Recent Developments in Indian Politics

What were the five developments that happened as the eighties closed?

1) Defeat of the Congress party in 1989. End of Congress system.

2) Mandal Issue led by National Front government. Jobs in central to be given to OBC’s

3) New economic reforms. Very Visible in 1991

4) Demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. Rise of BJP and Hindutva

5) Assignation of Rajiv Gandhi, Led to a change in Congress leadership

Who was the finance minster during 1991 economic reforms?

Manmohan Singh

Why did Left Front withdraw their support from UPA?

Indo-US nuclear deal

July 2008

How many seats did BJP win in 2014?

282

Became first party to hold a majority in 30 years

How many seats did the BJP win in 2019?

303 (56%)

How many seats did INC win in 2004 and 2009?

145 and 206

When was the Ayodhya issue resolved?

November 9, 2019

Allowed Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust to build the temple

Allot appropriate site for a Mosque to Sunni Central Waqf Board

What happened after Babri Masjid demolition?

BJP was dismissed and other states ruled by the BJP were also put under President’s rule

Case against CM of UP was registered

BJP officially expressed regret

When did BSP achieve a breakthrough?

1989 and 1991 elections in Uttar Pradesh

First time a political party mainly of Dalit Voters

What was BSP’s main power?

Pragmatic Politics

Derived confidence from strong base of Bahujans (SC, ST, OBC and minorities)

Bhaujan parties

Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti

What is bhaujan?

SC, ST, OBC and minorities.

Under what party’s rule did the demand for reservation come into play?

1977-79

When did the Mandal commission come into place?

1978 by Janata Party

Second Backward Classes Commission

What was the Mandal Commission set up ofr?

Investigating the extent of educational and social backwardness among various sectors of Indian society

When did the Mandal Commission publish it’s report?

1980

Backward Classes and Backward Castes

Who implemented the Mandal Commission policy?

27% of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for backward castes

National Front implemented on of the recommendations to reserve in central government jobs

What was Indira Sawhney case?

Supreme Court gave power to uphold the decision of reservation

When were reservations for the Southern state in existence?

1960s

What did parties claim about OBC?

They were a large segment of Indian society and needed representation

Made more aware of their identity

Educational and Social Backwardness

Where did OBC’s first find political expression?

Janata government in 1977

When did OBC politics come into play?

1980s

Which parties had support from OBC?

Janta Party, Kranti Dal and Samyukta Socialist Party

Who are OBC?

Other Backward Classes

Not SC and ST

Suffer from educational and social backwardness

Backward Castes

Who did Congress chose when Rajiv Gandhi died?

Narsimha Rao

Who started economic reforms?

Rajiv Gandhi

What marked the end of the Congress System? When did the era of coalitions start?

1989 Election

Timeline of governments

National Front in 1989 (Janata Dal and regional party, supported by BJP and Left Front)

V.P. Singh 1989-1990 (supported by Left Front and BJP)

Chandra Shekhar 1990-91 (supported by Samajwadi Janata party and Congress)

P.V. Narasimha Rao 1991-1996 (supported by Congress and AIADMK and other small parties)

United Front in 1996 and 1997 (Janata Dal and other regional parties, supported by Congress and Left Front to keep BJP out)

A.B. Vajpayee (BJP minority government)

H.V. Deve Gowda 1996-1997 (United from with Congress support)

I.K Gujaral 1997-1998 (United from with Congress support)

BJP led coalition in 1998

A.B. Vajpayee 1998-1999, (NDA led by BJP)

NDA (National Democratic Alliance) in 1999

A.B. Vajpayee 1999-2004 (NDA led by BJP)

UPA(United Progressive Alliance) in 2004 and 2009

Manmohan Singh 2004-2014 (United Progressive Alliance led by Congress)

NDA

Narendra Mode 2014

1989 government National Front

Congress became the opposition as it did not have a clear majority.

