History - semester 2

Framing of the Constitution

The framing of the constitution began in 1934.

Features of the Indian Constitution

1.the lengthiest constitution.

It was the lengthiest constitution written.
Contrary to the American constitution that had seven articles and thirteen sections, Indian constitution has
three ninety five articles, eight schedules, twenty two parts and one hundred three amendments.
2.Indian constitution is a bag of borrowing.
3.quasi-federal.
4.parliamentary form of government.
5.political democracy; fundamental rights.

Linguistic reorganisation of the Indian states

The significance of uniformity of language was felt by the congress working committee in nineteen twenty
one.
Post partition, the question was sidelined due to the collapsing economy and administration of the country.
linguistic provincial committee was constituted under the leadership of S.C. Dar.
JBP committee was formed next.
The Talagoo people in Andhra Pradesh demanded for a separate state .
There were demands from other states after Andhra Pradesh.
State reorganisation act was passed in 1955; fortune states, six union territories; kept quiet on the
bifurcation’s of Bombay and Punjab.
Gujarat wanted Bombay to be a part of it and Maharashtra wanted Bombay as a part of it.
The ministry of Indira Gandhi made Bombay a part of Maharashtra and Ahmdabad a part of Gujarat.
Akalis wanted a separate state in Punjab.
Hindi people wanted Hindi to be the official language.
In nineteen sixty six, Indira Gandhi solved the issue by making Haryana for the Hindi people, made
Chandigarh as a common language speaking state , the union territory and included Pahadi people in
Himachal Pradesh.
Earlier the issue was subsided due to communalism.
The state reorganisation act strengthened national unity.

Regionalism

Loyalty to a particular region or state is not regionalism since it doesn’t harm the national unity to any
extend.
Regionalism is generally talked about in a negative sense and if loyalty is underlined with hostility, it’ll
become regionalism.
acording to a new and recent phenomena of history, a state is exclusive of the homeland of the population
speaking the mothertoungue of that state.
The people speaking the main language of the state were termed as the sons of the soil.
The doctrine of sons of the soil on the twentieth century had negative connotations as it aroused neglect of
the citizens of the state who did not speak the mother tongue.

Evaluation of regionalism

1.pessimists argue that India faces the dangerous alternatives of either balkanisation or authoritarian rule as
the movement for reginal autonomy gains ground.
They had indeed been such movements in the past as well as today.
Based on partly on historical antecedents and partly on caste, ethnic and regional hostility.
There developed a powerful intellectual movement for autonomy in different parts of India.
2.in views of Dr. Ikbal Narayan, “politics doesn’t create regionalism but it certainly accentuates and exploits
regional loyalties.”
3.the problem of regionalism could be tackled only with the adoption of macrovision which took within its
sweep the micro variations at regional levels within in the nation.
In this connection, he posed the problem of depoliticisation of the planning process and allegation of
resources and emphasised that politics can be secularised only if the political parties follow a policy of
ideological polarisation in relation to the problems of caste and tribe loyalties vis a vis the nation.
4.there is another political scientist, Moosis Raza, he feels that the historical injustice done to the tribes
which were pushed into the refugee areas in the interior of the country must done away with and they should
be given land and other facilities for preserving their identity and develop their interest.
5.some Indian scholars have also argued for a fresh review of the country’s territorial organisation from the
perspective of size social progression, effective administration, efficient centre-state reltiaonship and the
possibility of having single party governments.
6.in regionalism, one point which always draws attention is that , people certain areas demand separate
statehood, for example, Talangana, Jharkhand and when this demand is denied, agitational outlook develops
and riots result.
Such a demand is denied because it is felt that smaller states will weaken India’s unity.
However, a point which needs to be studied is whether bigger or smaller states have made greater progress
and which of the two kinds of states are contributing to India’s unity and prosperity.

Module-2

JP Movement and Emergency

1975 — India’s greatest political crisis.

Internal emergency declared on 26 June.

Pre-emergency crisis

By the begging of 1973, Indira Gandhi’s popularity because people’s expectations were unfulfilled. Reasons
were
Rural and urban poverty.
Economic inequality, recession , rampant inflation.
No lessening of caste and class oppression in country side.
Growing unemployment.
Scarcity of food (1971: Bangladesh refugees, feeding and shelter).
Bangladesh war — budgetary deficit ; no monsoon rains for seventy two-seventy three.
Drought in various parts .
Prices rose by twenty two percent in 1972-73 alone.
Price rise and scarcity of essential articles of consumption lead to food riots.
So , there was a wave of protest, especially working class.
All India Railway strike in 1974 — twenty two days.
Law and order deteriorated — 1974 - 75 — strikes, student protests, demonstrations, colleges and
universities closed for long periods.
1973 — UP mutiny by provincial armed constabulary — thirty five deaths of constibles and soldiers.

Political situation worsened

1.congress proved incapable — dealing political crisis at state and grassroots levels.
2.growing corruption in most areas of life and widespread belief that higher levels of ruling party and
administration involved.
For example, Sanjay Gandhi, her son, got liasence to manufacture fifty thousand Maruti cars a year.

Three social groups got against congress

Middle class — price rise, corruption.

Rich peasantry — threat of land reform.
Capitalist — talk of socialism, nationalisation of banks, anti-monopoly measures.

