Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System

2.1 Core concepts

• The succession question. Jawaharlal Nehru passed away in May 1964, raising the twin questions "after Nehru, who?" and "after Nehru, what?" — outsiders had long feared that India's democracy might collapse like other newly independent countries; some predicted military rule (NCERT §Challenge of Political Succession, p. 73). NCERT underlines that the smooth succession that followed was itself a major democratic achievement.
• 'Dangerous decade'. The 1960s were called the 'dangerous decade' because unresolved problems like poverty, inequality, communal and regional divisions could, it was thought, lead to the failure of the democratic project or even the disintegration of the country (NCERT §Challenge of Political Succession, p. 74).
• From Nehru to Shastri. K. Kamaraj, the Congress President, consulted party leaders and MPs; a consensus emerged in favour of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was unanimously chosen as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and became PM (NCERT §From Nehru to Shastri, p. 74). The Congress's ability to manage succession through internal consultation strengthened its image as a robust political organisation.
• Shastri's tenure. Lal Bahadur Shastri was PM from 1964 to 1966; he coined the famous slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' to symbolise the country's resolve in the face of the 1965 war with Pakistan and a serious food crisis (NCERT §From Nehru to Shastri, p. 74).
• Shastri's death. Shastri died abruptly on 11 January 1966 at Tashkent (then in USSR, now capital of Uzbekistan), after signing an agreement with Pakistan President Ayub Khan to end the war (NCERT §From Nehru to Shastri, p. 74). His death triggered the second succession in less than two years.
• From Shastri to Indira. After Shastri the Congress faced succession a second time within two years; the contest was between Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi; senior leaders backed Indira but the decision was not unanimous and was resolved through a secret ballot of Congress MPs. Indira Gandhi defeated Morarji Desai with the support of more than two-thirds of Congress MPs — a peaceful transition seen as a sign of maturity of Indian democracy (NCERT §From Shastri to Indira Gandhi, p. 74).
• Context of the 1967 elections. The fourth general elections were held in February 1967 against the backdrop of grave economic crisis: failed monsoons, drought, fall in agricultural and industrial production, depleted foreign exchange, rise in military expenditure following the 1962 and 1965 wars, and devaluation of the rupee (one US dollar from less than Rs. 5 to more than Rs. 7) (NCERT §Fourth General Elections, 1967 / Context of the elections, pp. 76–77).
• Mass distress. The economic crisis triggered price rise, food scarcity, unemployment, and a wave of bandhs and hartals. The communist and socialist parties launched struggles for greater equality, and a CPI(ML) splinter led armed agrarian struggles (NCERT §Context of the elections, p. 77).
• Non-Congressism. Socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia gave the strategy of 'non-Congressism' — disparate opposition parties forming anti-Congress fronts and electoral adjustments because the division of opposition votes kept Congress in power. Lohia argued that Congress rule was undemocratic and opposed to ordinary poor people. The strategy gave the opposition a way to overcome ideological incompatibility for the limited purpose of defeating Congress (NCERT §Non-Congressism, p. 78).
• 1967 verdict — 'political earthquake'. Contemporary observers called the result a 'political earthquake'. Congress did get a majority in the Lok Sabha but with its lowest tally of seats and share of votes since 1952. Half the ministers in Indira's cabinet were defeated, and stalwarts like Kamaraj (Tamil Nadu), S.K. Patil (Maharashtra), Atulya Ghosh (West Bengal) and K.B. Sahay (Bihar) all lost (NCERT §Electoral verdict, p. 78).
• Nine-state collapse. Congress lost majority in seven states and was prevented by defections from forming government in two others — the nine states being Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and Kerala (NCERT §Electoral verdict, p. 80).
• DMK in Madras. In Madras (Tamil Nadu) the DMK came to power with a clear majority after leading an anti-Hindi agitation — the first time any non-Congress party secured a majority of its own in any state. In the other eight states coalition governments were formed (NCERT §Electoral verdict, p. 80).
• Coalitions — SVD. Samyukt Vidhayak Dal (SVD) governments brought together ideologically incongruent partners — e.g., in Bihar the SSP, PSP, CPI (Left) and Jana Sangh (Right) sat in the same government; in Punjab the 'Popular United Front' included Akali Sant and Master groups, CPI, CPI(M), SSP, Republican Party and BJS (NCERT §Coalitions, p. 80). The SVD experience demonstrated both the possibilities and the instability of coalition politics.
