Plus two politics chapter 5

1. CONTENTS
POLITICAL CHANGES AFTER NEHRU
HOW OPPOSING UNITY AND SPLIT IN
CONGRESS? CREATED PROBLEMS FOR
THE CONGRESS PARTY
HOW INDIA SOLVED THESE PROBLEMS?
HOW NEW POLICIES AND IDEOLOGIES
OF THE CONGRESS RESTORED THE
CONGRESS SYSTEM?
Challenges to and Restoration
of the Congress System

2. Political Succession
 After Nehru, who ?
 He passed away in 1964 discussions – a failure in
this line of democracy army taking over
unsolved problems like inequality, poverty and
communal divisions could lead to failure of
democracy or even national disintegration.

3. Nehru to Shastri
 Shastri succeeded Nehru with much ease.
 The congress President K. Kamaraj in consultation
with the party leaders found a consensus candidate
in Lal Bahadur Shastri unanimously elected
him as their leader and second prime minister of
India no controversy and great simplicity.
 Experience- member of Nehru ministry. Nehru
depended him in many cases during his illness.
 Resigned as railway minister accepting the moral
responsibility for a major railway accident.

4. Challenges
of Shastri
• Chinal war inflicted big dent in
Indian economy.
• Failure of monsoon
• Drought
• Shortage of food
• War with Paksitan in 1965

5.  Jai Jawan Jai Kissan- slogan of shastri showed the
determination of him to face the challenges.
 He died in 1966 in Thashkent . He had gone to sign
an agreement with Ayub Khan the then President of
Pakistan.
 He had been a minister in UP government, Union
Minister for Railways and finally the Prime Minister
of India.

6. Shastri to Indira Gandhi
 After the death of Shastriji, there was a stiff competition
between Morarji Deshai and Indira Gandhi for succession.
 Seniors backed Indira Gandhi expecting her to consult them
on various matters as she had little experience as minister.
But it was not unanimous- secret ballot election- Indira
Gandhi secured two third majority. Maturrity of
democracy.
 Morarji Deshai- Chief Minister of Bombay, Minister at the
Centre.
 Indira Gandhi- President of the Congress, Minister for
Information.
 Economic condition of India was worse. She had to face the
election within an year. She tried to get more control over the
party.

7. Fourth General Elections, 1967
Failure of
monsoons
Fall in
agricultural
production
Food shortage
Drop in
industrial
production
Thin foreign
exchange
reserves and
rising military
expense
Economic Crisis

8. Change in
Political beliefs.
• Devalue the rupee.
• US pressure could be seen as a reason.
• Price of essential commodities shot up.
• Rising prices
• Food shortage
• Unemployment
• Protest from people
• Bandhs and hartals
• Govt. took it as a matter of law and order.
• Added fuel to the unrest and bitterness.
• Protest from communist party and Socialist
Party.
• CPI(ML) broke away from CPI (M) to organize
armed agragarian protests.
• Several communal riots ( Hindu - Muslim riots)

9. Non Congressism
 Opposition parties organized protests and pressurized Govt.
 They realized that lack of unity kept the congress in power.
 They came together and made a united front setting aside their
ideologies and policies.
 All sorts of electoral adjustments and seat sharing were resorted
to.
 It was the ideal time to make use the inexperience of Indira
Gandhi and the internal groupism in Congress.
 Ram Manohar Lohia- Non Congressism- No benefit for
ordinary people from Congress rule and undemocratic.
 To redeem democracy, opposition parties should come together
sinking all their differences and defeat the congress party.

10. Electoral Verdict
 Fourth general elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies
in 1967-congress faced discontent and criticism of the
rulers and polarization of political parties- Congress party
faced the first election without Nehru.
 Political Earthquake – In Lok Sabha, Congress had
majority, but with lowest majority of seats and votes- Half
of ministers failed- Political stalwarts lost their seats –In
seven states, congress lost its majority and in other two
defection was reported. So could not form Government.
 DMK- first regional party secured majority and came to
power – DMK led massive anti- Hindi agitations as
Government tried to impose Hindi as the official language.

11. Defection
 Key role in making or unmaking Govts. in states after
general elections.
 Leaving one political party and joining another which is
considered to be an enemy is defection.
 After 1967 elections, some of the congress legislators
broke away from the fold and helped other parties to
make govt.
 Special phrase- Aya Ram Gaya Ram- Ram came and Ram
went- Gaya Lal, a MLA changed his party thrice in a
week.
 Govt. of India amended the constitution to prevent such
situation.

12. Split in the Congress
 With small majority, Congress retained power at the
centre, lost hold in many of the states.
 This election proved that the Congress could be
defeated.
 Many had believed that Congress in India was
invincible, but election proved this belief was wrong.
 There was no substitute for Congress. Many
coalitions fell, few survived, new combinations were
made President’s rule.