National Front came to power which was an alliance of Janata Dal and other regional parties.

Received support from BJP and Left front but they didn’t join government

United Front(1996)

Janata Dal, regional parties, Congress, and Left government supported United Front. BJP didn’t support United Front

What was the largest political party in 1996?

BJP

When did Era of coalitions end?

2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha election when BJP got clear majority

BJP goverments

Largest Political party in 1996 invited to form government. Didn’t have majority because other parties were opposed to policies

May 1998- June 1999 coalition government. Then reelected in October 1999, Vajpayee was PM. NDA governments

How many governments since 1989?

11

What was the Mandal Commision?

Led by B.P. Mandal. Reservation in southern states existed since the 1960s but not in north India. Kapoori Thakkur introduced it in Bihar. Central Government appointed (Mandal Commission)

1978

Found that backward castes had very low presence in educational institution and in public sector. Wanted 27% from education institutions and government jobs

Indira Sawhney case.

1992 supreme court upheld decision

Who was B.P. Mandal?

M.P. from Bihar chaired Second Backward Classes Commission that recommended reservations for Other Backward Classes;, Socialist, CM of Bihar for a month and joined Janata Party

What was BAMCEF?

1978

Trade union of government employees who favored backwards castes (Bhaujan). Led by Kanshi Ram.

Favour of political power of Bahujan

What was the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)?

Led by Kanshi Ram. Won in 1989 and 1991 in Uttar Pradesh.

Who was Kansi Ram?

Proponent of Bahujan empowerment. Founded BSP, BAMCEF and DS-4

How was BJP formed?

1980

Bhartiya Jana Sangh merged with Janata party,

when it broke up supporters of Jana Sangh made BJP.

Embraced Gandhian Socialism (1984) then Hindutva (1986)

What election was end of Congress system?

1989

Congress

Won in Lok Sabha election 1984

Lost in 1989

Won Mid-term election in 1991

Narsimha Rao leader of Congress

What is Hindutva?

Popularized by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

To be Indian one has to accept it as fatherland(Pitrubhu) and holy land (Punyabhu). A

nation can only be built of united national culture which they belived was hinduism

What was the Shah Bano case(1985)?

62-year-old Muslim women asked for maintenance from her Husband. Supreme Court ruled in favor of her.

Orthodox Muslim saw it as interference in Muslim Personal Law

Muslim leaders helped the government pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act (1986) which nullified the Supreme Court

BJP criticized it as appeasement

Who built Babri Masjid(16th century mosque)?

Mir Baqui - Babur’s General

What was the Ayodhya Dispute?

1529 - Three dome structure was built at Shri Ram’s birth place

Locked up in 1949

In 1986 Faizabad district court ruled to unlock the structure to worship there. Further construction remained prohibited

BJP with RSS and VHP mobilized. Led a Rathyatra from Somnath to Ayodhya

1992

Built a karseva for building Ram temple

Supreme court ordered state government to take care

Thousands of people gathered and demolished it

Violence in Mumbai in January 1993
BJP was dismissed and other states ruled by the BJP were also put under President’s rule

What were the Anti-Muslim riots in Gujrat?

In 2002, a train fill of Karsevaks was set on fire in Godhra, fifty-seven people died, Hindus believed that Muslims did it and 1100 persons were killed mostly Muslims.

Assembly elections were postponed

National Human Rights Commission condemned them

2004 Lok Sabha elections

United Progressive Alliance led by Congress. Support of Left Front party

What four groups of parties are there?

Parties in Coalition with Congress, Parties in Alliance with BJP, Left Front parties and other parties who are not part of these

How many seats did Congress win in 2019?

52 (10%)

What are the four things parties agree on?

New Economic Policies

Acceptance of political and social claims of the backward castes OBCs

Acceptance of State level parties in governance. Played a central role in last 20 years

Pragmatic considerations instead of ideological positions and political alliance without ideological agreement