Class 12 Political Science Chapter 14 Challenge to and Re-establishment of the Congress System
If you are a Class XII student searching for high-quality AHSEC Class 12 Political Science Chapter 14 Challenge to and Re-establishment of the Congress System Notes to improve your exam performance, then this Ready Guide is for you. It includes all the important question-answers prepared by a team of experts. Our language is very easy to understand and remember. Begin your study journey with us for a bright future.
Selected Questions-Answers
1. Very Short Questions: (Marks for each: 1)
(a) With the MLA of which region is the phrase ‘Aya Ram, GayaRam’ associated?
Ans: Haryana.
(b) When did the coalition system begin in India?
Ans: From the year 1967.
(c) When was the Fourth General Election held?
Ans: In 1967.
(d) How many seats did the Indian National Congress win in theLok Sabha in the 1967 General Election?
Ans: 283 seats.
(e) What is meant by ‘defection’? H.S. ’14
Ans: When an elected member leaves one party and joins another partyor forms a new party, it is called ‘defection’.
(f) Which decade in India is described as the ‘dangerous decade’? H.S. ’12
Ans: The 1960s.
(g) Lal Bahadur Shastri belonged to which state?
Ans: Uttar Pradesh.
(h) Who became the Prime Minister of India after Lal BahadurShastri?
Ans: Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
(i) What is the full form of DMK?
Ans: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
(j) What does SVD stand for?
Ans: Sanyukt Vidhayak Dal.
(k) Which year is considered a landmark year in the political andelectoral history of India?
Ans: The year 1967.
(l) What is meant by ‘Syndicate’?
Ans: The term ‘Syndicate’ refers to a group of powerful and influential political leaders.
(m) Lal Bahadur Shastri was the ______ Prime Minister of India. (Fill in the blank)
Ans: Second.
(n) The slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’ belonged to which party?
Ans: The Congress Party.
(o) Who coined the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’?
Ans: Lal Bahadur Shastri.
(p) Who led the Congress Syndicate?
Ans: K. Kamaraj.
(q) ‘Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’ is a regional party of whichstate?
Ans: Tamil Nadu.
(r) Who gave the slogan ‘Indira Hatao’?
Ans: In 1971, the Congress President S. Nijalingappa gave this slogan onbehalf of the anti-Indira alliance.
(s) In which year was the Anti-Defection Law enacted?
Ans: In 1985.
(t) Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
Ans: Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
(u) What was the name of the first Election Commissioner of India? H.S. ’15
Ans: Sukumar Sen.
(v) From which year did coalition governments begin at the Centre? H.S. ’14
Ans: From 1977.
2. Short Questions: (Marks for each: 2)
(a) What is meant by a coalition government?
Ans: If after an election no single party is able to secure a majority, thentwo or more political parties come together, jointly nominate a leader, and form a government; such a government is called a ‘coalition government’.
b) What does the term ‘political earthquake’ signify in Indian politics?
Ans: In the 1967 General Election, the Congress was able to win only283 seats. In this election, it lost its majority in seven states and in two statesit failed to form the government due to defections. Moreover, more than halfof the members of Indira Gandhi’s Council of Ministers were defeated in theelection. Therefore, the 1967 election is called a ‘political earthquake’ in Indian politics.
(c) What is meant by ‘Non-Congressism’?
Ans: During the 1967 election, the term ‘Non-Congressism’ was used byRam Manohar Lohia to describe the anti-Congress ideology. The 1962 warwith China, the 1965 war with Pakistan, food crisis, and economic crisis inthe country influenced politics. To overcome these problems, various antiCongress parties united and launched an election campaign. This movement was called Non-Congressism.
(d) Explain the term ‘Whip’.
Ans: In politics, the term ‘Whip’ means a strict directive issued by theparty leadership to the members of the legislative party. It is mandatory forevery member of the party to follow this directive.
(e) How did the phrase ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ originate?
Ans: The phrase ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ is very popular in Indian politics. It is used to describe the frequent switching of parties by legislators. There is a humorous story behind its origin. In the 1967 General Election, an MLA from Haryana named Gaya Ram changed his party three timeswithin fifteen days after the election, creating a ridiculous situation. He first shifted from the Congress Party to the United Front, then returned to the Congress, and again within nine hours switched back to the United Front. Therefore, a journalist remarked, ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’.
(f) Write any four characteristics of a coalition government.
Ans: Four characteristics of a coalition government are:
(1) It is formed with the cooperation of more than one party.
(2) Ideology is not given much importance in its formation.
(3) The parties joining it are often opportunistic in character.
(4) It is generally short-lived.
(g) Mention two challenges faced by India during Lal BahadurShastri’s short tenure as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1966. H.S. ’16, 18
Ans: (1) Food crisis due to drought.
(2) The war with Pakistan in 1965.
(h) Mention two features of the Indian party system. H.S. ’16Ans: Two features of the Indian party system are:
(1) Multi-party system.
(2) Role of the opposition party.
(i) When was the Election Commission of India formed? Who wasthe first Election Commissioner of India? H.S. ’17
Ans: The Election Commission of India was formed on 25 January 1950. Its first Election Commissioner was Sukumar Sen.