13. Indira vs the Syndicate
 Indira faced opposition from the seniors as they
expected more favors and privileges and even they
wanted her to follow their advice on all important
matters. But she did not do that.
 She had a line of outside advisors of her own choice.
 She took their advice as well as she sidlined the
syndicate of seniors.
 She had to bring Congress to the situation prior to
the 1967 elections. Also she had to break herself free
from the influence of the Syndicate.

14.  Indira adopted a broad strategy- convert simple
power struggle to an ideological struggle.
 Took a left turn- Ten point programme-Social
control of banks, nationalization of insurance, ceiling
on urban property income, PDS, land reforms and
provision for house sites to the poor.
 The syndicate approved but they have their own
reservation on the left turn.

15. Presidential Election - 1969
 A new president had to be elected when Zakir Hussain
had died.
 Syndicate nominated N. Sajeeva Reddy as the
presidential candidate who was the number one
opponent of Indira Gandhi.
 She asked the Vice President to file his nomination as an
independent candidate as she didn’t want to brook any
opposition to her plans.
 Added rift with Syndicate.
 New popular policies - nationalization of Private Banks,
abolition of privileges enjoyed by the former princes.

16.  Morarji Deshai was the Deputy Prime Minister and
Finance minister. Differences emerged between both
on various issues especially on Presidential election.
 There had been differences in congress before.
 At the time of presidential election, Congress
President S Nijaligappa through a Whip asked all
Congress MPs and MLAs to vote for the official
candidate Sanjeeva Reddy.
 Mrs. Gandhi silently supported V.V. Giri and openly
called for a conscience vote.

17.  She sent message that she wanted all the MPs and MLAs to vote as
per the dictates of their conscience.
 Result- Vice President President.
 Official candidate failed split in Congress Mrs. Gandhi was
expelled from Congress. She said her group was the real congress.
 Congress (O)- led by the leaders of Syndicate- O stood for
Organization also known as Old congress.
 Congress ( R)- Indira Gandhi group- R stood for Requisitionists as
they requested for special meeting of AICC. Also known as new
Congress.
 Ideological division- Pro poor and Pro rich, Conservatives and
Socialists.
 Nijalingappa – Indira Gandhi- Victim of Political Narcissism egged
on by coterie of unscrupulous sycophants
 expelled her from Congress.

18. The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress
 Split Indira Gandhi Govt to minority. She
remained in power with the help of DMK and CPI.
 Projected socialist credentials of the Government.
 Campaigned for implementation of existing land
reform laws- special interest to formulate land
ceiling laws.
 In December 1970, she recommended dissolution of
Lok Sabha.
 Reasons- depend on other party support to take
various measures for the good of the country,
strengthen her stand by facing people for a fresh
mandate. This surprised every one.

19. The Contest
 Election Scenario- anti congress( R). Reduced to a
weakling.
 Non communist and non communist parties formed
Grand alliance.
 Indira Gandhi with CPI- rather dim for the ruling party-
silver lining.
 The new congress had its own agenda and positive slogan
– opponents lacked both- no coherent political
programme.
 Indira said, Grand alliance had only common
programme, Indira Hatao- removing Indira.
 She came with positive programmes- Garibi Hatao
means remove poverty.

20. Aim and effect of Garibi Hatao
• Build a
nationwide base
of Political
support
• The minorities,
women,
unemployed
youth took her as
saviour
• Impose
ceiling on
rural land
holdings
and urban
property
• Develop
Public
Sector
Remove
privy Purse
Remove
inequality
in income
and
opportunity
Dalits and
Adivasis
favorable
Support
from
landless
labouring
class

21. The Results of Lok Sabha Election 1971
Election and results were dramatic and surprising.
New Congress –CPI
alliance won more seats
and votes than the
Congress had ever won
in the four general
elections.
375 seats and 48.4%
votes
Congress- 352 seats
and 44% votes.
Old congress satisfied
with just 16 seats and
Indira Gandhi proved
that her Congress was
the real congress.
Congress once again
restored to power and
Grand alliance
Grand failure
East Pakistan crisis ,
birth of Bangladesh,
war with Pakistan
added glory to Indira
Gandhi. Even
opponents praised her.
She was considered as
the protector of poor
and downtrodden.
Stunning victory in
state assembly election
in 1972

22. Restoration
Before split- Congress had populatiry, lacked
organisational structure relying on the
popularity of the single leader
The New congress had great political
dominance.
Very less groups or factions.
Could not accommodate all the opinions.
Victory from social groups like women,
adivasis, Dalits and minorities
Earlier congress could absorb al tensions. But it
was not possible for new congress.
Dominance restored . But no space for the
people to express their political aspirations.
Unrest about developmental and economic
deprivation
Political crisis and jeopardise democracy
Restoration