Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System Notes in English Class 12 Political Science Chapter-5 Book-POLITICS IN INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE

 

The challenge of political succession

• After Nehru ji died in May 1964, the debate about his political successor intensified and there was a debate on who should be made the next Prime Minister.

• There was a fear that the country would collapse and military rule would come.

• But Nehru's successor was easily chosen and Lal Bahadur Shastri became the next Prime Minister.

• Congress President K. Kamaraj consulted the party and made Shastri the Prime Minister.

• Shastri Ji had held the post of minister in Nehru's cabinet. Shastri Ji was a leader with a clean image.

2 main challenges during Shastri ji's time 

1. Food crisis 

2. War with Pakistan 

Shastri Ji remained Prime Minister for a very short time. He suddenly died on 10 January 1966 in Tashkent. He gave the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. Tashkent Agreement was signed in 1966 .

Indira Gandhi after Shastri 

• After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966, the problem of succession once again arose .

• This time there was a tough competition between Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai to become the Prime Minister. Ultimately Indira Gandhi was made the Prime Minister of the country because she had got the support of the party .

• The party leaders supported Indira Gandhi thinking that Indira Gandhi would work according to their advice .

Why is the 1960s called a dangerous decade?

• Poverty, inequality, communalism

• 2 wars happened at the same time

• food crisis

• Death of two prime ministers

Fourth General Election of 1967

• Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held in February 1967 and Congress suffered a major setback at the national and provincial levels.

• At this time, Congress had lost power in 9 states. Its government was saved at the center but Congress suffered a major setback in the states.

• Many political observers called it a political earthquake. Senior Congress leaders also lost the elections at this time.

1. Tamil Nadu - K. Kamaraj 

2. Maharashtra - S. K. Patil

3. Bengal – Atulya Ghosh 

4. Bihar - K. B. Sahay 

 

Congress lost in 7 + 2 states in assembly elections  

• Did not get majority in 7 states, could not form government in 2 states due to defection

• Lost power in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madras, Orissa, Kerala etc.

• In Madras, the regional party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won the election

• DMK came into existence due to anti-Hindi agitation

Changes in the country till the fourth general election 

• Death of two Prime Ministers and Ministers

• The new Prime Minister was considered less experienced

• Serious economic crisis, failure of monsoon

• Drought, fall in crop yield

• Foreign exchange shortage

• increase in military spending

• devaluation of rupee

Alliance 

• The phenomenon of coalition came into being with the 1967 elections.

• At this time no party had got the majority, so many non-Congress parties united and formed the United Legislature Party and supported the non-Congress governments.

• For this reason these governments were called United MLA Party governments.

• The constituent parties of such a government differed from each other in terms of ideology.

Example -  

The United MLA Party government formed in Bihar included two socialist parties – SSP and PSP. 

• Along with them, Leftist-CPI and  rightist Jansangh were also included in this government. 

• The United Legislature Party government formed in Punjab  was called the 'Popular United Front' government. 

• It included  two rival Akali Dals of that time—Sant Group  and Master Group.

• Along with them, the two communist parties CPI and  CPI (M), SSP, Republican Party  and Bharatiya Jana Sangh were also included in the government.

Defections 

The phenomenon of defection came to the fore in the 1967 elections 

When a leader contests an election on the symbol of a particular party and wins the election and after winning the election leaves the party and joins another party, it is called defection.

Gayalal, an MLA from Haryana,  changed his party thrice in  a fortnight and wants this incident to be known as Aaya Ram Gaya Ram

Meaning of Non-Congressism 

• Seeing the deteriorating situation in the country the opposition became very active

• These parties felt that Indira Gandhi's inexperience and the internal turmoil in the Congress had given them an opportunity to remove the Congress from power.

