Congress makes a comeback

The partition, Congress’s role in the freedom struggle, Jawaharlal Nehru’s appeal and a growing need for stability — democratic and economic — informed the anatomy and ambition of the first Lok Sabha.

The house of the people

Mrs. Gandhi’s popularity was also notable among harijans, wage earners and “poorer sections” severely hit by price rise and ignorance of more basic issues. She also banked on the Muslim vote. The Assam Movement was picking up around 1979, with a demand to disenfranchise and deport “illegal aliens”. The organisers opposed the 1980 elections and polls in 3 out of 14 constituencies were not held due to subsequent violence. During campaigns, Mrs. Gandhi said she has always opposed the “forcible eviction of minorities in Assam”.

P. Shiv Shankar served as the Leader of Opposition briefly before Congress (I) returned to power. There was no Leader afterward due to Congress’s dominance in the Lok Sabha.

Agriculturalist and politician Balram Jakhar was the Speaker of the House from January 1980 to 1985. Mr. Jakhar served for a full term for two consecutive terms, claiming the title of being the longest-serving Speaker. Mr. Jakhar’s tenure saw procedural innovations and initiatives, computerisation and automation of services, and a conscious effort of “protecting the rights and privileges of the members individually and the House collectively”, Lok Sabha officials noted.

The politics

The Janata Party’s internal divisions and inability to govern effectively led to a resurgence of support for Congress, bringing Indira Gandhi back to power. Congress made “big gains” in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, The Hindu reported, retrieving the seats lost during the Janata Party wave. The only exception to the countrywide trend was in West Bengal and Kerala.

The Shiromani Akali Dal lost elections in Punjab.

Congress’s foothold grew in Southern States. As of January 8, 1980, Congress (I) had claimed 41 of the 42 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 27 of 28 in Karnataka, 39 of 43 in Maharashtra, 25 of 26 in Gujarat, 12 of 13 in Punjab, six out of seven in Delhi. In alliance with DMK and the Muslim League, Congress (I) bagged 37 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. There is no “rational explanation for the massive Congress (I) victory other than the fact that the people had become increasingly disillusioned with the Janata Party’s squabbles and antics of the Lok Dal”, The Hindu reported.

The agenda

The tenure saw economic and communal chasms. Mrs. Gandhi inherited an economy that is “very sick” — a 20% inflation rate and collapse of industrial growth, resulting in “formidable unemployment” and labour unrest, The Hindu reported. The crime rate rose, caste and communal disharmonies spread, law and order were seen to be under threat, especially by a “chauvinism… that has gained the upper hand in Assam”.

There were “serious foreign policy issues”, with the beginning of the Soviet-Afghan war, the precursor to the rise of Taliban. Defence Minister Mr. Narasimha Rao invitation to join ASEAN discussions was called off after India decided to recognise the new Government of Kampuchea.

The separatist movement in Punjab posed a fatal challenge during the period. Akalis demanded autonomy and regions for Punjab. Mrs. Gandhi ordered the army to launch Operation Blue Star after negotiations with militants failed. Golden Temple and other religious sites were attacked. Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, by her Sikh bodyguards.

Her son Rajiv Gandhi was elected as India’s seventh Prime Minister

References

1. “Balram Jakhar”, Lok Sabha Secretariat
2. Election Commission of India
3. Election Atlas of India: Parliamentary elections 1952 – 2014, edited by Dr. R. K. Thukral
4. The video was taken from Prasar Bharati Archives’ YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmxKnDi7xMY
5. The Hindu Archives