Challenges To and Restoration of the Congress System

Class 12 Political Science

1. Define

(i) Congress (O)

(ii) Congress (R)

(iii) Grand Alliance

(iv) Ten Point Programme

Ans:- (i) Congress (O) : This signifies congress (organisation) led by the syndicate members and also known as the old congress.

(ii) Congress (R) : This signifies Congress (Requisitionists) led by Indira Gandhi also known as New Congress.

(iii) Grand Alliance : It is 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.

(iv) Ten Point Programme : This programme was adopted by Smt. Indira Gandhi in May 1967 in order to regain for Congress. This programme included Social control of banks, nationalization of General Insurance, Public distribution of food grains land reforms etc.

2. Why were 1960s labelled as the dangerous decade?

Ans:- The 1960 were labelled as the “dangerous decade” because of some resolved problems like poverty, inequality, communal and regional divisions.

3. What were the two challenges faced by India from 1964 to 1966 during Lal Bahadur Shastri’s brief Prime Ministership?

Ans:- India faced two challenges from 1964 to 1966 i.e. during Lal Bahadur Shastri’s reign.

(i) “Economic Crisis” due to the Indo-China war of 1962 and Indo-Pak war of 1965.

(ii) Failed mansons, drought and serious food crisis presented a grave challenge.

Shastri’s famous slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” symbolised the country’s resolve to face both these challenges.

4. What is the meaning of defection?

Ans:- Defection means an elected representative leaves the party on whose symbol he/she is elected and joins another party. The new politics after 1967 elections.

(i) Defection played an important role in the making and unmaking of governments.

(ii) The consstant realignments and shifting political loyalities in this period gave rise to the expression “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram”.

5. When and why did congress face challenge of political succession second time?

Ans:- (i) The Congress party faced the challenge of political succession for the second time in 1966 after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

(ii) Indira Gandhi defeated Morarji Desai by securing the support of more than two-third of the party’s MPs.

(iii) Thus, a peaceful transition of power despite intense competition for leadership, was as a “Sign of maturity of India’s democracy”.

6. Why did the Indira Government decide to devalue the Indian rupee in 1967? What was its result?

Ans:- The government of Indira Gandhi decided to devalue the Indian rupee in order to check economic crisis of 1967. As a result earlier one US dollar could be purchased for less than Rs. 5 after devaluation, its cost more than Rs. 7.

(i) Consequently, the economic situation triggered a price rise.

(ii) People started protesting against the increase in prices of essential commodities unemployment etc.

7. What is Non-Congress-ism? Discuss in the light of Indian political scene of 1967?

Ans:- The Congress Party’s decision of devaluation of Indian rupee gave rise to the concept of Non-congressism. Parties opposed to the congress, realized that the division of their votes kept the congress in power. Thus, the non-congress parties with their different programmes and ideologies got together to form anti-congress government. This strategy was named as Non-congressism by the socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.

8. Give the status of SVD in the new era of coalition.

Ans:- The election of 1967 brought into picture the phenomenon of coalitions. Since no single party had got majority, various Non-Congress parties came together to form joint legislature parties called Samyukt Vidhayak Dal (SVD) that supported Non-Congress government.

Status

(i) The SVD government in Bihar included the two socialist parties-SSP and the PSP along with the CPI on the left and Jana Sangh on the right.

(ii) In Punjab it was called the popular United front and comprised the two rival Akali parties at that time.

9. What were the factors that led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s government in the early of 1970s?

Ans:- In the early of 1970s the government of Indira Gandhi gained popularity due to various factors such as:

(i) During this period the government made conscious attempts to project its socialist credentials.

(ii) Indira Gandhi vigorously campaigned for implementing the existing land reform laws and undertook further land ceiling legislation.

(iii) Not only this in order to end her dependence on the other political parties, strengthen her party’s position in the parliament and seek a popular mandate for her programmes, Indira Gandhi’s government recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970.

Dr. Ratanlal Brahma, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Post Graduate Teacher (Political Science)
H.N.Seminary Model HS School, Bagribari, Dhubri, Assam
Email : brahmaratan@gmail.com
Whatsapp no. : 7020477396