the Janata Dal

3)

Assassination of Indira Gandhi

4)

Mandal Recommendations and Anti Reservation Stir

5)

The formation of NDA government

6)

Godhra incident and its fallout

7)

Formation of the UPA government

(i) Rise of Other Backward Classes as a political force.

(ii) Decision of the National Front government to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission and subsequent stir.

(iii) Rise of politics based on religious identity and debate about secularism and democracy.

(iv) Demolition of Babri Masjid.

(v) Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat.

(vi) End of Congress dominance and beginning of era of coalition politics.

These issues led to different configurations of political parties as mentioned below :

(i) Political parties accepted the political and social claims of the backward castes. All political parties began to support reservation of seats for the backward classes in education and employment.

(ii) This gave rise to an era of coalition politics. Coalition governments were formed i.e., National Front in 1989, the United Front in 1996 and 1997, the NDA in 1997, BJP led coalition in 1998.NDA in 1999 and the UPA in 2004 and 2009.

(i) After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.

(ii) The BJP adopted a broader political platform than that of the Jana Sangh to gain support from more sections of people. It embraced 'Gandhian Socialism' as its ideology. However, it could not get much success in the elections held in 1980 and 1984. It won only two seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1984.

(iii) After 1986, the party began to emphasise the Hindu nationalist elements in its ideology. The party pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ and adopted the strategy of mobilising the Hindus.

(iv) In 1985 subsequent of Shah Bano case and the orders of the Supreme Court, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Divorce) Act 1986 on the demands of some Muslim leaders. The BJP criticised the action of the government as an unnecessary concession and ‘appeasement’ of the minority community. At the same time, Ayodhya issue was made by the BJP as its major electoral and political plank. The BJP, in order to generate public support, took out the Rathyatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya in UP.

(v) As a result of above events, the BJP was able to consolidate its position in the elections of 1989 when the party won 85 seats in the Lok Sabha. The party won 121 seats in 1991 and 160 seats in 1996 elections. It was the largest party in 1996 elections.

(vi) With the formation of National Democratic Alliance, the BJP led government remained in power from March 1998 to October 1999 and again from October 1999 to May 2004. Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister during this period.

From above, the following conclusions can be drawn

(i) BJP and Congress were engaged in a tough competition. No party has secured majority of seats alone since 1989. However, Congress has secured more seats in the elections of 1989, 1991, 2004 and most. recently in 2009. Congress led government have been in power Since 2004.

(ii) Since 1989 the percentage of votes secured by the Congress has declined and of BJP has increased but even then it has been getting more votes than the BJP.

(iii) In the elections of 2004, the Congress party too entered into coalitions and formed the United Progressive Alliance. A Congress led government was formed with support from the Left Front parties. The elections of 2004 were the partial revival of the Congress party. It could increase its seats for the first time since 1991. The party has further increased its tally of seats in 2009 elections. A Congress led UPA government is in power at the Centre.

From above it is clear that Congress still influences the politics in the country.

But the party system is not something any country can choose. It evolves over a long time, depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics and its system of elections. India has evolved a multi-party system due to its social and geographical diversity which can be absorbed by multiparty system. Not only this, multi-party system has allowed a variety of interests and opinions to have political representation.

Regional parties that have into existence are representing and safeguarding, the interest of various regions. It has led to an era of coalitions but it also has strengthen democracy in India. 

(i) Dominance of Congress till 1989.

(ii) Era of coalitions or multi-party system.

(iii) Emergence of powerful parties to represent the Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

(iv) Role of regional parties in national politics.

(v) Coalitions on the basis of power sharing arrangement rather than on ideological base.

(b) The party system in India lacks capacity to accommodate diverse interests. There was a time when the Congress accomodated diverse groups and ideologies. It represented India’s diversity in terms of classes and castes, religions and languages and various interests. Now with the end of Congress dominance, different parties have come up.

(c) It is necessary for parties to accommodate and aggregate variety of interests for the success of democracy. People will remain divided on the basis of caste, religion and region. This will create differences among the political parties. The parties will get more opportunist and form governments on power-sharing basis rather than on the basis of ideology as it being done now.

(ii) In 1989 –197seats

(ii) The Left and the BJP had supported the National Front government from outside. These parties were not part of the government.

(ii) This led to an era of multi-party system in practice because after 1989 with the emergence of several parties in such a way that one or two parties did not get most of the votes or seats.

(iii)Since 1989 no single party secured a clear majority of seats in any Lok Sabha election.

(iv) Regional parties began to play a crucial role in forming ruling alliances.

(ii) Different groups and regions are represented in the government due to various regional and smaller political parties.

Disadvantages : (i) It leads to instability of the government due to withdrawal of support by any political party may lead to fall of the government.

(ii) The Prime Minister or the government remains vulnerable to pressure from its partners.

(ii) It took a strong position in favour of political power to the ‘bahujan – the S.C., S.T., OBC and minorities'.

(i) There were clashes between the Hindus and Muslims in many parts of the country even in Mumbai.

(ii) The state goverment, with BJP as the ruling party was dismissed by the centre. Along with that, other States where the BJP was in power, were also put under President's rule.