• Ram Manohar Lohia called it non-Congressism

• He said that the Congress rule is undemocratic and against the poor

• Therefore, non-Congress parties should come together to bring back democracy

Split in Congress - Indira versus Syndicate 

• The real challenge to Indira Gandhi came not from the opposition but from within her own party

• They had to deal with the syndicate

• The Syndicate was a group of powerful and influential leaders within the Congress

• The Syndicate played an important role in making Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister

• The Syndicate hoped that Indira Gandhi would follow their advice but Indira Gandhi did not accept their advice

• Indira Gandhi had to establish herself within the government and the party

• Included people from outside the party in his group of advisors and confidants

Indira Gandhi faced two challenges 

1. To establish a position independent of the influence of the syndicate 

2. Winning back the seats lost in the 1967 elections 

• Indira Gandhi started giving a leftist color to the policies of the government

• Leftists - making policies for poor and backward people

10 Point Program 

• Social control over banks

• Nationalisation of insurance

• आय का परिसीमन

• government distribution of food grains

• land reform giving land to the poor

presidential election 

• During the presidential election in 1969, the factionalism between Indira Gandhi and the Syndicate came out in the open

• The then President Zakir Hussain had died

• The Syndicate succeeded in fielding Lok Sabha Speaker Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as its presidential candidate

• There was already a rift between Indira Gandhi and Sanjiva Reddy

• Indira Gandhi promoted V.V. Giri

• Both factions wanted to test their strength in the presidential election. Congress President S. Nijalingappa said vote for party candidate Reddy only. Indira Gandhi said vote as per your conscience.

• In the end V.V. Giri emerged victorious, he was an independent candidate. Sanjiva Reddy's defeat was sure to split the party. The Congress President expelled the Prime Minister from her party. Indira Gandhi said that her Congress is the real Congress.

Division in the Congress 

Congress 

1. Congress (O) Syndicate 

2. Congress (R) Indira Gandhi  

• Indira called this split a battle of ideologies

• Indira described her party as a supporter of the poor people

• Indira Gandhi nationalized 14 banks

What is Privy Purse? 

• Privy purse is the special right given to former kings and Maharajas

• Morarji Desai opposed the abolition of the Privy Purse and left the government

• Morarji Desai did not want the Privy Purse to be abolished

• Morarji said that the abolition of the Privy Purse is a betrayal of the king and the princely states

Election of 1971 -

• Indira Gandhi government was reduced to minority due to split in Congress

• DMK and CPI continue their support

• During this time the government tried to show socialist colors

• Indira Gandhi campaigned for the implementation of land reform laws

• Make laws for land delimitation

• Indira recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970

Electoral contest 

• The electoral contest seemed to be against the Congress(R)

• Because the new Congress was falling apart

• Everyone believed that the real power of the Congress Party was in the control of the Syndicate

• All major non-communist and non-Congress opposition parties formed an electoral alliance called the Grand Alliance

• SSP, SP, Jansangh, Swatantra Party, Bhartiya Kranti Dal all joined together

• The new Congress had an issue which the Congress (O) did not have

• Wherever Indira went across the country she always said that the opposition alliance had only one issue - Remove Indira

But Indira Gandhi said eradicate poverty

• Apart from this, Indira Gandhi also promoted prosperity of public sector.

• Delimitation of land ownership and urban property

• Inequality in income and employment opportunities

• Emphasis on election campaign over abolition of privy purse

Dramatic election results of 1971 

• The Congress and CPI alliance had never won as many seats as in the previous general elections

• The alliance got 375 seats

• Congress (R) alone got 352 seats

• Congress (O) lost miserably

• got only 16 seats

• Grand Alliance got 40 seats

• Bangladesh crisis erupted after the 1971 Lok Sabha elections

• india pakistan war happened

• India won and became an independent country called Bangladesh

• After this Indira's popularity increased manifold

• Even opposition leaders praised Indira Gandhi

• Assembly elections were held in 1972 and Congress (R) won the election

• Indira was seen as the protector of the poor and the underprivileged

• Congress(R) established its dominance

Restoration of the Congress system 

• Just as the Congress went through a bad phase during the 1967 elections, after that the Congress broke down and in 1971 Indira Gandhi brought the Congress back to the same position where it was earlier

• Now the Congress was dependent on the popularity of one person

• Now this party did not have different factions

• This party was more dependent on the poor, minorities, women, Dalits and tribals

• Indira Gandhi restored the Congress system but by changing its nature

• Earlier, the Congress system had the capacity to absorb every tension and conflict

• Earlier there were different ideologies within the Congress party

• But the new Congress itself lacked capacity

• Indira's hold on Congress increased. Now the nature of Congress had changed.