The Congress System PYQs
From: June 17 Shift 3: 2023
● Question: In Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) which of the following regional party came to power by securing a clear majority in 1967 state assembly elections?
Options:
1. DMK
2. Communist Party of India (M-L)
3. BJP
4. Socialist Party
Answer: 1. DMK
Explanation: The 1967 elections were a landmark event where Congress lost power in several states. In what was then Madras State, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a regional party, won a clear majority for the first time, marking a significant challenge to Congress dominance.
● Question: Which prominent leader of Congress (O) announced that he would go an indefinite fast if assembly elections were not held in Gujarat in 1975?
Options:
2. Atal Behari Vajpayee
3. Morarji Desai
4. Raj Narain
Answer: 3. Morarji Desai
Explanation: After the Congress split, Morarji Desai was a key leader of the opposition Congress (O). In March 1975, he went on an indefinite fast to press for the dissolution of the Gujarat assembly and the holding of fresh elections, a demand that Indira Gandhi’s government eventually conceded.
From: June 19 Shift 3: 2023
● Question: A group of Congress leaders who were in control of the party’s organisation. It was led by K. Kamraj, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and then the congress president. This group was known as the:
Options:
1. Cartel
2. Council
3. Syndicate
4. Directorate
Answer: 3. Syndicate
Explanation: The ‘Syndicate’ was the informal name for a group of powerful and influential leaders within the Congress party who controlled its organization. Their conflict with Indira Gandhi over party control led to the formal split in the Congress in 1969.
From: June 18 Shift 3: 2023
● Question: Who coined the famous slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’?
Options:
1. Lal Bahadur Shastri
3. Khan Abdul Gaffin
Answer: 1. Lal Bahadur Shastri
Explanation: Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave this slogan during the Indo-Pak War of 1965 to highlight the importance of both the soldier protecting the nation and the farmer feeding the nation, especially during a time of war and food scarcity.
● Question: Who formed DMK as a political party in 1949
Options:
2. C Natrajan Annadurai
3. C Eagle
4. Karpoori Thakur
Answer: 2. C Natrajan Annadurai
Explanation: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was founded in 1949 by C.N. Annadurai. The party’s growth and eventual victory in the 1967 Tamil Nadu assembly elections is a key example of the challenge to the Congress system by regional forces.
From: July 2 Shift 3:2023
● Question: Which general elections brought in the phenomenon of first coalitions government in the states
Options:
1. 1957
2. 1962
3. 1967
4. 1971
Answer: 3. 1967
Explanation: The 1967 general elections are known as a ‘political earthquake’ because the Congress party lost its majority in numerous states. This led to the formation of non-Congress coalition governments, known as Samyukta Vidhayak Dals (SVDs), for the first time in Indian politics.
From: CUET UG 2024
Question: Who proposed in 1963 that all senior Congressman should resign from office to make way for younger party workers?
Options:
1. S. Nijalingappa
2. V.V. Giri
3. K. Kamaraj
4. Indira Gandhi
Answer: 3. K. Kamaraj
Explanation: This was known as the ‘Kamaraj Plan’. K. Kamaraj, a veteran Congress leader, proposed it to revitalize the party organization by having senior ministers resign and take up party work.
● Question: Who gave the strategy of ‘Non-Congressism’?
Options:
1. Ram Manohar Lohia
2. C. Natarajan Annadurai
3. K. Kamaraj
4. Karpoori Thakur
Answer: 1. Ram Manohar Lohia
Explanation: The term ‘non-Congressism’ was coined by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia. He argued that all opposition parties should band together to oust the Congress, as he believed its rule was undemocratic. This strategy was a key factor in the 1967 election results.
From: CUET UG 2022
● Question: Identify the leader who said in 1963 that all senior congressmen should resign from the office to make way for younger Party workers.
Options:
1. S. Nijalingappa
2. S.K. Patil
3. K. Kamraj
4. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
Answer: 3. K. Kamraj
Explanation: This is the ‘Kamaraj Plan’, proposed by K. Kamaraj to strengthen the Congress party organization.
● Question: 1960’s were labelled as the ______.
Options:
1. ‘Dangerous decade’
2. ‘Safe decade’
3. ‘Progressive decade’
4. ‘Regressive decade’
Answer: 1. ‘Dangerous decade‘
Explanation: The 1960s are often called the ‘dangerous decade’ because of the serious challenges the country faced, including two wars, a major food crisis, economic hardship, and the political succession crises after the deaths of Nehru and Shastri.
● Question: What is ‘defection’?