(iii) A case for Contempt of Court was registered against Chief Minister of UP.

(iv) The Central government appointed a Commission to investigate into the circumstances leading to the demolition.

(i) Defeat of the Congress in the Elections held in 1989 : It was reduced to 197 seats in the Lok Sabha. It marked the end of ‘Congress System’ as termed by political scientists.

(ii) Rise of Mandal Issue : The National Front government decided to implement the recommendation of the Mandal Commission that jobs in Central government should be reserved for the Other Backward Classes. This led to violent ‘anti-Mandal protests’ in the country.

(iii) New Economic Policy : The government adopted new economic policy in 1991 which is known as the initiation of structural adjustment programme. It radically changed the direction of the Indian economy.

(iv) Demolition of Babri Masjid :It led to various changes in the politics of the country and intensified debate about the nature of Indian nationalism and secularism. These is also associated with the rise of the politics of 'Hinduvta'.

(v) Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 led to change in Congress leadership. After 1991 elections, PV Narsimha Rao was chosen as the Prime Minister.

(i) In 1967 elections, the opposition parties realised that the division of their votes kept the Congress in power. This led to formation of anti-Congress fronts and rise of ‘non-Congressism’ in Indian politics. This brought the opposition together. As a result of it, coalition governments were formed in eight states which included Punjab, Haryana. UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and other states.

(ii) In the elections of Lok Sabha in 1971 and State Assembly elections in 1972, Congress achieved victories, but the Congress under Indira Gandhi did not have the capacity to absorb all tensions and conflicts that the ‘Congress system’ was known for.

(iii) The declaration of emergency in 1975 once again brought the opposition together. Janata Party was formed and it came to power in 1977. Janata Party could not remain united. It lacked direction, leadership and a common programme. Congress once again won elections held in 1980 and 1984.The opposition parties too started to rely on Non-Congressism.

(iv) In 1989 elections, the Congress was the largest party but it was in the opposition. The National Front government, an alliance of Janata Dal and some regional parties, was formed. The election of 1989 marked the end of Congress dominance and beginning of coalition governments because after this one or two parties never got most of the votes or seats. No single party secured a clear majority of seats in any Lok Sabha elections. This initiated an era of coalition government at the Centre in which regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances.

The commission found that the backward castes had a very low presence in both educational institutions and in employment in public services. It therefore recommended reserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for these groups. This also made many other recommendations, like, land reforms to improve the coalitions of the OBCs.

(ii) The party got support largely from the Dalit voters in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

(iii) In 1989 and 1991 elections, it achieved breakthrough in UP mainly with the support of Dalit voters.

(iv) BSP, under kanshi Ram's leadership was envisaged as an organisation based on pragmatic politics.

(v) BSP has emerged as a major political player in the UP state and has been in government on more than one occasion.

(vi) Its strongest support still comes from Dalit voters, but it has expanded its support now to various other social groups in many parts of India.

(ii) V. D. Savarkar, its originator, defined it as the basis of Indian or Hindu nationhood.

(iii) It basically meant that to be members of the Indian nation, everyone must not only accept India as their ‘fatherland’ but also as their holy land.

(iv) Believers of ‘Hindutva’ argue that a strong nation can be built only on the basis of a strong and united national culture and in case of India the Hindu culture alone can provide this base.

(ii) Kalyan Singh was the Chief Minister of UP. He had given an undertaking that the disputed structure would be protected.

(iii) This dented image of India as a great land as on fostering great traditions of tolerance, faith, brotherhood amongst the various communities inhabiting the land.

(iv) The court sentenced him to a token imprisonment of one day.

Congress – 145 seats

(ii) A coalition government led by the Congress, known as the United Progressive Alliance came to power. This government received support from the Left Front parties.

(iii)This results partially revived the Congress party as it could increase its seats for the first time since 1991.

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.

(i) New economic policies : Most of the political parties support the new economic policies.The parties believe that these policies would lead the country to prosperity and a status of economic power in the world.

(ii) Acceptance of the political and social claims of the backward castes : All the political parties support the political and social claims of the backward castes. They support the reservation of seats for these classes in education and employment. Political parties are willing to ensure that the OBCs get adequate share of power.

(iii) Role of State level parties in the governance of the country : State level parties are sharing power at the national level and have played a central role in the country's poltics of last twenty years or so no. 

(iv) Emphasis on pragmatic considerations : The political parties now put more emphasis on pragmatic considerations rather than ideological positions. The coalition politics has shifted the focus of political parties from ideological differences to power sharing arrangements. For example, most parties of the NDA did not agree with the ‘Hindutva’ ideology of the BJP, yet they came together to form a government and remained in power for a full term.

In communalism, one religion is pitched against the another religion whereas in regionalism, its not so.

Coalition governments has proven to be more democratic than the one-party governments in following ways :

 (i) It eliminates the fear of one-party dictatorship.

(ii) Different groups and regions get due representation in the government.

(iii) Coalition government allows parties to build consensus on different issues.

(iv) Coalition government expresses regional aspirations and Interests of various groups.

