Challenges to Restoration of Congress

When was Gulzarilal the acting Prime Minister?

11 January to 24 January 1966

Who was the Congress President at the time of Nehru’s death?

K. Kamraj

What was Indira Gandhi during Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Prime ministership?

Minster of Information and Broadcasting

Who were the syndicate?

K.Kamraj who was president then

S.K. Patil of Bombay

S. Nijalingappa of Mysore

N. Sangeeva Reddy of Andhra Pradesh

Atulya Ghost of West Bengal

Congress (O)

Lost power after 1971

What year was known as a political eartquake?

1967

What happened in 1967 elections?

Did manage to get a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha but with lowest tally of seats

Kamraj lost in Tamil Nadu
S.K. Patil lost in Maharashtra

Atulya Ghosh lost in West Bengal

K.B. Sahay lost in Bihar

Lost majority in 7 states other 2 had defections

Lost power in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Buhar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and Kerala.

What was the first time any non-Congrss party had secured majority on its own?

DMK in Madras

What is the phrase for the fall of Congress?

Train from Delhi to Howrah and not pass through a Congress ruled state

What was the 1967 election like?

Grave economic crisis, failure of monsoons, widespread drought, decline in agricultural production, food shortage, depletion in foreign exchange reserves, drop in industrial production and exports, RISE IN MILATARY EXPENDITURE

What was one of Indira Gandhi’s first decisions?

Devaluating the Ruppe

5 to 7

What were seen in 1967 election?

Bandhs and Hartals

Government saw it as a law and order problem instead of expression of people’s problems

Witnessed Hindu-Muslim riots

Socialist and Communist Party revolt

How did opposition parties feel about Indira Gandhi?

She was inexperienced

There was internal factionalism in Congress

What did Ram Manohar Lohia say?

Congress rule was undemocratic and not for the good of ordinary poor people.

Oppositon coming together is neccessary for democracy

When did Nehru die?

1964

Had been unwell for a year

Who was the leader after Nehru died?

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Known for simplicity and commitment to principles

What were the problems during Shastri’s time?

Economic implication from war with China, failed monsoons, drought and serious food crisis

War with Pakistan in 1965

How did Congress arrive at consensus on who to support?

Secret ballon among Congress MP’s

Indira Gandhi had more than 2/3 of the party’s MPs

Who were the candidates after Shastri?

Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi

When and where did Shastri die?

10 January 1966

Uzbekistan in USSR

What were the dangerous decades?

1960s

Nehru died and people were unsure whether democracy would exist and whether new government would be able to handle multiple crises

Who was K Kamraj?

Head of Congress and leader of the syndicate

What did Indira Gandhi do before?

She was elected to the Congress Working Commitee in 155 and became the president of Congress Party in 1959

Who were the main contestats?

Morargi Desai and Indira Gandhi. He was the chief minister of the State of Bombay and served as Minister in Nehru’s Cabinet. Indira Gandhi won 355 votes to 169. Morarji served as Finance minister and deputy prime minister, In July 1969 she removed him

Why was Indira Gandhi picked?

Senior Congress leaders believed that they could control her

Why were there economic diffuclty?

Wars against Pakistan and monsoon failures

When was Haryana carved?

1966 from Punjab.

What happened in 1967 elections?

Pakistan War, Drought, There were sects in congress. There was no fourth-five year value. There were more parties. Ram Manohar Lohia said that parties had to group together. Nehru wasn’t there. Result known as political earthquake. Congress lost powers in 9 states

What happened after 1967?

There were anti-Congress parties. DMK formed government in Tamil Nadu. These parties were known as SVD

What was syndicate?

Informal controllers of congress

What is 10 point program?

Social control of banks, Nationalization of General Insurances, Ceiling on urban property and income, Public Distribution of food grains, Land reforms

Why was Indira Gandhi angry?