Options:
1. When an individual migrates to another country
2. Parties with different ideologies
3. A catchy phrase
4. An elected representative leaving the party on whose ticket she/he has been elected
Answer: 4. An elected representative leaving the party on whose ticket she/he has been elected
Explanation: The phenomenon of defection became widespread after the 1967 elections. The frequent floor-crossing by elected representatives for personal gain led to political instability and was famously satirized by the expression “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram”.
● Question: The General elections of 1967 popularised a saying that one could take a train from Delhi to Howrah and not pass through a single congress ruled state. Identify the option that does not relate with the saying.
Options:
1. End of Congress dominance
2. Growing popularity of non congress parties
3. Introduction of Phenomenon of Coalition
4. SVDs formed in different states by the parties having identical ideologies
Answer: 4. SVDs formed in different states by the parties having identical ideologies
Explanation: This statement is incorrect. A defining feature of the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal (SVD) coalition governments was that they were formed by parties with different and often contradictory ideologies, united only by their goal to keep Congress out of power. The other three options are correct consequences of the 1967 elections.
● Question: The slogan Garibi Hatao was give by
Options:
1. Morarji Desai
2. Indira Gandhi
3. Grand Alliance
4. V.V. Giri
Answer: 2. Indira Gandhi
Explanation: ‘Garibi Hatao’ (Remove Poverty) was the main slogan and theme of Indira Gandhi’s 1971 election campaign. This pro-poor platform helped her win a massive mandate and re-establish the dominance of her new Congress party. It was a counter to the opposition’s ‘Indira Hatao’ (Remove Indira) slogan.
Exam preparation extra question
Questions:
1. Which event is considered a landmark year in India’s political and electoral history, signaling significant changes for the Congress party?
A) 1952 General Elections
B) 1967 General Elections
C) 1971 General Elections
D) 1977 General Elections
2. Who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as the Prime Minister of India in May 1964?
A) Indira Gandhi
B) Morarji Desai
C) Lal Bahadur Shastri
D) Gulzarilal Nanda
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Prime Ministership ended abruptly in January 1966 in which city, where he was discussing an agreement to end the war with Pakistan?
A) New Delhi
B) Tashkent
C) Lahore
D) Rawalpindi
4. What was the famous slogan coined by Lal Bahadur Shastri?
A) Garibi Hatao
B) Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
C) Quit India
D) Do or Die
5. The period leading up to the Fourth General Elections in 1967 was characterized by which of the following economic issues?
A) Economic boom and industrial growth
B) Successive failure of monsoons, drought, and food shortage
C) Decrease in military expenditure
D) Appreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar
6. The strategy of “non-Congressism” was given by which socialist leader?
A) Jayaprakash Narayan
B) Ram Manohar Lohia
C) Acharya Narendra Deva
D) George Fernandes
7. In the 1967 Assembly elections, which regional party came to power in Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) by securing a clear majority after leading a massive anti-Hindi agitation?
A) All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
B) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
C) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)
D) Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)
8. What political phenomenon was brought into picture by the 1967 elections, as no single party secured a majority in many states?
A) One-party dominance
B) Coalition governments
C) President’s Rule
D) Military rule
9. The expression “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram” became popular in Indian political vocabulary after 1967 to describe which practice?
A) Frequent general elections
B) Frequent cabinet reshuffles
C) Frequent floor-crossing by legislators (defections)
D) Frequent changes in government policies
10. The term “Syndicate” in the context of the Congress party during the 1960s referred to:
A) A group of young and inexperienced party workers
B) A group of powerful and influential senior Congress leaders
C) A faction advocating for closer ties with the Soviet Union
D) A group of business tycoons funding the party
11. Who was the leader of the Congress ‘Syndicate’?
A) Morarji Desai
B) Indira Gandhi
C) S. Nijalingappa
D) K. Kamaraj
12. The open rivalry between the Syndicate and Indira Gandhi came to a head during which event in 1969?
A) Lok Sabha elections
B) Presidential election
C) Passing of the 42nd Amendment
D) Nationalization of banks
13. Indira Gandhi’s slogan for the 1971 Lok Sabha elections was:
A) India Shining
B) Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
C) Garibi Hatao
D) Vote for Stability
14. The split in the Congress party in November 1969 resulted in two groups. What were they called?
A) Congress (Left) and Congress (Right)
B) Congress (United) and Congress (Divided)
C) Congress (Organisation) and Congress (Requisitionists)
D) Congress (Indira) and Congress (Desai)
15. What was abolished by Indira Gandhi’s government, after being made a major election issue in 1971, which involved special privileges given to former princes?
