CHAPTER 14 : Challenges to and Restoration of Congress System NCERT SOLUTION CLASS 12TH POLITICAL SCIENCE | EDUGROWN NOTES

Very Short Answer Type Questions:

Q1. What does ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ stand for in Indian politics?
Answer: 1. The phrase ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ implied frequent floor crossing by legislators in the party which was developed by Haryana MLA Gaya Lai in 1967.
2. He changed his party thrice in fortnight from Congress to United Front back to Congress and then within nine hours to United Front again.
3. This incident later became a political joke and develop the culture of defection in Indian politics to create instability among the political parties.
4. Now, the Constitution has been amended to prevent this practice under ‘Anti Defection Law’.

Q2. Why did senior Congress leader support Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister after the death of Lai Bahadur Shastri?
Answer: Because:
1. Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and she had been Congress president in the past and had also been Union Minister for Information in Shastri Cabinet.
2. The senior leaders presumed that her administrative and political inexperience would compel her to dependent on them for support and guidance.

Q3. What is meant by Grand Alliance?
Answer: Grand Alliance was an electoral alliance of all the major Non-communist, non¬Congress opposition parties. The SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party and the Bharatiya Kranti Dal came together under this Umbrella.

Q4. Why did Indira Gandhi government devalue the Indian Rupee in 1967?
Answer: Indira Gandhi government devalued Indian rupee to check economic crisis of 1967. Consequently, one US dollar could be purchased for less than ? 5 after devaluation, it cost more than ? 7.
1. The economic situation triggered a price rise.
2. People started protest against increase in prices of essential commodities and unemployment etc.
3. The Communist and Socialist parties launched struggle to avail greater equality.

Q5. How did Congress face challenge of political succession second time?
Answer: The Congress party faced the challenge of succession for second time in 1966 after the death of Lai Bahadur Shastri:
1. This challenge started with an intense competition between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi to be resolved through a secret ballot.
2. Indira Gandhi defeated Morarji Desai by securing support of more than two-third of the party’s MPs.
3. Thus, a peaceful transition of power despite intense competition for leadership was seen as a sign of maturity of India’s democracy.

Q6. What was the status of SVD in the new era of coalition?
Answer: The elections of 1967 brought the coalitions when no single party got the majority and joint legislator parties called ‘Samyukt Vidhayak Dal’ came together to form government to support non-Congress government:
1. The SVD government in Bihar included two socialist parties—SSP and PSP along-with CPS on left and Jana Sangh on right.
2. In Punjab, it was called the popular United Front and comprised the two rival Akali Parties at that time.

Q7. ‘1960s were labelled as the dangerous decade’. Explain.
Answer: Due to some unresolved problems like poverty, inequality, communal and regional divisions and the was speculations that all these could lead to a failure of the democratic project or even disintegration of country.

Short Answer Type Questions:

Q1. Explain any two reasons for the popularity of Indira Gandhi during 1971 elections.
Or
Analyse any three factors which enhanced popularity of Indira Gandhi in the early 1970s.
Answer: Because:
1. Indira Gandhi campaigned to implement land reforms legislations and land ceiling legislation during elections.
2. She ended her dependence on other political parties by strengthening her party’s position and recommended the dissolution of Lok Sabha in December 1970.
3. The crisis in East Pakistan and Indo- Pak war to establish Bangladesh as an independent one, also enhanced the popularity of Indira Gandhi.

Q2. What does ‘defection’ stand for in Indian politics? Highlight any two demerits of this practice?
Answer: Defection refers to an elected representative leaves the party on whose symbol he/she is elected and joins another party. This culture developed in Indian Politics after 1967 elections.
Its two demerits were as follows:
1. It played an important role in making and unmaking of government frequently.
2. The constant realignments and shifting political loyalties in this period gave rise to the expression “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram”.

