Class 12 Political Science Chapter 18 Development of Democratic Thoughts and Alliance Politics
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Selected Questions-Answers
1. Very Short Answer Questions: (Marks for each – 1)
(a) Who was the head of the coalition government at the Centre in1989?
Or
Who was the Prime Minister of the coalition government in 1989? H.S. ’19
Ans: Vishwanath Pratap Singh.
(b) Which party led the National Democratic Alliance government?
Ans: The Bharatiya Janata Party.
(c) Who became the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party afterL. K. Advani?
Ans: Rajnath Singh.
(d) What is meant by the ‘Congress System’?
Ans: The long-term dominance of the Congress Party in Indian politicsthrough its prolonged rule is called the ‘Congress System’.
(e) What is ‘Kar Seva’?
Ans: The funds collected for the construction of the Ram Temple duringthe movement initiated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BharatiyaJanata Party centering on the disputed Babri Masjid at Ayodhya were called‘Kar Seva’.
Note: The term ‘Kar Seva’ traditionally means voluntary religious service. It does not literally mean only collection of funds.
(f) How many parties together formed the National DemocraticAlliance?
Ans: 13 parties.
(g) Who led the NDA government? H.S. ’12
Ans: Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
(h) What is the ‘Mandal Commission’?
Ans: The Commission formed by the Central Government in 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal to identify the backward classes and torecommend measures for their reservation is known as the ‘Mandal Commission’.
(i) What is meant by UPA?
Ans: United Progressive Alliance.
(j) In which year was the Janata Party formed?
Ans: In 1977.
(k) In which year was the Bharatiya Janata Party formed?
Ans: In 1980.
(l) What does ‘Hindutva’ mean?
Ans: It refers to an ideology that emphasizes Hindu religion and culture.
(m) Which BJP leader described Mohammad Ali Jinnah as a secular leader?
Ans: L. K. Advani.
Note: The statement describing Jinnah as a secular leader was made byL. K. Advani in 2005 during a visit to Pakistan.
(n) Who became the Prime Minister of India after the 2004 election?
Ans: Dr. Manmohan Singh.
(o) What percentage of reservation did the Mandal Commission recommend for OBCs?
Ans: 27 percent.
(p) In which year was the New Economic Policy adopted in India?
Ans: In 1991.
(q) Who was the Finance Minister of India when the New Economic Policy was implemented?
Ans: Dr. Manmohan Singh.
(r) Who became the Prime Minister of the Janata Governmentafter the 1977 election? H.S. ’14
Ans: Morarji Desai.
(s) From which year did the era of coalition governments at theCentre begin? H.S. ’17
Ans: From 1977.
(t) Write the full form of NDA. H.S. ’19
Ans: National Democratic Alliance.
(u) India has a multi-party system. (True or False) H.S. ’20
Ans: True.
2. Short Answer Questions: (Marks for each – 2)
(a) What is UPA (United Progressive Alliance)?
Ans: The alliance formed in May 2004 by the Congress Party along with its allied parties is known as the ‘United Progressive Alliance’. At that time, Sonia Gandhi was the President of the Congress Party, while Dr. ManmohanSingh assumed the office of Prime Minister.
(b) What is meant by ‘Communalism’?
Ans: Communalism refers to a form of communal or national consciousness developed on the basis of a particular community or religious sentiment. It poses a threat to national integration.
(c) When and why was the Backward and Minority CommunitiesEmployees Federation formed?
Ans: In 1978, the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) was formed. Its main objective was to liberate backwardand minority class employees from exploitation by upper-class capitalists orowners.
(d) Mention two new trends that have emerged in Indian politics inthe last few decades.
Ans: (1) The emergence of coalition governments, and (2) Defection politics.
(e) What is meant by ‘Coalition Government’?
Ans: When no single party secures an absolute majority in a parliamentary election and several parties come together to form a government, it iscalled a ‘Coalition Government’.
(f) What is meant by ‘Political Defection’?
Ans: When a Member of Parliament or a Member of a State LegislativeAssembly leaves his or her original political party and joins another partyduring the tenure of office, it is called ‘Political Defection’.
(g) When and why did the Mandal issue arise in Indian politics?
Ans: In August 1989, when the National Front Government decided toimplement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission by providingreservation in Central Government jobs for Other Backward Classes, theMandal issue arose as a reaction to this decision.
Note: The actual announcement implementing the Mandal Commissionrecommendations was made in August 1990 by Prime Minister V. P. Singh.
(h) Write four characteristics of a coalition government. H.S. ’16, ’20
Ans: The four characteristics of a coalition government are—
(1) It is often unstable and may fall at any time.
(2) There is usually no complete ideological unity among the parties.
(3) Regional parties often play a dominant role.
(4) Two or more political parties participate in the government.
