Indian Government and Politics

Constitutional Framework

• India adopted a federal system with a parliamentary form of government
• Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950
• Three branches of government: Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary
• President as Head of State, Prime Minister as Head of Government

Political Parties

• Indian National Congress (INC): dominant party in early years, led by Jawaharlal Nehru
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): emerged as a major force in 1980s, Hindu nationalist ideology
• Communist Party of India (CPI): prominent left-wing party
• Regional parties: emerged in 1960s and 1970s, based on linguistic and cultural identities

Nehruvian Era (1947-1964)

• Jawaharlal Nehru: first Prime Minister, shaped India's foreign policy and economic development
• Economic policies: mixed economy, Five-Year Plans, public sector undertakings
• Foreign policy: non-alignment, Panchsheel, and Indo-China war

Indira Gandhi Era (1966-1977, 1980-1984)

• Indira Gandhi: first female Prime Minister, implemented populist policies
• Nationalization of banks, abolition of privy purses, and Green Revolution
• Emergency (1975-1977): suspension of civil liberties, censorship, and forced sterilizations
• Assassination in 1984 led to anti-Sikh riots

Janata Party Era (1977-1980)

• Morarji Desai: first non-Congress Prime Minister, headed Janata Party government
• Anti-Congress coalition, sought to undo Indira Gandhi's policies
• Short-lived government, collapsed due to infighting

Coalition Politics (1989-1998)

• National Front government (1989-1991): VP Singh's coalition, implemented Mandal Commission report
• United Front government (1996-1998): Deve Gowda and IK Gujral, coalition of regional parties
• BJP-led NDA government (1998-2004): Atal Bihari Vajpayee, nuclear tests, and economic reforms

Contemporary Politics (2004-present)

• United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government (2004-2014): Manmohan Singh, economic reforms, and corruption scandals
• National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government (2014-present): Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalist agenda, and economic reforms
• Emerging issues: communalism, caste politics, and environmental concerns

Constitutional Framework

• India adopted a federal system with a parliamentary form of government
• The Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950
• The government is divided into three branches: Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary
• The President is the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of Government

Political Parties

• Indian National Congress (INC) was the dominant party in the early years, led by Jawaharlal Nehru
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as a major force in the 1980s, with a Hindu nationalist ideology
• Communist Party of India (CPI) is a prominent left-wing party
• Regional parties emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, based on linguistic and cultural identities

Nehruvian Era (1947-1964)

• Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister, shaping India's foreign policy and economic development
• Economic policies included a mixed economy, Five-Year Plans, and public sector undertakings
• Foreign policy focused on non-alignment, Panchsheel, and the Indo-China war

Indira Gandhi Era (1966-1977, 1980-1984)

• Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister, implementing populist policies
• Nationalization of banks, abolition of privy purses, and the Green Revolution were major initiatives
• The Emergency (1975-1977) was marked by the suspension of civil liberties, censorship, and forced sterilizations
• Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 led to anti-Sikh riots

Janata Party Era (1977-1980)

• Morarji Desai was the first non-Congress Prime Minister, heading the Janata Party government
• The government was an anti-Congress coalition, seeking to undo Indira Gandhi's policies
• The government was short-lived, collapsing due to infighting

Coalition Politics (1989-1998)

• The National Front government (1989-1991) was a coalition headed by VP Singh, implementing the Mandal Commission report
• The United Front government (1996-1998) was a coalition of regional parties, led by Deve Gowda and IK Gujral
• The BJP-led NDA government (1998-2004) was led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, marked by nuclear tests and economic reforms

Contemporary Politics (2004-present)

• The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government (2004-2014) was led by Manmohan Singh, focusing on economic reforms and facing corruption scandals
• The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government (2014-present) is led by Narendra Modi, with a Hindu nationalist agenda and economic reforms
• Emerging issues include communalism, caste politics, and environmental concerns

Constitutional Framework

• India adopted a democratic, federal, and secular constitution in 1950
• The Constitution established a parliamentary system with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government
• The Constitution also established the Supreme Court as the highest court in the land

Early Years of Independence (1947-1964)

• India achieved independence from British colonial rule on August 15, 1947
• Jawaharlal Nehru became the first prime minister of India and played a key role in shaping the country's development
• The Indian National Congress (INC) dominated politics in the early years of independence

Indira Gandhi Era (1966-1977, 1980-1984)

• Indira Gandhi became prime minister in 1966 and ruled until 1977, and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984
• Her leadership was marked by centralization of power, populist policies, and a strong state-led economic development model
• The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War was a major foreign policy success during her tenure

Janata Party Interlude (1977-1980)

• The Janata Party, a coalition of opposition parties, came to power in 1977, marking the first time the INC was out of power
• The government introduced several reforms, including the 44th Amendment to the Constitution, which limited the power of the prime minister

Rajiv Gandhi and the Rise of Coalition Politics (1984-1998)

• Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister in 1984 and served until 1989
• The 1980s saw the rise of coalition politics, with the INC facing challenges from regional parties and the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a national force
• The National Front government, led by V.P. Singh, came to power in 1989, marking the beginning of a period of coalition governments

BJP and the NDA (1998-2004)

• The BJP, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 1998, which lasted until 2004
• The NDA government implemented several key reforms, including the disinvestment of state-owned enterprises and the introduction of value-added tax (VAT)

UPA and the Congress (2004-2014)

• The United Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by the INC, came to power in 2004, with Manmohan Singh as prime minister
• The UPA government implemented several key reforms, including the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

NDA and the BJP (2014-present)

• The BJP, led by Narendra Modi, formed the NDA government in 2014, which continues to be in power
• The Modi government has implemented several key reforms, including the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the demonetization of high-denomination currency notes