• Defection. Defection means an elected representative leaving the party on whose symbol s/he was elected to join another. The phrase 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' originated from Haryana MLA Gaya Lal who changed parties thrice in a fortnight in 1967; Rao Birendra Singh's quip "Gaya Ram was now Aya Ram" became iconic. The Constitution was later amended (Anti-Defection Law, 52nd Amendment, 1985) to prevent defections (NCERT §Defection, p. 81).
• The Syndicate. The Syndicate was an informal group of powerful Congress leaders controlling the party organisation, led by K. Kamaraj, with S.K. Patil (Bombay), S. Nijalingappa (Mysore/Karnataka), N. Sanjeeva Reddy (Andhra Pradesh) and Atulya Ghosh (West Bengal); both Shastri and Indira owed their PM positions to the Syndicate's support (NCERT §The Congress 'Syndicate', p. 82). The Kamaraj Plan (1963) — under which senior Congressmen resigned office to make way for younger workers — had ironically strengthened the organisational wing whose leaders became the Syndicate.
• Indira's two challenges. Indira Gandhi faced two challenges: build independence from the Syndicate, and regain ground lost in 1967. She converted a power struggle into an ideological struggle and got the CWC to adopt a Ten Point Programme (May 1967) — social control of banks, nationalisation of General Insurance, ceiling on urban property and income, public distribution of food grains, land reforms, and house sites for the rural poor (NCERT §Indira vs. the 'Syndicate', pp. 82–83). The Syndicate accepted the programme verbally but had reservations about its implementation.
• 1969 Presidential election. After President Zakir Hussain's death, the Syndicate nominated N. Sanjeeva Reddy as the official Congress candidate; Indira encouraged Vice-President V.V. Giri to file as an independent and gave a 'conscience vote' call. She also, in dramatic moves, announced nationalisation of 14 leading private banks and abolition of privy purses to bolster her socialist credentials. V.V. Giri won narrowly (NCERT §Presidential election, 1969, pp. 83–84).
• November 1969 split. The defeat of the official Congress candidate formalised the Congress split: Congress (O) — Organisation, led by the Syndicate (Old Congress); Congress (R) — Requisitionists, led by Indira (New Congress). Indira projected the split as an ideological divide between socialists vs conservatives, pro-poor vs pro-rich (NCERT §Presidential election, 1969, p. 84).
• Privy Purse. Privy Purse was a hereditary grant promised to rulers of integrated princely states; a 1970 constitutional amendment to abolish it failed in Rajya Sabha; an ordinance was struck down by the Supreme Court; after the 1971 victory, the Constitution was amended to abolish privy purses (NCERT §Abolition of Privy Purse box, p. 84).
• 1971 election — the contest. Congress (R) was reduced to a minority after the split but Indira dissolved the Lok Sabha in December 1970 to seek a popular mandate. The opposition — SSP, PSP, BJS, Swatantra (SWA), BKD — formed the Grand Alliance (non-Communist, non-Congress); Congress (R) had an alliance with CPI (NCERT §The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress / The contest, p. 86).
• 'Garibi Hatao' vs 'Indira Hatao'. Indira's slogan was 'Garibi Hatao' (Remove Poverty), countering the Grand Alliance's only common programme of 'Indira Hatao'. She built a support base among landless labourers, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, women and unemployed youth — a coalition very different from the older Congress (NCERT §The contest, p. 86).
• 1971 outcome. Congress(R)-CPI alliance won 375 Lok Sabha seats with 48.4% votes; Congress(R) alone won 352 seats with about 44% votes; Congress(O) won only 16 seats with less than one-fourth of Indira's votes; the Grand Alliance's combined tally was less than 60 seats (NCERT §The outcome and after, p. 87).
• Bangladesh and 1972 Assembly polls. After the 1971 elections came the Bangladesh crisis and the Indo-Pak war leading to the creation of Bangladesh; this added to Indira's popularity. Her party also swept the State Assembly elections in 1972 — Congress dominance was restored (NCERT §The outcome and after, p. 88).
• A restored but re-invented Congress. Restoration was actually a re-invention: the new Congress relied entirely on the supreme leader's popularity, had a weak organisational structure, fewer factions, and depended more on the poor, women, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities — Indira restored the Congress system by changing its very nature. The party's old federal, factional character was gone (NCERT §Restoration?, p. 89).