(i) End of Congress system- The defeat of the Congress Party in the election of 1989 marked the end of Congress dominance over the Indian party system. It could win only 197 seats in Lok Sabha.

(ii) Rise of Mandal Issue-The Mandal Issue started with the National Front Government’s decision to implement the recommendation of Mandal Commission that jobs in the Central government should be reserved for OBCs. This led to violent anti Mandal protests in different parts of the county.

(iii) New Economic Policy-This is known as the initiation of the structural adjustment programmes. Started by Rajiv Gandhi, these changes first become visible in 1991 and radically changed the direction that the Indian economy had pursued since independence .

(iv) Demolition of Babri Masjid or Ayodhya dispute- Ayodhya dispute started with the demolition of the disputed structure of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in December 1992. This event symbolished and triggered various changes in politics of the country and intensified debate about the nature of Indian nationalism and secularism.
(v) Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi-The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 led to change in the leadership of the Congress. In the election of 1991, Congress emerged as the single largest party. The party chose P.V. Narsimha Raoas the Prime Minister of India .

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At the time of independence, Sikkim was not a part of India. It was a Protectorate of India. Its defence and foreign relations were looked after by India but not administrated by India. Monarchy system of Chogyal was unable to deal with the democratic aspirations of the people of Sikkim. Majority of Sikkim’s population was Nepalis and Lepcha- Bhutia community was in minority. The anti-Chogyal leaders of both the communities got support from the Government of India. The first democratic elections were held in 1974 were swept by Sikkim Congress which stood for greater integration with India. The Assembly first sought the status of a associate state and then in April, 1975 passed a resolution asking for full integration with India. The Indian parliament accepted this request immediately and Sikkim became the 22nd State of Indian Union.

BJP

The features:

 (i) It emphasised the idea of one country, one culture and one nation.

 (ii) It was opposed to the granting of concession to religious and cultural minorities.

The era of Coalition Governments at the centre began in India in 1989. 

In 1984. Rajiv Gandhi became PM.

The Meerut riot.

It began in 1989 because after the emergence of several parties in such a way that one or two parties did not get most of the seats or votes. This also meant that no single party secured a clear majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha election held since 1989. This development initiated an era of coalition governments at the centre, in which regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances.

The ways popular movements contributed to the expansion of democracy rather than causing disruption are-

(i) They represent new social groups whose economic and social grievances were not redressed in the realm of electoral politics.

(ii) These movements raise issues related to some underlying social conflicts.

(iii) Popular movements ensured effective representation of diverse groups and their demands.

(iv) Popular movements suggest new forms of active participation and broaden the idea of participation in democracy.

(v) The movements make people aware of their rights and the expectations that they can have from democratic institutions.

(vi) The frequency and the methods used by the movements suggest that the routine functioning of democracy did have enough space for the voices of these social groups.

OR

(i) Two states where the Left parties won the majority of Lok Sabha seats are Kerala and West Bengal.

(ii) Two states where the NDA won the Majority of Lok Sabha seats are Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

(iii) Two states where the UPA won the majority of seats in Lok Sabha are Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

In 1984. Rajiv Gandhi became PM.

The demolition of Babri Mosque by ‘Karsevak’ on 6 December 1992 is termed as Ayodhya dispute. This Mosque was believed to be built after demolishing a temple for Lord Ram in what is believed to be birth place. This local dispute suddenly became a major national question and led to communal tensions.

The impacts are:

(i) It has eliminated the fear of one-party dictatorship.

(ii) Different groups and regions have gotten due representation in the government.

(iii) Coalition governments have allowed parties to build consensus on different issues.

(iv Coalition governments have expressed regional aspirations and interests of various groups.

Political Developments since 1989:
(i) Defeat of the Congress party in the elections held in 1989.
(ii) Rise of Reservation issue in national politics and the decision to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission by National front government.
(iii) The initiation of the structural programme or the new economic reforms.
(iv) Demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya known as Babri masjid.

i. 1 – Rajiv Gandhi 2 – V.P. Singh 3 – L.K. Advani 4 – Devi Lal
ii. Implementation of Mandal Commission’s recommendation.

iii. The party was badly affected in 1989 and could not muster clear majority (reduced from 415 to 189)

During this period, no political party secured a simple majority in the Lok Sabha.

The negative outcomes of the Coalition Governments:

(i) Most allies of a Coalition are opposed to the new economic policies being introduced by the government.

(ii) Biased role of regional parties in the governance without any concern of national interests.

Causes of confrontation between the Union Government and the Judiciary.
(i) Constitutional issue about the amendment to the Fundamental Rights.
(ii) Can the Parliament curtail the Right to Property by amending the constitution? 
(iii) The Parliament amended and abridged the Fundamental Rights to implement DPSPs. But the Judiciary did not agree to this. 
(iv) It is in the Keshvananda Bharti Case when the Judiciary asserted that the basic features of the constitution cannot be amended even by the Parliament.
(v) Filling up the vacancy of the Chief Justice of India by not appointing the senior most judge.
(vi) The climax of the confrontation was the ruling of the Allahabad High Court declaring Indira Gandhi’s election invalid.