Challenges to and restoration of the congress system — NCERT Solutions

Introduction:
Indira Gandhi's government became enormously popular in the early 1970s due to a combination of bold political decisions, populist policies, and a historic military victory. The following factors explain her popularity:

1. Populist Slogan — 'Garibi Hatao' (Remove Poverty):
Indira Gandhi launched the 'Garibi Hatao' programme which directly appealed to the poor — scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities, and landless labourers. This gave the poor a sense of direct participation in politics and created a personal bond between Indira Gandhi and the masses.

2. Bank Nationalisation (1969):
The nationalisation of 14 major private banks in 1969 was a bold socialist step. It was seen as a measure to help the poor get access to credit and to curb the power of big business. It made Indira Gandhi extremely popular among the common people.

3. Abolition of Privy Purses (1971):
The abolition of privy purses (special privileges given to former princes/rulers) was seen as a step against feudal privileges and in favour of equality. It enhanced her image as a pro-poor, progressive leader.

4. Victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War and Creation of Bangladesh:
This was perhaps the single biggest factor. India's decisive military victory over Pakistan in December 1971, leading to the creation of Bangladesh, made Indira Gandhi a national hero. She was hailed as 'Durga' (the goddess of power) by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The victory gave India enormous international prestige.

5. Massive Electoral Victory in 1971 Lok Sabha Elections:
Congress (R) won 352 out of 518 seats in the 1971 elections — a massive mandate. This victory itself reinforced her popularity and gave her a strong political base.

6. Direct Connect with the People:
Indira Gandhi bypassed the traditional Congress organisation and appealed directly to voters. Her style of politics — mass rallies, direct communication — created a personal following that transcended party structures.

Conclusion:
Thus, a combination of populist economic policies, bold political decisions, and the triumph in the 1971 war made Indira Gandhi and her government enormously popular in the early 1970s.

Meaning of 'Syndicate':
In the context of the Congress party of the 1960s, the term 'Syndicate' referred to a group of powerful, influential, and senior Congress leaders who controlled the organisational machinery of the party. Prominent members of the Syndicate included:

• K. Kamaraj (Tamil Nadu) — President of the Congress party
• S. Nijalingappa (Karnataka)
• S.K. Patil (Maharashtra)
• Atulya Ghosh (West Bengal)
• N. Sanjiva Reddy (Andhra Pradesh)

These leaders were powerful at the state level and together dominated the Congress organisation at the national level.

Role of the Syndicate in the Congress Party:

1. Kingmakers — Selection of Prime Ministers:
The Syndicate played a decisive role in selecting Congress leaders for the top positions. After Nehru's death (1964), they supported Lal Bahadur Shastri as PM. After Shastri's death (1966), they chose Indira Gandhi as PM, believing she would be easy to control — a calculation that proved wrong.

2. Control over Party Organisation:
The Syndicate controlled the Congress party's organisational structure — from the selection of candidates for elections to the distribution of party tickets. They had a strong grip over state units.

3. Conflict with Indira Gandhi:
As Indira Gandhi grew in confidence and popularity, she began to challenge the Syndicate's authority. The conflict came to a head over the Presidential election of 1969, when Indira Gandhi supported V.V. Giri against the Syndicate's official candidate N. Sanjiva Reddy. This led to the formal split of the Congress in 1969 — Indira Gandhi's faction became Congress (R) (Requisitionists) and the Syndicate's faction became Congress (O) (Organisation).

Conclusion:
The Syndicate represented the old guard of the Congress party that believed in collective leadership and organisational control. Their conflict with Indira Gandhi fundamentally transformed Indian politics and led to the end of the original Congress system.

Introduction:
The Congress party, which had maintained its unity since independence despite internal differences, formally split in 1969. The split was the culmination of a prolonged power struggle between Indira Gandhi and the Syndicate (the old guard of the party).

Background — Growing Tensions:
After the 1967 elections, in which Congress performed poorly, tensions between Indira Gandhi and the Syndicate intensified. Indira Gandhi wanted to pursue a more socialist, pro-poor agenda, while the Syndicate represented conservative and organisational interests. She began to assert her independence by taking bold decisions like bank nationalisation (1969) without full cabinet approval.

The Major Issue — Presidential Election of 1969:
The immediate and most significant cause of the split was the Presidential election of 1969.

• The Syndicate nominated N. Sanjiva Reddy as the official Congress candidate for the Presidency.
• Indira Gandhi, however, refused to support Sanjiva Reddy. She instead encouraged V.V. Giri (the then Vice-President) to contest as an independent candidate.
• Indira Gandhi issued a call for a 'conscience vote' — asking Congress MPs and MLAs to vote according to their conscience rather than the party line. This was a direct defiance of the Syndicate.
• V.V. Giri won the Presidential election, defeating the Syndicate's candidate. This was a major political humiliation for the Syndicate.