A) Land Ceiling
B) Public Distribution System
C) Privy Purse
D) Bank Nationalization
16. Which leader was the consensus candidate of the Syndicate for the Presidential election in 1969?
A) V.V. Giri
B) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
C) Jagjivan Ram
D) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
17. What was the name of the ‘caretaker’ Prime Minister who stepped in after Nehru’s death?
A) Gulzarilal Nanda
B) Lal Bahadur Shastri
C) Indira Gandhi
D) Morarji Desai
18. What was the main reason for the initial challenge to the Congress System in the 1960s?
A) Strong economic growth and stability
B) Increased political competition and internal party divisions
C) Emergence of a two-party system
D) Decline in voter turnout
19. Which Prime Minister initiated the “Green Revolution” in India?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Lal Bahadur Shastri
C) Indira Gandhi
D) Morarji Desai
20. The 1967 elections are often referred to as the “political earthquake” for the Congress party because:
A) It won an unprecedented number of seats
B) It lost power in many states and its majority at the Centre was significantly reduced
C) It formed a grand coalition with opposition parties
D) It merged with several regional parties
21. Which non-Congress Chief Minister of West Bengal initiated the “United Front” government in 1967?
A) Jyoti Basu
B) Prafulla Chandra Ghosh
C) Siddhartha Shankar Ray
D) Bidhan Chandra Roy
22. The term “defection” in Indian politics primarily refers to:
A) A political party splitting into two
B) A legislator changing party allegiance
C) A government losing a no-confidence motion
D) A candidate losing an election
23. What was the political impact of the ‘Syndicate’ challenging Indira Gandhi’s leadership?
A) It strengthened the unity of the Congress party
B) It led to a major split within the Congress
C) It resulted in the formation of a new political alliance
D) It weakened the opposition parties
24. What was the objective behind Indira Gandhi’s decision to nationalize 14 major private banks in 1969?
A) To reduce government control over the economy
B) To expand social control over banking for development needs
C) To privatize public sector banks
D) To encourage foreign investment in the banking sector
25. The slogan “Indira Hatao” was coined by:
A) The Syndicate
B) The Grand Alliance of opposition parties
C) Regional parties
D) Left parties
26. After the 1971 elections, the Congress party led by Indira Gandhi transformed into what kind of party, according to Sudipta Kaviraj?
A) More federal and democratic
B) More centralized and undemocratic
C) More ideological and cohesive
D) More regionally focused
27. The restoration of the Congress system after 1971 is attributed to:
A) The failure of the opposition parties to unite
B) Indira Gandhi’s charismatic leadership and popular policies
C) Strong support from the Syndicate leaders
D) A shift towards a multi-party system
28. The 1971 Lok Sabha elections results indicated that:
A) Voters preferred coalition governments
B) The Congress party’s dominance was over
C) The Congress party under Indira Gandhi was once again popular
D) Regional parties had become the dominant force
29. What was the primary reason for the economic crisis faced by India in the mid-1960s?
A) Global financial crisis
B) Wars with China and Pakistan, and successive monsoon failures
C) Rapid industrialization without agricultural growth
D) Over-reliance on foreign aid
30. The dissolution of the Lok Sabha and fresh elections in 1971 was a bold move by Indira Gandhi to:
A) Avoid a no-confidence motion
B) Seek a fresh mandate to strengthen her position
C) Introduce major constitutional amendments
D) Form a grand coalition with the opposition
Answer Key with Explanations:
1. B) 1967 General Elections
○ Rationale: The chapter specifically states that “1967 is considered a landmark year in India’s political and electoral history,” signaling the first major challenge to the Congress system.
2. C) Lal Bahadur Shastri
○ Rationale: After Jawaharlal Nehru’s death in May 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously chosen as the leader of the Congress parliamentary party and became the country’s next Prime Minister.
3. B) Tashkent
○ Rationale: Shastri’s Prime Ministership ended abruptly on January 10, 1966, when he suddenly expired in Tashkent, then in the USSR, where he went to sign an agreement with Muhammad Ayub Khant(then President of Pakistan), to end the ongoing war of 1965.
4. B) Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
○ Rationale: Shastri’s famous slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ symbolized the country’s resolve to face the challenges of economic implications of the war with China and the war with Pakistan in 1965.
5. B) Successive failure of monsoons, drought, and food shortage
○ Rationale: During fourth general elections country was dealing with “fraught with grave economic crisis resulting from successive failure of monsoons, widespread drought, decline in agricultural production,1 serious food shortage”.
6. B) Ram Manohar Lohia
○ Rationale: The socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia gave the strategy of disparate non-Congress parties coming together the name of ‘non-Congressism’.
7. B) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
○ Rationale: After leading a massive anti-Hindi agitation, in Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), the regional party DMK had came to power in 1967 by securing a clear majority.