Opposition parties

1.desperation: contributed to undermining political system.

2.more different ideologically and programs but only think uniting them: anti-congressism.
3.1971 general elections and 1972 state assembly election: defeated.
4.unwilling to wait till next election to test their popularity , they decided, irrespecttive of consequences, to
blindly support any group or movement in any form against government at centre or in a state.

Gujarat and Bihar unrest

Two popular movements (against faction - ridden congress governments).

Bihar movement — leadership: Jaya Prakash Narayan.
Gujarat movement — January 1974, anger popularly over price rises of food grains, cooking oil, other
essential commodities — student movement soon joined by opposition parties.
More than ten weeks : strikes, looting, riots, arson , efforts to force MLAs to resign.
Police : lathi charge , excessive force, arrests, firing .
March 1975 — continuing agitation, fast unto death by Morarji Desai : Indhira Gandhi disolved the assembly
and announced fresh elections to it in June.

Bihar movement

Inspired by Gujarat agitation — students in Bihar — march 1974.

Gherao of assembly: twenty seven people died in one week.
Opposition parties joined them.
Features are as follows.
1.Jayaprakash Narayan )(JP) came out from political retirement, took over its leadership and gave a call for
‘total revolution’ or ‘a struggle against the very system which has compiled almost everyone to go corrupt’.
Demanding resignation of congress government in Bihar and dissolution of assembly, he asked the students
and people to put pressure on existing legislatures to resign, paradise th government, Gherao the state
assembly and government offices, setup parallel government and pay no taxes.
2.firm refusal of Indira Gandhi to concede the demand for the dissolution of assembly , lest it spread to other
parts of the country and central government.
JP also decided — go beyond Bihar, organise countrywide movement against widespread corruption and for
removal of congress and Indira Gandhi, who was now seen as a threat to democracy and fountainhead of
corruption.
JP — repeatedly toured the entire country and drove large crowds.
Delhi and other parts of north India which were Jan Sangh or socialist strong holds ; got backing of all non-
left political parties (defeated in 1971) who saw JP or a polar leader who would enable them to acquire
creditability as alternative to congress.
By end of 1974 — furore of JP movement — (students went back to classes) failed to attract rural and urban
poor.
Indira Gandhi denounced extra-parliamentary approach of JP — threw a challenge to JP — test their
popularity in 1976 general elections.
JP accepted it ; his supporting parties formed national coordination committee for this purpose.

Raj Narain V. Indira Gandhi

Twist in politics.
Alhabad HC — justice Sinha — twelve June 1975 judgement.
Election petition by Raj Narain , convicting MRS. Gandhi for having indulged in corrupt campaign practices
and declaring her election invalid.
The conviction also meant that she could not seek election to parliament or hold office for six years and
therefore continue as PM.
*NP*
Most observers noted that justice Since had dismissed the more serious charges against her but hd convicted
her of technical and trivial , even frivereler offence abasing the election law.
MRS. Gandhi refused to resign and appealed to SC would hear her appeal on fourteenth July, justice V.R.
Krishna Ayyer, the vacation judge of SC , created further confusion when he decided on twenty fourth June
that till final disposal of her appeal by full bench of SC, MRS. Gandhi could stay in office and speak in
parliament but could not vote in.
Meanwhile: Gujarat assembly election, BJP won eighty seven seats (congress 75) formed government in
alliance with the same.
Chimanbhai Patel against who’s corruptiomn, movement was intimated.
Judgement and these results revived movement.

Communalism

Measures to Eradicate Communalism

James Mill was the first British scholar who gave the theory of periodisation in India, that is, there is Hindu
India, Muslim India and then British India.
1.banning communal organisations and imposing community fine in the riot affected area are considered to
be the important remedies for the problem.
2.the best hope of achieving composite nation whole in the immediate future lies in the balanced
development of the two communities.
For infusing this consciousness, a two pronged policy would have been followed, one of humanising
hunduism and other of fighting the backward movement within the Muslim community itself by introducing
necessary changes in its clause.
It is not conducive to piece to keep different communities at different levels of development and legitimise
conservation in one case while encouraging radical movements in the other.
3.the Muslims and other groups must be brought up to the power economically with other communities so
that the sense of security is enhanced.
4.both the communities should learn to separate religion from politics.
The law and order missionary should be depoliticised in the areas where communal riots were found to be
chronic on analysis of the past figures, preventive measures should be adopted to eradicate group tensions.
5.positive measures include educative efforts to instils among people mutual respect and tolerance towards
all religions.
6.removal of communal orientation in textbooks and reading material prepared for schools.
7.instructions to radio, and media to avoid coverage of news and views likely to promote communal
prejudice and hatred.
8.educational institutions and even business enterprises should serve as agencies to extend this message to all
the communities.
These institutions should anchorage the joint celebration of festivals amongst different communities.
Further the textbooks to be prescribed for the schools should include only such lessons which emphasise the
contributions made by all the religious communities in the making of Indian culture.
9.communalism is the enemy of social change, democracy and paderal national building on rational scientific
lines andabove all, of human decency, compassion and human fraternity.
In a struggle against communalism, we should novelise a wide procession of the people including genuine
religious, women, youth professional groups especially media groups because communalism is both anti-
national and anti-human.