G12 Recent Development in Indian Politics Notes PDF

## Chapter-8 Recent Developments in Indian Politics ### Context of 1990 - When the 1980s ended, the country saw five political developments. - The Congress Party lost the 1989 election. - The Congress won 415 seats in the LokSabha in 1984 and only 197 in 1989. - The 1989 election marked...

## Chapter-8 Recent Developments in Indian Politics ### Context of 1990 - When the 1980s ended, the country saw five political developments. - The Congress Party lost the 1989 election. - The Congress won 415 seats in the LokSabha in 1984 and only 197 in 1989. - The 1989 election marked the end of the "Congress system". - The Congress improved its performance and came back to power after the midterm elections held in 1991. - The Mandal issue arose in national politics. - The National Front government implemented the recommendations of the Mandal Commission which proposed that Central government jobs should be reserved for the other backward classes. - The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 led to a change in leadership of the Congress Party. - The economic policies of the governments became radically different. - This marked the start of the structural adjustment program of the new economic reforms. ### Era of Coalitions - The 1989 election led to the defeat of the Congress Party but did not result in a majority for any other party. - The National Front received support from two diametrically opposite political groups, BJP and the Left Front, and formed a coalition government, but BJP and the Left Front did not join the government. - Regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances after 1989. - The United Front government came to power in 1996. - The United Front of 1996 was similar to the National Front of 1989. - The United Front government was supported by the Congress and the Left Front as both wanted to keep the BJP out of power in 1996. - In the 1996 election, the BJP was the largest party and was invited to form the government but could not secure a majority in the LokSabha. - The BJP came to power by leading a coalition government, NDA-I, from May 1998 to June 1999 and was reelected in October 1999, NDA-II. - Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister during both NDA governments. - The NDA-II government formed in 1999 completed its full term. - The NDA government, headed by BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the first coalition government to successfully complete its five-year tenure. - The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ruled for two terms successfully, headed by Congress leader Manmohan Singh, (2004-2009 and 2009-2014). #### Reasons for the Emergence of Coalition Government - Weakening of national political parties - Emergence of regional political parties and their increasing role in government formation - Rise of caste and sect based opportunistic politics ### Political Rise of Other Backward Classes and the Mandal Commission - The rise of other backward classes as a political force was a major political development of the period. - OBCs, communities other than SC and ST who suffered from educational and social backwardness, are also known as "backward castes". - The Central government (Janata Dal) appointed a Commission in 1978 to investigate and recommend ways to improve the conditions of the backward classes. - It was the second such commission since independence. - It was officially known as the Second Backward Classes Commission or the Mandal Commission, after its chairperson, Bideshwari Prasad Mandal. - The Mandal Commission was set up to investigate the extent of educational and social backwardness among various sections of Indian society and recommend ways of identifying these backward classes. - The Mandal Commission's recommendations included: - Reserving 27% of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for these groups. - Other recommendations to improve the conditions of the OBCs including land reforms. - In 1990, the National Front government decided to implement the Mandal Commission's recommendation pertaining to reservation for OBCs in Central government jobs. - The decision sparked agitation and violent protests in many north Indian cities. - The decision was challenged in court in the Indira Sawhney case in 1992. - There are differences among political parties about how to implement the decision, but the policy supporting reservation for OBCs is currently backed by all major political parties. ### Communalism, Secularism and Democracy - The rise of politics based on religious identity was another long-term development of this period and led to a debate surrounding secularism and democracy. - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed in 1980 from the Jan-Sangh. - It initially embraced Gandhian socialism as its ideology, but after 1986, it began to emphasize Hindu nationalist elements. - Two developments from around 1986 were central to BJP politics as a Hindutva party: - The Shah Bano case in 1985, in which the Supreme Court ordered the former husband of a Muslim woman to provide maintenance, ignited controversy as orthodox Muslims saw it as an interference in Muslim Personal Law. - The Congress party passed the Muslim Women Act of 1986 to nullify the Supreme Court's decision which the BJP criticized as an unnecessary concession to minority communities. - In 1986, the Faizabad District Court ordered that the Babri Masjid be unlocked to allow Hindus to offer prayers at the site. This decision prompted mobilization from both Hindus and Muslims. - The dispute became a major national issue and led to communal tensions. - The BJP, in order to generate public support, organized a massive march, the Ratha Yatra, from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya and supported the construction of a temple in Ayodhya. - The Supreme Court ordered the state government to protect the disputed site, but thousands of people gathered from across the country at Ayodhya in December 1992 and demolished the mosque. - The central government appointed a commission to investigate the circumstances leading to the demolition of the mosque. - Many political parties condemned the demolition, calling it a violation of secularism. - Similar violence against Muslims broke out in Gujarat in February and March. This violence between communities is a threat to democracy. ### LokSabha Election 2004 - The Congress Party formed a big alliance government, known as the "United Progressive Alliance" in the 2004 election. - This was the first time that the Congress could increase its number of seats in the LokSabha since 1991. ### LokSabha Election 2019 - The 2019 general election for the 17th LokSabha was held in 2019. - The BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 303 seats in LokSabha. - The Congress won only 52 seats. - The NDA-IV government is also known as a "Surplus Majority Government". ### Emergence of New Consensus - The period after 1989 is characterized by a decline in Congress and a rise in BJP influence. - The political competition during the 1990s involved a coalition led by the BJP and a coalition led by the Congress Party. - While political parties function within the sphere of this consensus, popular movements and organizations have been simultaneously identifying new forms, visions, and pathways for development. - People's movements have been bringing issues like poverty, minimum wages, livelihoods, and social security to the political agenda. - This underscores the state's responsibility in these areas. - Political parties have had to adapt to accommodate and aggregate a variety of interests. ### Growing Consensus - Despite intense competition and conflict, a consensus emerged among most parties based on four key elements: - Agreement on new economic policies - Acceptance of the political and social claims of the backward castes - Acceptance of the role of state-level parties in governance - Emphasis on pragmatic considerations over ideology and political alliances without ideological agreement.