Class 12 Political Science Chapter 13 — The Crisis of Democratic Order
Welcome to HSLC Guru. This page presents a complete English-medium question-answer guide for ASSEB Class 12 Political Science (Politics in India Since Independence) Chapter 13, “The Crisis of Democratic Order.” The chapter examines the political, economic and social conditions that led to the proclamation of the Internal Emergency on 25 June 1975, the twenty-one months that followed, the seventh general elections of 1977, and the lessons that experience left for Indian democracy.
About the Chapter
The chapter traces the deepening crisis between 1973 and 1977 — beginning with student-led agitations in Gujarat and Bihar, the railway strike of 1974, the Allahabad High Court’s 12 June 1975 verdict that set aside Indira Gandhi’s Lok Sabha election, and ending with the Janata Party’s victory in March 1977 and Indira Gandhi’s return to power in January 1980. It evaluates how a constitutional provision designed for extraordinary national danger was used against political opponents, and how Indian democracy survived the test.
Summary
The early 1970s were a period of severe economic distress. Failure of monsoons, the 1971 Bangladesh war, the 1973 oil shock and rising unemployment produced double-digit inflation. In January 1973 students in Gujarat launched the Navnirman Movement against rising food prices and corruption, forcing the Chimanbhai Patel government to resign and President’s Rule to be imposed. In March 1974 students in Bihar started a similar movement, soon led by Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), who called for “Total Revolution” — sampurna kranti — in the social, economic and political spheres. In May 1974 the all-India railway strike led by George Fernandes paralysed the country for twenty days.
On 12 June 1975 Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi’s election from Rae Bareli (1971) void on grounds of electoral malpractice, disqualifying her from holding elected office for six years. JP and the opposition demanded her resignation; on 25 June 1975 a massive rally at Ramlila Maidan called on the army, police and civil servants to refuse “illegal” orders. That midnight, on the advice of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed proclaimed an Internal Emergency under Article 352, citing internal disturbance.
The Emergency lasted twenty-one months, until March 1977. Fundamental rights were suspended, press censorship was imposed, opposition leaders — including JP, Morarji Desai, L. K. Advani, A. B. Vajpayee and Charan Singh — were arrested under MISA, the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami were banned, and over one lakh persons were detained without trial. Parliament passed the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976, which extended the Lok Sabha’s term, transferred subjects from the State to the Concurrent List, and curtailed judicial review. The Shah Commission later documented forced sterilisations under the family-planning drive and the demolitions in old Delhi.
In January 1977 Indira Gandhi suddenly called fresh elections. Opposition parties combined to form the Janata Party under JP’s moral leadership. In the sixth general elections held in March 1977 the Congress was routed: it won only 154 of 542 seats; Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi lost their own seats. The Janata Party with allies won 330 seats. Morarji Desai became India’s first non-Congress Prime Minister. Internal feuding brought the Janata government down by July 1979; Charan Singh briefly became PM. Mid-term polls in January 1980 returned Indira Gandhi to power with a clear majority. The Emergency had ended, and Indian democracy had passed its severest stress-test.