They choose N. Sanjiva Reddy (Speaker of Lok Sabha) instead of V.V Giri or Jagivan Ram.

iri defeated him he was vice president of India and a minster of Nehru’s Cabinet. Zakir Hussain successor

What is Samyukt Vidhayak Dal?

Joint Legislative Parties

Who was in power in Bihar?

SSP and PSP with CPI and Jana Sangh

Who was in power in Punjab?

Popular United front comprised of Akali parties Sant group and Master groups with CPI, CPI(M), SSP, republican party and BJS

Where is Aya Ram Gay Ram from?

Gaya Lal of Haryana

Changed parties thrice

Congress to United Front to Congress to United Front

Where did defections take place?

Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh

What were Indira Gandhi’s problems?

Needed independence from the Syndicate

Needed to work to regain ground lost in 1967 elections.

What did Indira Gandhi do to adopt a Left direction?

Got the Congress working committee to adopt a Ten Point Programme in 1967.

Social control of Banks,

Nationalization of General Insurance,

Ceiling on urban property and income,

public distribution of food grains,

land reforms

Provision of house sites to rural poor

What did Indira Gandhi announce?

Abolition of privy purse

Who were supporters of Indira Gandhi known as?

Requinstionists

What did Indira Gandhi call for during the Presidential elections?

A conscience vote in which MPs and MLAs from Congress could vote in anyway they wanted

Why did Morarji Desai leave the government?

He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance minster and disagreed on abolition of Privy Purse

How did Indira Gandhi project the split?

Old Congress (Organization) was pro rich and the new Congress (Requisitionists) were pro poor

What was privy purse?

Private property and grant retained by princes

Nehru didn’t like it

Morarji Desai opposed the abolition

Indira tried to pass it in 1970 but couldn’t

What was the Grand Alliance? In 1971 elections

Made by major non-communist and non-Congress opposition parties

The Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP),

Praja Socialist Party (PSP),

Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS),

Swatantra Party (SWA) and the

Bharatiya Kranti Dal (BKD)

Indira Hatao

Who did Congress (R) ally with in 1971 elections?

CPI

What was Garibi Hatao for?

To generate support base among disadvantaged, landless laborers, Dalits and Adivasis, minorities, women and unemployed youth

What was the result of the 1971 election?

Congress(R) - CPI won more seats then it had ever won

375 in Lok Sabha combined 48.4%

352 by Congress (R) 44%

Congress(O) got 16 seats

Grand Alliance got less than 60 seats

How did Indira win in State Assembly in 1972?

Seen as protector of poor and underprivileged. Strong nationalist leader

What were the problems with Congress under Indira Gandhi?

No factions

Depended on Dalits, Adivasis, Poor, women and minorities

How did Indira Gandhi restore Congress?

By changing it’s nature

What period of time was labelled as the dangerous decade?

1960s

Who was K. Kamraj?

The president of the Congress party, introduced mid day meal for school children. Kamraj Plan resign and make way for younger students

Who was Lal Bahadur Shastri?

Prime Minister of India(1964-66) after Nehru died, Minister in UP cabinet, general secretary of Congress, Minister in Union Cabinet. Resigned taking responsibility for the railway accident, coined “jai jawan-jai kisan. Known for his simplicity and commitment. Died at Tashkent

Who was Morarji Desai?

Served as CM for Bombay and a mister at the center. Joined Congress(O). First Non Congress Prime Minister

Who was Indira Gandhi?

Prime Minster from 1966-1977 and 1980-84, daughter of Nehru, Congress president in 1958. “Garibi hatao”, privy purse, nationalization of banks, nuclear test and environmental protection: assassinated on 31 October 1984. Congress leaders gave her support in hopes to control her

What happened in 1967?

Grave economic crisis, successive failure of monsoons, widespread drought, decline in agricultural shortage. Indira Gandhi devaluated the rupee from Rs 5 to 7 per dollar. There was great unrest because of rising prices and unemployment. The government saw this as a law-and-order problem rather than popular unrest. Hindu Muslim Riots

Who was Ram Manohar Lohia?

