Challenges to and restoration of the congress system
1. Which of these statements about the 1967 elections is/are correct?
(a) Congress won the Lok Sabha elections but lost the Assembly
elections in many states.
(b) Congress lost both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
(c) Congress lost majority in the Lok Sabha but formed a coalition
government with the support of some other parties.
(d) Congress retained power at the Centre with an increased majority.
Answer: (a) Congress won the Lok Sabha elections but lost the Assembly elections in many states.
(c) Congress lost majority in the Lok Sabha but formed a coalition government with the support of some other parties.
2. Match the following:
3. Whom would you identify with the following slogans/phrases?
(a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan
(b) Indira Hatao!
(c) Garibi Hatao!
Answer: (a) Lai Bahadur Shastri: Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan
(b) Syndicate: Indira Hatao!
(c) Indira Gandhi: Garibi Hatao!
4.Which of the following statement about the Grand Alliance of 1971 is
correct?
The Grand Alliance …..
(a) was formed by non-Communist, non-Congress parties.
(b) had a clear political and ideological programme.
(c) was formed by all non-Congress parties.
Answer: (a) was formed by non-Communist, non-Congress parties.
5. 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
Answer:
(a) Benefits: If the party follows in the footsteps of the party president, there will be discipline and unity within the party.
Flaw: The party president may make its decisions without considering the views of its party members. Therefore, internal democracy may be weakened.
(b) Benefits: If the party listens to the majority group, there will be more trust among party members and internal democracy will be strengthened.
Flaw: If the party listens to the majority group, factionalism may increase in the party. One group may try to support another group to garner support.
(c) Advantages: Secret ballot voting is an appropriate system. It is more democratic. Through this, any member can express his opinion.
Flaw: Sometimes, party members can ignore the party whip issued by the party president and vote via secret ballot. this could prove fatal for the team.
(d) Advantages: Freshmen and less experienced candidates will benefit if they discuss with the senior and experienced leaders of the party and also follow their instructions. Flaw: If team members only confer with senior and experienced leaders and follow their directions, their grip on the team will be strong.
6. 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) Increasing unity among non-Congress parties
(e) Internal differences within the Congress party
Answer:
(a) This may not be the reason for the defeat of the Congress party. This is because the party had many experienced and interesting leaders.
(b) This was one of the main reasons for the defeat of the Congress party. Now the party was divided into two groups. The syndicate had a strong grip on the Congress party where Indira supporters were more interested in their leader. One group was in support of capitalism and liberalization while others opposed it.
(c) As a result of the rise of the Akali Dal in Punjab, the DMK in Tamil Nadu. and other regional parties failed the Congress. The party failed to win a majority at the Center and was deprived of power in various states.
(d) There was no unity among the non-Congress parties. Therefore, non-Congress parties benefited in other provinces.
(e) Internal differences within the party were a major cause of its defeat.
7. What were the factors which led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s
Government in the early 1970s?
Answer:
Because:
1. Socialist certification became the major project during this period.
2. Indira Gandhi campaigned for the implementation of the Land Reforms Act and the Land Protection Act.
3. She ended her dependence on others
Political parties strengthened her party's position and recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December
4. Indira Gandhi was popularized by the crisis of East Pakistan and the Indo-Pak war to establish Bangladesh as an independent country.
5. Indira Gandhi's government was not only perceived as the protector of the poor and the needy, but also as a strong government.
6. The Congress became popular among various social sections and restored dominance again.
8. 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?
Answer:
There was a group of powerful and influential leaders from within the Syndicate Congress:
1. The syndicate was led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and then Congress President K Kamaraj. Here is the S.K. Patil, S. (1999). Nijalingappa, N.S. Some powerful leaders like Sanjeev Reddy and Atul Ghosh are also included.
2. In the 1960s, the syndicate played a decisive role in installing both Lai Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi as prime ministers.
3. The syndicate played a decisive role in the formation and implementation of Indira Gandhi's first cabinet and policies.
4. After partition, two groups were created in the Congress, namely the Syndicate led by Indira Gandhi and the Congress (O) led by the Congress (R).
5. Congress (R), gained popularity after 1971 and syndicates lost power and prestige.
9. Discuss the major issue which led to the formal split of the Congress
Party in 1969.
Answer:
During the 1969 presidential election, there was a formal split in Congress on the issue of candidate nominations:
1. Despite Indira Gandhi's reservations, the syndicate nominated Neelam Sanjeev Reddy as the official Congress candidate for the next Presidential election.
2. Indira Gandhi retaliated by encouraging the then Vice-President Shri V. Giri to nominate her as an independent candidate.
3. During the elections, the then Congress President S.K. Nijalingappa asked all Congress MPs and MLAs to vote for N.S. They issued a whip asking them to vote for Sanjeev Reddy.
4. On the other hand, after silently supporting VV Giri, Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi openly called for a conscience vote to vote as they wanted.
5. Due to this diplomatic effort, the elections went in favor of VV Giri and N Sanjeev Reddy lost.
6. The official candidate of the Congress is N.S. Sanjeev Reddy's defeat formalized the split of the party into two parts:
(a) Congress (A), i.e. organization
led by the Syndicate, known as the Old Congress.
(b) The demand plaintiffs led by Indira Gandhi, also known as Congress (R) i.e. New Congress.
10. Read the passage and answer the questions below:
…Indira Gandhi changed the Congress into highly cerntalised 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?
Answer: (a) According to the author, the main difference between the strategies of Nehru and Indira Gandhi is that Jawaharlal Nehru took the Congress to a federal, democratic and idealistic nature while Indira Gandhi transformed it into a highly centralized and undemocratic party.
(b) The Congress party died in the 1970s due to the changing nature of the Congress, the new popular politics turned political ideals into mere electoral discouragement and the use of various slogans never translated into government policy
That is, the electoral victory of the 1970s.
(c) The changes in the Congress Party also affected other political parties as they formed the SVD (United Legislative Party) in the form of coalitions and grand coalitions.