Q3. Why was the year 1967 considered a landmark year in India’s political and electoral history? Explain.
Answer: The fourth general election was held in 1967 for the first time without Nehru:
1. The election verdict was not in favour of Congress and results jolted the Congress both at the national and state levels.
2. Half the ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet were defeated including K. Kamraj in Tamilnadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal, K.B. Sahay in Bihar.
3. Congress did not lose majority in seven states only but two other states also prevented it to form government due to defections.
4. For the first time any non-Congress party secured majority in any state and in other eight states different non-Congress parties formed the coalitions.

Q4. These election results were called as a ‘Political Earthquake’.4. How can we see re-emergence of Indira Gandhi to power in 1971?
Answer: Congress (R) under Indira Gandhi had an issue, an agenda and a positive slogan which was lacked by its opponents. The ‘Grand Alliance’ had only one common i programme ‘Indira Hatao’:
1. In contrast to this, Indira Gandhi put forward a positive slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’.
2. By this, she generated a support base among poor, minorities, landless labourers, dalit, women and unemployed youth.
3. Except it, she focused on the growth of public sector, imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property, removal of disparity etc.
4. Thus, the slogan of Garibi Hatao and programmes became the part of Indira Gandhi’s political strategy of building an independent nationwide political support base during the electoral contest of 1971.

Q5. What is meant by ‘Privy Purses’? Why did Indira Gandhi insist on abolishing them in 1970?
Answer:‘Privy Purses’ was the form of grant in heredity given to the rulers and their families:
1. The grant or ‘Privy Purse’ was measured on the basis of extent revenue and potential of the merging state in the assurance given at the time of integration of princely states.
2. Privy purses were criticised, the privileges given to princely states at the time of accession, integration and consolidation were protested.
3. Hence, some leaders like Indira Gandhi insisted on abolishing the privy purses because hereditary privileges were not constant with the principle of equality, social and economic justice laid down in the constitution.
4. Hence in the elections of 1971, Indira Gandhi made this a major election issue and got a lot of public support
and alongwith massive victory in 1971 election, the constitution was amended to remove legal obstacles for abolition of privy purses.

Q6. How did the outcome of 1971 elections help in restoration of Congress?
Answer: Congress (R) under Indira Gandhi had an issue an agenda and a positive slogan which was lacked by its opponents. The ‘Grand Alliance’ had only one common programme ‘Indira Hatao’:
1. In contrast to this, Indira Gandhi put forward a positive slogan ‘Garibi Hatoa’.
2. By this, she generated a support base among poors, minorities, landlors labourers, dalits, women and unemployed bye youth.
3. Except it, she focused on the growth of public sector, imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property, removal of disparity etc.
4. Thus, the slogan of Garibi Hatao and programmes became the part of Indira Gandhi’s political strategy of building an independent nationwide political support base during the electoral contest of 1971.

Q7. Write a short note on:
(a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan
(b) Garibi Hatao
(c) Indira Hatao
(d) Grand Alliance
Answer: (a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan
(i) A slogan given by Lai Bahadur Shastri in 1965.
(ii) To symbolise to resolve country’s challenge of food crisis and external threat.
(b) Garibi Hatao
(i) A slogan given by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1970 to symbolise removal of poverty.
(ii) Through this slogan, Indira Gandhi generated a support base among women, unemployed youth, minorities, landless labourers, dalits, etc.
(c) Indira Hatao
A slogan given by Grand Alliance alongwith one programme of‘Indira Hatao’ only i.e. remove Indira Gandhi from Political arena.
(d) Grand Alliance
(i) An alliance formed by non-communist and non-Congress parties to be formed against Congress (R).
(ii) It did not focus on multiple strategies of development rather included only ‘Indira Hatao’.