Socialist leader, among the founders of the Congress Socialist Party, Non European socialism, leader of Samyukta socialist party, founder editor of Mankind and Jan, named “non-congresses”. Congress rule was undemocratic and opposed to the interests of ordinary poor people therefore, the coming together of the non-Congress parties was necessary for reclaiming democracy for the people. Opposed English

Who was C. Natarajan Annadurai?

Chief Minister of Madras, Justice Party then formed the DMK

What year was known as the Political Earthquake?

1967, Election February. Congress did get a majority but lowest tally of voters since 1952. Half the ministers in Gandhi cabinet were defeated

Which people lost their constituencies?

Kamraj in Tamil Nadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal and K.B. Sahay in Bihar

Which States did the Congress lose?

Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and Kerala

How did the DMK win?

Anti-Hindi Student Agitation, first state where one party had gained majority

What were Joint Legislative Parties known as?

Samyukt Vidhayak Dal

What was Aya Ram Gaya Ram?

Symbol for people defecting to another party. Gaya Lal MLA from Haryana changed parties thrice in a forthnight

What was the Syndicate?

Informal name for leaders who controlled party’s organization Led by K. Kamraj then president of congress. S.K. Patil of Bombay, S. Nijalingappa of Mysore. N. Sanjeeva Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, and Atulya Ghosh of West Bengal. When congress split leaders of the syndicate that stayed with Congress(O). Indira Gandhi(R). All of them lost power after 1971

Who was S. Nijalingappa?

Chief Minister of Mysore, Maker of modern Karnataka, Congress president during 1968-71

Who was Karpoori Thakur?

CM of Bihar, opposed English, proponent of reservation

What was Indira Gandhi’s Bold Plan?

Series of initiatives into a Left orientation, Congress working Commitee adopted a Ten Point Programme. Social control of Banks, nationalisation of General Insurance, ceiling on urban property and income. Public distribution of food grains, land reforms and provision of house sites to rural poor

Who was V.V. Giri?

President Of India, worker and labour leader from Andhra, Pradesh, Indian high commission to Ceylon(Sri Lanka). Governor of Kerala, Mysore. President after death of Zakir Hussain. Indira Gandhi supported him

What happened in the 1969 presedential elections?

Syndicate supported N. Sanjeeva Reddy(Speaker of Lok Sabha) while Indira Gandhi supported V.V. Giri. Morarji Desai left the government because of Indira Gandhi’s policies. S. Nijalingappa issued whip asking members to vote for Reddy. Supporters of Indira Gandhi requested a special meeting of AICC (Requisitionists)

What is Conscience vote?

MP’s and MLA’s from the Congress should be free to vote the way they want

What was the Congress Split?

Congress President expelled Indira Gandhi. Claimed her party was the real congress. Syndicate became Congress(Organization). Indira Gandhi became Congress(Requisitionists). She projected the split as between conservatives and socialists, between the pro-poor and pro-rich

What is Privy Purse?

Rulers families would be allowed to retain certain private properties, and given a grant in heredity or government allowance. Nehru didn’t like it. Morarji Desai called abolishing it morally wrong and a ‘breach of faith with the princes’ Abolished in 1971

When did Indira Gandhi recommend dissolving the Lok Sabha?

1970

Who was in the Grand Alliance(1971)?

All the major non-communist and non-Congress parties. The Samyukta Socialist Party, Praja Socialist Party, Bhartiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party and Bhartiya Kranti Dal. CPI supported ruling party

What Slogan did the Opposition have?

Indira Hatao

What Slogan did Indira Gandhi have?

Garibi Hatao

1971 election results

More seats and votes then first four elections. Alliance 375(48.4%; Congress 352(44%); Congress(O) won 16 seats and The Grand Alliance won less than 60 seats