Class | Subject | Book | Chapter | Session | Questions covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XII | Political Science | Politics in India since Independence (NCERT) | 5 – Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System | 2026-27 | 10 of 10 |
Chapter at a glance
Topic | Key point |
|---|---|
Political succession | After Nehru (1964) – Lal Bahadur Shastri; after Shastri (1966) – Indira Gandhi |
1967 elections | “Political earthquake” – Congress retained majority in Lok Sabha with reduced seats; lost in 7–9 States; non-Congress SVD coalitions; defections (“Aya Ram, Gaya Ram”) |
Anti-Congressism | Ram Manohar Lohia – non-Congress parties coming together |
Split of 1969 | Syndicate vs Indira Gandhi; presidential election – V. V. Giri vs N. Sanjeeva Reddy; Congress (O) and Congress (R) |
1971 elections | “Garibi Hatao” vs Grand Alliance’s “Indira Hatao”; Congress (R) won 352 seats |
Restoration | Congress restored but transformed – dependent on popularity of one leader; populist politics |
Exercises
Which of these statements about the 1967 elections is/are correct? (a) Congress won the Lok Sabha elections but lost the Assembly elections in many states. (b) Congress lost both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. (c) Congress lost majority in the Lok Sabha but formed a coalition government with the support of some other parties. (d) Congress retained power at the Centre with an increased majority.
Answer
Answer
(a) is correct. The Congress won a majority in the Lok Sabha (with its lowest tally until then – 283 seats) but lost power in many States.
- is correct.
Match the following: (a) Syndicate (b) Defection (c) Slogan (d) Anti-Congressism — i. An elected representative leaving the party on whose ticket s/he has been elected ii. A catchy phrase that attracts public attention iii. Parties with different ideological position coming together to oppose Congress and its policies iv. A group of powerful and influential leaders within the Congress
Answer
Answer
A | B |
|---|---|
(a) Syndicate | iv |
(b) Defection | i |
(c) Slogan | ii |
(d) Anti-Congressism | iii |
(a)–iv, (b)–i, (c)–ii, (d)–iii.
Whom would you identify with the following slogans/phrases? (a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (b) Indira Hatao! (c) Garibi Hatao!
Answer
Answer
1. Lal Bahadur Shastri
- The Grand Alliance of opposition parties (1971 elections)
- Indira Gandhi (Congress R, 1971)
- Lal Bahadur Shastri; (b) the opposition Grand Alliance; (c) Indira Gandhi.
Which of the following statements about the Grand Alliance of 1971 is correct? The Grand Alliance ….. (a) was formed by non-Communist, non-Congress parties. (b) had a clear political and ideological programme. (c) was formed by all non-Congress parties.
Answer
Answer
(a) It was formed by non-Communist, non-Congress parties (Congress (O), SSP, PSP, Jana Sangh, Swatantra, BKD). It lacked a clear positive programme (“Indira Hatao” was its main slogan).
- It was formed by non-Communist, non-Congress parties.
How should a political party resolve its internal differences? Here are some suggestions. Think of each and list out their advantages and shortcomings. (a) Follow the footsteps of the party president (b) Listen to the majority group (c) Secret ballot voting on every issue (d) Consult the senior and experienced leaders of the party
Answer
Answer
Method | Advantages | Shortcomings |
|---|---|---|
(a) Follow the party president | Quick decisions, unity, discipline, clear leadership | Undemocratic; may lead to personality cult and suppression of dissent; wrong decisions go unchecked |
(b) Listen to the majority group | Democratic; reflects most members’ views | Minority views ignored; may cause splits; majority may be factional |
(c) Secret ballot on every issue | Free and fair expression without fear; democratic | Time-consuming, costly; impractical for every issue; may weaken leadership and cohesion |
(d) Consult senior leaders | Benefits of experience and wisdom; balanced decisions | May ignore younger members and new ideas; can become an oligarchy (like the Syndicate) |
A combination – inner-party democracy with consultation, majority decisions on major issues and respect for minority views – is best.
Following the president is quick but undemocratic; majority rule is democratic but may ignore minorities and cause splits; secret ballots allow free expression but are slow and impractical for every issue; consulting seniors brings experience but may exclude new ideas – a balanced inner-party democracy is best.
State which of these were reasons for the defeat of the Congress in 1967. Give reasons for your answer. (a) The absence of a charismatic leader in the Congress party (b) Split within the Congress party (c) Increased mobilisation of regional, ethnic and communal groups (d) Increasing unity among non-Congress parties (e) Internal differences within the Congress party
Answer
Answer
Factor | Reason for 1967 defeat? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
(a) Absence of a charismatic leader | Yes | After Nehru (1964) and Shastri (1966), Indira Gandhi was new and seen as inexperienced (“goongi gudiya”) |
(b) Split within the Congress | No | The formal split came later, in 1969 |
(c) Mobilisation of regional, ethnic, communal groups | Yes | Regional parties (DMK in Madras) and other groups challenged the Congress |
(d) Unity among non-Congress parties | Yes | Anti-Congressism (Lohia) – opposition parties formed alliances to avoid splitting votes |
(e) Internal differences within the Congress | Yes | Factionalism, the Syndicate’s influence and rivalry with Indira Gandhi weakened the party |
Also important were the economic crisis (drought, food shortage, devaluation, price rise) and public discontent.
(a), (c), (d) and (e) were reasons – no charismatic leader after Nehru and Shastri, rise of regional and other groups, opposition unity (anti-Congressism) and internal factionalism; (b) was not, since the split came in 1969.