2.2 Definitions to memorise

2.3 Diagrams / processes to remember

• Map / illustration showing the nine states where Congress lost power in 1967 — Punjab, Haryana, UP, MP, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras, Kerala (NCERT p. 79).
• R.K. Laxman cartoon "The Left Hook" depicting V.V. Giri (boxer with garland) defeating the Syndicate's candidate Nijalingappa in the 1969 presidential election (p. 83).
• Cartoon on Charan Singh's 1974 attempt to build a United Front of non-communist parties — illustrates coalition politics (p. 80).
• R.K. Laxman "The Grand Finish" cartoon interpreting the 1971 election outcome — opposition leaders defeated (p. 87).
• Succession timeline: Nehru (d. May 1964) → Shastri (1964 – 11 Jan 1966) → Indira Gandhi (1966–1977 and 1980–1984).
• Ten Point Programme (May 1967): bank social control, General Insurance nationalisation, urban property/income ceiling, food PDS, land reforms, house sites for rural poor (pp. 82–83).
• 1969 split process diagram: Zakir Hussain dies → Syndicate nominates Sanjeeva Reddy → Indira backs V.V. Giri + conscience vote + bank nationalisation + privy purse → V.V. Giri wins → Indira expelled by Nijalingappa → November 1969 split into Congress (O) and Congress (R).
• 1971 numbers chart: Cong(R)+CPI 375 (48.4%) | Cong(R) alone 352 (44%) | Cong(O) 16 (<11%) | Grand Alliance <60.

2.5 Key Articles / Treaties / Events

2.4 Common confusions / NTA trap points

• Confusing Congress (O) with Old Congress vs Congress (R) with New Congress — remember "O = Organisation = Old = Syndicate"; "R = Requisitionists = Indira = New".
• 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' is Shastri's slogan; 'Garibi Hatao' is Indira's 1971 slogan; 'Indira Hatao' was the only common programme of the Grand Alliance.
• The Grand Alliance was non-Communist AND non-Congress — CPI was actually allied with Congress(R); SSP, PSP, BJS, Swatantra and BKD were the Grand Alliance partners.
• DMK was the only non-Congress party that won a clear majority of its own in any state in 1967; coalitions (SVD) formed in the other eight states.
• Shastri died at Tashkent (then in USSR, now Uzbekistan) — not Moscow.
• Privy purse abolition: 1970 constitutional amendment failed in Rajya Sabha; ordinance struck down by Supreme Court; amendment passed only after the 1971 victory.
• The 1971 election was the FIFTH general election (not fourth — the fourth was 1967).
• V.V. Giri contested as an independent candidate, not as the official Congress nominee — the official Congress candidate was N. Sanjeeva Reddy.
• 14 banks were nationalised in 1969; General Insurance nationalisation was part of the Ten Point Programme (1967).
• Cong(R)–CPI = 375 seats | Cong(R) alone = 352 seats | NTA loves to swap these.
• "Aya Ram, Gaya Ram" originates with Gaya Lal of Haryana (changed parties thrice in a fortnight in 1967) — not any other state.