3. Medium-Length Questions: (Marks for each: 4)
(a) Explain the origin of coalition government.
Ans: Under the leadership of Gyan Singh Rarewala, the first coalition(joint) government was formed in 1952 in the Patiala and East Punjab StatesUnion (PEPSU). In 1959, the second coalition government was formed inOdisha under the leadership of Harekrushna Mahatab. Similarly, in 1967 coalition governments were formed in eight states of India.
However, in coalition governments, problems soon arose because partieswith different ideologies had to work together. As a result, stability was lost and mid-term elections had to be held. At present, coalition government hasbecome an integral part of Indian politics.
(b) What were the reasons for the popularity of Indira Gandhi’sgovernment in the early 1970s?
Ans: In the early 1970s, Indira Gandhi’s government gained widespreadpopularity. The reasons were:
(1) Indira Gandhi provided leadership with firmness, discipline, skill, andprudence, and thus received massive support from the people.
(2) She initiated several reform measures such as bank nationalizationand land reform policies, which gained wide public support.
(3) Through the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’, she adopted welfare-orientedschemes and took initiative in poverty alleviation, which made her popularamong the masses.
(4) Her popularity increased further due to India’s victory in the 1971 warwith Pakistan.
(c) Discuss the results of the Fourth General Election of 1967.
Ans: The 1967 election was a major challenge for the Congress Party. The results are discussed below:
(1) During this period, division began within the Congress Party, and as it split into two groups, anti-Congress parties intensified their struggle andcaused serious setbacks to the Congress.
Note: Historically, the formal split of the Congress occurred in 1969, not before the 1967 election.
(2) There was a lack of suitable leadership within the Congress Party at that time. After Nehru’s death, the party was confused regarding leadership.
(3) The Janata Party became active against the Congress during that time, which led to the party’s decline.
Note: The Janata Party was formally established in 1977. In 1967, various opposition parties, not the Janata Party, opposed the Congress.
4. Essay-Type Questions: (Marks for each: 6)
(a) What were the reasons for the defeat of the Congress in the1967 election?
Or
Discuss the causes of the decline of the Congress.
Ans: The 1967 election was a major challenge for the Congress Party. Inthis election, the Congress lost its previous dominance and failed to secure amajority in many states. The reasons were:
(1) During the 1960s, India faced economic crisis. As a result, peoplelaunched movements against the Congress and developed anti-Congress sentiments.
(2) The Congress government of that time did not give due importance topublic resentment, which led for the first time to the beginning of armed rebellion by a section of the people.
(3) Internal division began within the Congress Party, and as it split intotwo groups, anti-Congress parties intensified their struggle and caused serious setbacks to the Congress.
(4) There was a lack of suitable leadership within the Congress after Nehru’sdeath, leading to confusion.
(5) The Janata Party became active against the Congress, leading to itsdecline.
(b) How did the 1967 General Election change the dynamics ofIndian politics? Explain. H.S. ’13
Ans: The 1967 General Election changed the dynamics of Indian politics. It was a major challenge for the Indian National Congress.
For the first time in 1967, the Congress contested the election without acharismatic leader like Jawaharlal Nehru. The results shook the strongholdof the Congress. Both at the Centre and in the states, the Congress faced amajor challenge. Although it secured a majority in the Lok Sabha, in terms ofvote share and seats won, it was the lowest since the 1952 election. The Congress won 283 seats. Compared to the previous election, it lost 78 seats. TheSwatantra Party secured second position with 44 seats. More than half of Indira Gandhi’s ministers were defeated in the election.
In the state elections as well, the Congress suffered serious setbacks. It lost its majority in seven states. In two states, it failed to form the government due to defections. In Madras, the DMK formed the government with a majority. In eight other states, opposition parties formed coalition governments.
The results created the impression that Congress dominance in Indian politics had ended. However, in subsequent elections too, the Congress did not achieve remarkable success. In 1977, the Janata Party defeated the Congressand formed the government at the Centre. Thus, the 1967 election transformedthe dynamics of Indian politics.
(c) Discuss the controversy related to the 1969 Presidential Election. H.S. ’16, 20
Ans: In 1969, the Presidential Election of India gave rise to several controversies. The matter is discussed briefly below:
After the death of President Zakir Husain in 1969, conflict arose betweenthe party Syndicate and Mrs. Indira Gandhi regarding the nomination for thePresidency. Indira Gandhi proposed the name of Jagjivan Ram for the post. On the other hand, the Syndicate and Morarji Desai proposed the name ofNeelam Sanjiva Reddy. Being displeased, Indira Gandhi left the meeting. Later, when the Syndicate rejected Jagjivan Ram’s name, Indira Gandhi called upon the then Vice-President V. V. Giri to contest the Presidential election. V. V. Giri contested as an independent candidate. Meanwhile, the Congress President issued a party whip directing members to vote for NeelamSanjiva Reddy. Indira Gandhi appealed to party members to cast their conscience vote in the Presidential election. In the election, V. V. Giri won andbecame the President of India.