8. B) Coalition governments
○ Rationale: The elections of 1967 “brought into picture the phenomenon of coalitions” as no single party had got a majority in many states, leading various non-Congress parties to come together and form government.
9. C) Frequent floor-crossing by legislators (defections)
○ Rationale: The expression ‘aya ram, gaya ram’ became popular in Indian political vocabulary to describe “the practice of frequent floor-crossing by legislators”. It originated from Gaya Lal, an MLA in Haryana, who changed his party thrice in a fortnight in 1967.
10. B) A group of powerful and influential senior Congress leaders
○ Rationale: “Syndicate was the informal name given to a group of Congress leaders who were in control of the party’s organisation” and were powerful and influential.
11. D) K. Kamaraj
○ Rationale: The Congress ‘Syndicate’ was led by K. Kamraj, who was the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and then the president of the Congress party.
12. B) Presidential election
○ Rationale: The factional rivalry between the Syndicate and Indira Gandhi “came in the open in 1969” during the Presidential election, following President Zakir Hussain’s death.
13. C) Garibi Hatao
○ Rationale: In contrast to the opposition’s “Indira Hatao,” Indira Gandhi put forward a positive program captured in the famous slogan: “Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty)” for the 1971 elections.
14. C) Congress (Organisation) and Congress (Requisitionists)
○ Rationale: By November 1969 the Congress Party had split, the faction led by the ‘syndicate’ was referred to as the Congress (Organisation), and the group under Indira Gandhi leadership was called the Congress (Requisitionists).
15. C) Privy Purse
○ Rationale: In 1971 election Indira Gandhi had made the abolition of the ‘privy purse’ a major election agenda. After her massive victory, the Constitution was finanly amended to remove all legal hurdles coming up for abolition.
16. B) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
○ Rationale: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy(then Speaker of the Lok Sabha) was chosen by the Syndicate group as the official Congress candidate for the Presidential election in 1969.
17. A) Gulzarilal Nanda
○ Rationale: After Nehru’s death, Gulzarilal Nanda became the ‘caretaker’ Prime Minister.
18. B) Increased political competition and internal party divisions
○ Rationale: The Congress system was challenged by “political competition became more intense,” and the party “faced challenges from within, as the party could no longer accommodate all kinds of differences.”
19. C) Indira Gandhi
○ Rationale: Indira Gandhi’s government had taken two important policy initiatives” after 1967, one of which was the “Green Revolution”.
20. B) It lost power in many states and its majority at the Centre was significantly reduced
○ Rationale: The 1967 elections saw the Congress losing its majority in seven States and not forming a government in two others, and its majority in the Lok Sabha was “thinly sliced”. This was a major setback.
21. B) Prafulla Chandra Ghosh
○ Rationale: The text mentions that “in West Bengal, the UF government was headed by Prafulla Chandra Ghosh” in 1967.
22. B) A legislator changing party allegiance
○ Rationale: The term ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ specifically describes the “practice of frequent floor-crossing by legislators”.
23. B) It led to a major split within the Congress
○ Rationale: The open rivalry, particularly during the Presidential election, led to the formal split of the Congress party into Congress (O) and Congress (R) in November 1969.
24. B) To expand social control over banking for development needs
○ Rationale: Indira Gandhi’s government nationalized 14 major private banks, stating it was “to expand social control over banking for development needs.”
25. B) The Grand Alliance of opposition parties
○ Rationale: In the 1971 elections, “the Grand Alliance had one broad slogan: ‘Indira Hatao’ (Remove Indira).”
26. B) More centralized and undemocratic
○ Rationale: Sudipta Kaviraj is quoted stating that “Indira Gandhi changed the Congress into highly centralised and undemocratic party organisation.”
27. B) Indira Gandhi’s charismatic leadership and popular policies
○ Rationale: The chapter discusses how “a new Congress led by Indira Gandhi overcame these challenges” and “new policies and ideologies facilitated the restoration of the Congress system,” highlighting her role and populist measures.
28. C) The Congress party under Indira Gandhi was once again popular
○ Rationale: The 1971 elections saw the Congress(R)-CPI alliance win 375 seats in the Lok Sabha, securing a massive victory, showcasing the Indira Gandhi’s renewed popularity.
29. B) Wars with China and Pakistan, and successive monsoon failures
○ Rationale: The chapter notes that the “grave economic crisis resulting from successive failure of monsoons, widespread drought, decline in agricultural production, serious food shortage” along with the expenditures of wars with China and Pakistan, contributed to the economic problems.
30. B) Seek a fresh mandate to strengthen her position
○ Rationale: After the split, Indira Gandhi’s government was reduced to a minority. She dissolved the Lok Sabha in December 1970 and called for fresh elections to “seek a fresh mandate” and “to strengthen her position.”