সাৰাংশ (Assamese Summary)
সত্তৰৰ দশকৰ আৰম্ভণিতে ভাৰতে এক গুৰুতৰ অৰ্থনৈতিক আৰু ৰাজনৈতিক সংকটৰ সন্মুখীন হ’ল। ১৯৭৩ চনত গুজৰাটত ছাত্ৰসকলে আৰম্ভ কৰা নৱনিৰ্মাণ আন্দোলনে চিমনভাই পেটেলৰ চৰকাৰ পদচ্যুত কৰিলে। ১৯৭৪ চনত বিহাৰত আৰম্ভ হোৱা একে ধৰণৰ আন্দোলনৰ নেতৃত্ব ল’লে জয়প্ৰকাশ নাৰায়ণে; তেওঁ “সম্পূৰ্ণ ক্ৰান্তি”ৰ আহ্বান জনালে। ১৯৭৫ চনৰ ১২ জুনত এলাহাবাদ উচ্চ ন্যায়ালয়ে ইন্দিৰা গান্ধীৰ ৰায়বৰেলিৰ পৰা নিৰ্বাচন বাতিল কৰিলে। ১৯৭৫ চনৰ ২৫ জুনৰ মাজনিশা ৰাষ্ট্ৰপতি ফকৰুদ্দিন আলী আহমেদে আভ্যন্তৰীণ জৰুৰীকালীন অৱস্থা ঘোষণা কৰিলে। ২১ মাহজোৰা এই অৱস্থাত মৌলিক অধিকাৰ স্থগিত হ’ল, সংবাদমাধ্যমত চেন্সৰশ্বিপ আৰোপ কৰা হ’ল, বিৰোধী নেতাসকলক বন্দী কৰা হ’ল, আৰু ৪২তম সংবিধান সংশোধন পাছ কৰা হ’ল। ১৯৭৭ চনৰ মাৰ্চত অনুষ্ঠিত ষষ্ঠ সাধাৰণ নিৰ্বাচনত জনতা পাৰ্টীয়ে বিজয় লাভ কৰিলে আৰু মোৰাৰজী দেশায়ে ভাৰতৰ প্ৰথম অকংগ্ৰেছ প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰী হিচাপে শপত গ্ৰহণ কৰিলে। ১৯৮০ চনৰ মধ্যৱৰ্তী নিৰ্বাচনত ইন্দিৰা গান্ধী পুনৰ ক্ষমতালৈ ঘূৰি আহিল।
NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Q1. State whether the following statements regarding the Emergency are correct or incorrect.
(a) It was declared in 1975 by Indira Gandhi.
(b) It led to the suspension of all Fundamental Rights.
(c) It was issued under Article 356 of the Constitution.
(d) It led to the imposition of President’s Rule in all the States of India.
Answer: (a) Correct — proclaimed on 25 June 1975 on the advice of PM Indira Gandhi. (b) Incorrect — the right to constitutional remedies for enforcement of rights under Articles 14, 21 and 22 was suspended; not all rights were technically abolished, though most were rendered ineffective. (c) Incorrect — it was issued under Article 352 (national emergency on grounds of “internal disturbance”), not Article 356. (d) Incorrect — President’s Rule under Article 356 was not imposed across all States; the Emergency was a national one.
Q2. Find out the correct sequence of the following events.
(a) Indira Gandhi’s return to power
(b) The Emergency
(c) Total Revolution
(d) Railway strike
(e) Naxalite Movement
(f) Bangladesh War
(g) Declaration of Allahabad High Court verdict against Indira Gandhi.
Answer: Correct chronological sequence — (e) Naxalite Movement (late 1960s) → (f) Bangladesh War (1971) → (d) Railway strike (May 1974) → (c) Total Revolution (1974) → (g) Allahabad High Court verdict (12 June 1975) → (b) The Emergency (25 June 1975 – 21 March 1977) → (a) Indira Gandhi’s return to power (January 1980).
Q3. Match the following:
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (a) Total Revolution | (iii) Jayaprakash Narayan |
| (b) Garibi Hatao | (iv) Indira Gandhi |
| (c) Students’ Protest | (i) Bihar Movement |
| (d) Railway Strike | (ii) George Fernandes |
Q4. What were the reasons that led to the mid-term elections in 1980?
Answer: The Janata Party that came to power in 1977 was a coalition of ideologically diverse groups held together only by opposition to the Congress. Disputes over the dual-membership of former Jana Sangh members (with the RSS), personal rivalries between Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram, and the failure to pursue a coherent programme caused the government to collapse in July 1979. Charan Singh became PM with outside Congress support but resigned within weeks when that support was withdrawn. President N. Sanjiva Reddy dissolved the Lok Sabha and ordered fresh polls in January 1980, which Congress (I) under Indira Gandhi won with 353 of 529 seats.
Q5. The Shah Commission was appointed in 1977 by the Janata Party Government. Why was it appointed and what were its findings?
