Political change in the 1960s
Challenge of succession
Nehru died in May 1964. Many outside observers expected chaos, but Lal Bahadur Shastri became PM smoothly. He led India through the 1965 war with Pakistan and gave the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. He died in Tashkent in January 1966. Indira Gandhi then defeated Morarji Desai in a vote of Congress MPs. Senior leaders who backed her were called the Syndicate (K. Kamaraj, S.K. Patil, Atulya Ghosh, S. Nijalingappa, N. Sanjiva Reddy).
The fourth general election, 1967
- Hard times: two monsoon failures, food shortage, rising prices, devaluation of the rupee (1966), protests and strikes.
- Non-Congressism: Ram Manohar Lohia argued that opposition parties must unite to defeat Congress.
- Result: Congress's Lok Sabha seats fell to 283 and it lost in about nine states. Analysts called it a political earthquake.
- In Tamil Nadu the DMK won a full majority, after anti-Hindi protests.
Coalitions and defection
Many states got coalition governments called Samyukt Vidhayak Dal (SVD), often of parties with opposite ideas (e.g. Bihar had Socialists, CPI and Jana Sangh together). Defection became common: in Haryana, MLA Gaya Lal changed sides thrice in two weeks ('Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram').
Restoration of the Congress system
Indira vs the Syndicate
Indira Gandhi wanted her own control and a left-leaning agenda (the Ten Point Programme: bank nationalisation, land reform, public distribution, end of princes' privileges).
The 1969 split
- Presidential election 1969: Syndicate's candidate was N. Sanjiva Reddy; Indira encouraged the independent V.V. Giri and asked MPs and MLAs to vote by 'conscience'. Giri won.
- The party split: Congress (O) for Organisation (Syndicate) and Congress (R) for Requisitionists (Indira). She called it a fight of socialists vs conservatives.
- She nationalised 14 banks (1969) and later abolished privy purses of former rulers (26th Amendment, 1971).
The 1971 election and restoration
- Opposition (Congress O, Jana Sangh, Swatantra, SSP) formed a grand alliance: slogan 'Indira Hatao'.
- Indira: 'Garibi Hatao'. Congress (R) won 352 seats.
- Victory in the 1971 Bangladesh war and 1972 state elections added to her popularity.
Was it the same Congress?
No. The old system was a coalition of factions and local leaders. The new Congress depended on the popularity of one leader, drew support from the poor, women, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities, and had a weaker organisation. It restored dominance, but changed its nature.
Try it
Use the free-play buttons to compare 1962, 1967 and 1971. Predict first which year is lowest. Then try: write two slogans, one for 1967 opposition and one for 1971 Indira, in your own words.
Key formulas and definitions
- 1964 Nehru โ Shastri; 1966 โ Indira Gandhi
- 1967: 'political earthquake'; Congress lost ~9 states; SVD coalitions
- Non-Congressism: Ram Manohar Lohia
- Defection: 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' (Gaya Lal, Haryana)
- 1969 split: Congress (O) Syndicate vs Congress (R) Indira; V.V. Giri President
- 1971: 'Garibi Hatao'; Congress (R) 352 seats
Worked examples
1. Why is 1967 called a political earthquake?
Congress, which had ruled almost everywhere since 1952, suddenly lost about nine states and barely kept its majority in the Lok Sabha.
2. What was the Syndicate?
A group of powerful senior Congress leaders who controlled the organisation and helped make Shastri and then Indira Gandhi PM, expecting to guide her.
3. How did the 1969 presidential election cause a split?
Indira Gandhi opposed the official Congress candidate Sanjiva Reddy by backing V.V. Giri through a 'conscience vote'. Giri won and the party split into Congress (O) and Congress (R).
Common mistakes
- Thinking Congress lost the Lok Sabha in 1967. It kept a thin majority; it lost many states.
- Mixing up Congress (O) (Syndicate) with Congress (R) (Indira).
- Thinking the 1971 'grand alliance' was Indira's. It was the opposition's.
- Saying the restored Congress was the same as Nehru's. It rested on one leader's popularity.