Formal Split:

• In retaliation, the Syndicate-controlled Congress Working Committee expelled Indira Gandhi from the Congress party in November 1969.
• This led to the formal split: Indira Gandhi's faction was called Congress (R) — R for Requisitionists (those who had requisitioned a meeting of the AICC to support her), and the Syndicate's faction was called Congress (O) — O for Organisation.
• Congress (R) had the support of the majority of Congress MPs in Parliament.

Conclusion:
Thus, the Presidential election of 1969 was the immediate trigger for the split, but the deeper cause was the fundamental conflict between Indira Gandhi's centralising, populist style of leadership and the Syndicate's belief in collective, organisational decision-making. The split marked the end of the 'Congress System' as it had existed since independence.

(a) Difference between the strategies of Nehru and Indira Gandhi according to the author:

According to Sudipta Kaviraj, the key differences are:

In essence, Nehru led a party that was a genuine ideological and organisational institution, while Indira Gandhi transformed it into a vehicle for personal power and electoral mobilisation.

(b) Why does the author say that the Congress party 'died' in the seventies?

The author says the Congress party 'died' as a political organisation in the early 1970s because:

1. Destruction of inner-party democracy: Indira Gandhi centralised all power in herself. State leaders were no longer elected but nominated by the high command. The party lost its federal, democratic character.

2. Weakening of organisational structure: The Congress party as an organisation — with its grassroots workers, state units, and deliberative bodies — was hollowed out. The party became dependent on the personal charisma of Indira Gandhi rather than on organisational strength.

3. Ideology replaced by populism: Political ideology was replaced by catchy slogans meant only to win elections, not to guide governance. 'Garibi Hatao' was a powerful slogan but poverty was not effectively eliminated. This gap between promise and performance weakened the party's credibility.

4. Party became a personal vehicle: The Congress (R) was essentially Indira Gandhi's personal political instrument rather than a collective institution. When she was strong, the party was strong; when she was weak, the party collapsed — as seen during the Emergency and after.

Thus, even as Congress won massive electoral victories, the party as a living, democratic, ideological organisation had ceased to exist.

(c) In what way did the change in the Congress party affect other political parties also?

The transformation of the Congress party under Indira Gandhi had a profound impact on other political parties as well:

1. Adoption of populist politics: Other political parties also began to adopt populist slogans and personality-based politics rather than building strong organisational structures or clear ideological programmes. The focus shifted to electoral mobilisation through charismatic leaders.

2. Weakening of inner-party democracy across parties: The trend of centralisation and weakening of inner-party democracy spread to other parties too. Regional parties especially became dominated by single families or leaders (e.g., AIADMK under MGR, later Jayalalithaa).

3. Rise of personality cult: Other parties also began to project individual leaders rather than collective leadership or ideology. This 'presidentialisation' of Indian politics became a general trend.

4. Defections and instability: The weakening of party organisations and ideological commitments made defections easier and more common, leading to political instability — a problem that affected all parties.

5. Electoral discourse over governance: Like Congress, other parties also began to use slogans and promises primarily as electoral tools, with little intention or ability to translate them into policy — contributing to a general decline in the quality of political discourse.

In short, the changes Indira Gandhi introduced in Congress set a template that other parties followed, fundamentally altering the nature of Indian democratic politics from an ideologically grounded, organisationally robust system to a personality-driven, slogan-based one.

Yes. Advertisements and manifestoes both try to influence people and win support. Similarly, slogans and advertisements are alike because both use short, attractive messages to catch attention quickly.

Similarities

• Both are meant to persuade people.
• Both try to present an idea, product, or policy in a simple and attractive way.
• Both use catchy words, images, and repetition.
• Both are designed to create a favourable impression.

Difference

• Advertisements usually promote goods or services, while manifestoes present a party's promises and policies.
• Slogans are shorter and more direct than manifestoes.

So, slogans and advertisements are similar in style because both aim to attract attention and influence choice.

Price rise affects political fortunes because it directly touches people's daily lives.

• When prices of essential commodities rise, ordinary people face hardship.
• They may feel that the government is not controlling inflation or scarcity.
• This creates public anger, protests, bandhs and hartals.
• Opposition parties can use this discontent to criticise the ruling party.
• If the government is seen as ignoring people's problems, it can lose support in elections.

So, price rise often weakens the ruling party and strengthens opposition movements, because it affects the basic needs of the people.