What were the factors which led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s Government in the early 1970s?
Answer
Answer
- Pro-poor, socialist policies – the slogan “Garibi Hatao” promised removal of poverty; the Ten-Point Programme.
- Bank nationalisation (1969) and abolition of Privy Purses of former princes (1971) – seen as progressive steps.
- Land reforms and land ceiling, public distribution, curbs on monopoly.
- Charismatic leadership – she projected herself as a champion of the poor fighting the old guard (Syndicate).
- Victory in the 1971 Bangladesh war – boosted national pride and her stature.
- Support of the poor, landless, dalits, adivasis, minorities, women and youth – a new social coalition.
- The weakness and negative campaign (“Indira Hatao”) of the opposition Grand Alliance.
Her popularity came from the ‘Garibi Hatao’ slogan and pro-poor programme, bank nationalisation and abolition of privy purses, land reforms, charismatic leadership against the Syndicate, the 1971 war victory, and the support of the poor and marginalised against a weak opposition.
What does the term ‘syndicate’ mean in the context of the Congress party of the sixties? What role did the Syndicate play in the Congress party?
Answer
Answer
Syndicate was the informal name given to a group of powerful and influential Congress leaders who controlled the party organisation in the 1960s. It included K. Kamaraj (Congress president), S. K. Patil, Atulya Ghosh, N. Sanjeeva Reddy and S. Nijalingappa.
Role
- It played a decisive role in choosing the Prime Minister – Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964) and Indira Gandhi (1966), hoping she would depend on them.
- It controlled the party organisation, nominations and decisions.
- It came into conflict with Indira Gandhi over policies and power; it supported N. Sanjeeva Reddy as the official Congress candidate in the 1969 presidential election.
- The conflict led to the split of the Congress in 1969 – the Syndicate’s group became Congress (O) (Organisation), which was defeated in 1971.
The Syndicate was a group of powerful Congress organisational leaders (Kamaraj, S. K. Patil, Atulya Ghosh, Sanjeeva Reddy, Nijalingappa) who chose Shastri and Indira Gandhi as PMs and controlled the party, but clashed with Indira Gandhi, leading to the 1969 split, after which they formed Congress (O).
Discuss the major issue which led to the formal split of the Congress Party in 1969.
Answer
Answer
The immediate issue was the election of the President of India in 1969:
- After President Zakir Hussain’s death, the Syndicate nominated N. Sanjeeva Reddy as the official Congress candidate, against Indira Gandhi’s wishes.
- Indira Gandhi encouraged the then Vice-President V. V. Giri to contest as an independent and called for a “conscience vote” by Congress MPs and MLAs.
- Before the election she nationalised fourteen leading banks and removed Morarji Desai as Finance Minister, projecting the conflict as one of ideology – socialism vs conservatism.
- V. V. Giri won; the official candidate lost.
- The Congress president expelled Indira Gandhi; the party split into Congress (O) (Syndicate) and Congress (R) (Requisitionists, led by Indira Gandhi) in November 1969.
The underlying issue was the power struggle between the organisational leadership (Syndicate) and the Prime Minister, along with ideological differences.
The 1969 presidential election: the Syndicate’s official candidate N. Sanjeeva Reddy was defeated by V. V. Giri, backed by Indira Gandhi’s call for a ‘conscience vote’ (along with bank nationalisation), leading to her expulsion and the split into Congress (O) and Congress (R) – rooted in a power and ideological struggle.
Read the passage and answer the questions below: …Indira Gandhi changed the Congress into highly centralised and undemocratic party organisation, from the earlier federal, democratic and ideological formation that Nehru had led…..But this… could not have happened had not Indira Gandhi changed the entire nature of politics. This new, populist politics turned political ideology ……. into a mere electoral discourse, use of various slogans not meant to be translated into government policies…… During its great electoral victories in early 1970s, amidst the celebration, the Congress party as a political organisation died….. — Sudipta Kaviraj (a) What according to the author is the difference between the strategies of Nehru and Indira Gandhi? (b) Why does the author say that the Congress party ‘died’ in the seventies? (c) In what way, did the change in the Congress party affect other political parties also?
Answer
Answer
(a) Nehru ran the Congress as a federal, democratic and ideological organisation – with internal debate, strong State units, factions and a coherent ideology. Indira Gandhi made it a highly centralised, undemocratic party dependent on her personal popularity; she used populist slogans (“Garibi Hatao”) as electoral tools rather than as policy programmes.
(b) Because although it won big elections, the Congress lost its organisational character – internal democracy, regular organisational elections, strong local and State leaders and factional accommodation disappeared. Decisions were made by the leader; the party became a vehicle for one person’s popularity, so as an organisation it “died”.
(c) Other parties also began to rely on populist slogans, personality-centred leadership and centralised control; ideology became less important than electoral appeal. Many parties became dependent on one leader or family, inner-party democracy weakened, and politics became more competitive and populist. Opposition parties also united on an anti-Congress basis, without clear programmes.
- Nehru led a federal, democratic, ideological party; Indira Gandhi built a centralised, personalised party using populist slogans; (b) the party lost its internal democracy and organisation, becoming dependent on one leader, so as an organisation it ‘died’; (c) other parties also turned to populism, personality cults and centralisation, weakening ideology and inner-party democracy.
Topic checklist
- ☒ Succession and the 1967 elections (Q 1, 6)
- ☒ Syndicate, defection, anti-Congressism and slogans (Q 2, 3, 8)
- ☒ 1969 split and 1971 elections (Q 4, 7, 9)
- ☒ Nature of the restored Congress system (Q 5, 10)