Long Answer Type Questions:

Q1. Analyse any three major factors which led the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s Government in the early 1970s.
Answer: (i) The fifth general elections to Lok Sabha were held in February 1971. The electoral contest appeared to be loaded against Congress (R). After all, the new Congress was just one faction of an already weak party. Everyone believed that the real organizational strength of the Congress Party was under the command of Congress (O). To make i matters worse for Indira Gandhi, all the major non-Communist, non Congress opposition parties formed an electoral alliance known as the Grand Alliance. Yet the new Congress had something that its big opponents lacked — it had an issue, an agenda and a positive slogan. The Grand Alliance did not have a coherent political programme. Indira Gandhi said that the opposition alliance had only one common programme Indira Hatao (Remove Indira). In contrast to this, she put forward a positive programme captured in the famous slogan: Garibi Hatao (Remove poverty).
(ii) Indira Gandhi focussed on the growth of the public sector, imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban poverty, removal of disparities in income and opportunity, and abolition of princely privileges. Thus, the slogan Garibi Hatao and the programmes that followed it were part of Indira Gandhi’s political strategy of building an Independent nationwide political support base. As a result, she won 352 seats with about 44 per cent of the popular votes on its own in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971.
(iii) Soon after the 1971 Lok Sabha election, a major political and military crises broke out in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The 1971 elections were followed by the crisis in East Pakistan and the Indo- Pak war leading to the establishment of Bangladesh. These events added to the popularity of Indira Gandhi. Even the opposition leaders admired her statesmanship.

Q2. Examine the three main reasons responsible for the split in Congress during 1969.
Or
Describe the various aspects of presidential election of 1969.
Answer: The formal split in Congress took place in 1969 on the issue of nomination of the candidate during presidential elections:
1. Despite, Indira Gandhi’s representatives, the syndicate nominated Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, as the official Congress candidate for ensuring presidential elections.
2. Indira Gandhi retaliated the situation by encouraging Mr. V.V. Giri, the then Vice President, to be nominated as an independent candidate.
3. During election, the then Congress president S. Nijalingappa issue a ‘Whip’ asking all Congress MPs, MLAs to vote for N. Sanjeeva Reddy.
4. On the other hand, after silently supporting V.V. Giri, the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi openly called for a conscience vote to vote the way they want.
5. Elections went in favour of V.V. Giri due to this diplomatic effort and N. Sanjeeva Reddy was defeated.
6. The defeat of N. Sanjeeva Reddy, the formal Congress candidate, formalised the split of party into two:
(a) Congress (0) i.e organisation led by Syndicate, known as Old Congress.
(b) Congress (R) i.e. requisitionists led by Indira Gandhi, known as New Congress.

Q3. Which six factors contributed to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s government in the decade of 1970s?
Answer: Because:
1. Socialist credentials became main projects during this period.
2. Indira Gandhi campaigned to implement land reform legislation and land ceiling legislations.
3. She ended her dependence on other political parties by strengthening her party’s position and recommended the dissolution of Lok Sabha in December 1970.
4. The crisis in East Pakistan and Indo- Pak war to establish Bangladesh as an independent one, also enhanced the popularity of Indira Gandhi.
5. Indira Gandhi and her government was not accepted only as a protector of the poor and under privileged but as a strong government also.
6. Congress became popular among different social sections and restored dominance again.

Q4. Examine the grave economic crisis prior to fourth general election of 1967. Assess the electoral verdict also.
Answer: Indira Gandhi government devalued Indian rupee to check economic crisis of 1967. Consequently, one US dollar could be purchased for less than ? 5 after devaluation, it cost more than ? 7.
1. The economic situation triggered a price rise.
2. People started protest against increase in prices of essential commodities and unemployment etc.
3. The Communist and Socialist parties launched struggle to avail greater equality.
The fourth general election was held in 1967 for the first time without Nehru:
1. The election verdict was not in favour of Congress and results jolted the Congress both at the national and state levels.
2. Half the ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet were defeated including K. Kamraj in Tamilnadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal, K.B. Sahay in Bihar.
3. Congress did not lose only majority in seven states but two other states also prevented it to form government due to defections.
4. For the first time any non-Congress party secured majority in any state and in other eight states different non-Congress parties formed the coalitions.
5. These election results were called as a ‘Political Earthquake’.