Answer: The Janata Government appointed the one-man commission of inquiry under Justice J. C. Shah in May 1977 to investigate the “abuse of authority, excesses and malpractices” committed during the Emergency (June 1975 – March 1977). The Commission examined witnesses, including Indira Gandhi (who refused to testify), and submitted three reports in 1978. Its findings included: detention of nearly 1,11,000 persons under MISA and DISIR; press censorship imposed by executive order without parliamentary approval; arbitrary transfer of judges; forcible sterilisations under the family-planning programme (about 8.3 million between April 1976 and March 1977); slum clearance and demolitions in old Delhi at Turkman Gate; and decisions taken by an extra-constitutional centre of power around Sanjay Gandhi.
Q6. What reasons did the Government give for declaring a National Emergency in 1975?
Answer: The Government justified the proclamation on the ground that India’s internal security was threatened by “internal disturbance.” The Prime Minister cited the Bihar movement and the JP-led call to the armed forces and police on 25 June 1975 to disobey “illegal” orders, the Gujarat agitation, the railway strike of 1974, and the threat to the elected government as evidence of a deep and orchestrated conspiracy aimed at paralysing the State. The Government argued that economic recovery, social reform and the implementation of the 20-point programme required political stability that the agitations were destroying.
Q7. The 1977 elections, for the first time, saw the opposition coming into power at the Centre. What would you consider as the reasons for this development?
Answer: Several reasons converged. First, public anger over Emergency excesses — arbitrary detentions, press censorship, forced sterilisations and slum demolitions — turned voters, especially in north India, sharply against the Congress. Second, opposition unity: Bharatiya Lok Dal, Jana Sangh, Congress (O) and Socialists merged into a single Janata Party with a single symbol (the haldhar) and a common manifesto. Third, JP’s moral authority gave the new party legitimacy. Fourth, defections from the Congress — most importantly Jagjivan Ram, who left to form the Congress for Democracy and allied with the Janata Party — broke the ruling party’s hold on Dalit votes. Fifth, the elections themselves were a referendum on democracy versus authoritarianism, framed by the slogan “Save Democracy.”
Q8. Discuss the developments which took place in the politics of India after 1977.
Answer: The 1977 verdict ended the Congress system that had dominated Indian politics for thirty years and demonstrated that opposition unity could defeat the ruling party at the Centre. However, the Janata Party itself collapsed in 1979 because its constituents lacked a shared programme. Indira Gandhi’s return in January 1980 — and the subsequent rise of regional parties, coalitions and the BJP — showed that single-party dominance was over. Politics became more competitive: identity-based mobilisation (caste, region, religion) rose, Mandal and Mandir issues dominated the late 1980s and 1990s, and coalition governments became the norm at the Centre after 1989. Crucially, no government has since attempted another Emergency — the 44th Amendment (1978) made declaration far harder by requiring written Cabinet advice and substituting “armed rebellion” for “internal disturbance.”
Q9. Match the following:
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (a) Indira Gandhi | (iii) Garibi Hatao |
| (b) Jayaprakash Narayan | (iv) Total Revolution |
| (c) Charu Majumdar | (i) Naxalbari Movement |
| (d) Morarji Desai | (ii) Janata Party |
Q10. Read the passage and answer the questions below: “Indira Gandhi moved a bill making changes to the Constitution… The 42nd amendment was passed during the Emergency.” What according to the passage are the reasons for the 42nd amendment? Mention any two provisions of the 42nd amendment. Why was an amendment brought about after the Emergency?
Answer: The 42nd Amendment (1976) was brought because the Government wished to entrench Emergency-era changes and limit judicial review of legislation. Two of its provisions: (i) it transferred Education, Forests, Wildlife and Weights and Measures from the State List to the Concurrent List; (ii) it inserted the words “Socialist,” “Secular” and “Integrity” into the Preamble and extended the term of Lok Sabha from five to six years. After the Emergency, the Janata Government enacted the 44th Amendment (1978) to undo the most dangerous features — restoring the five-year Lok Sabha term, requiring written Cabinet advice for an Emergency proclamation, replacing “internal disturbance” with “armed rebellion,” and protecting Articles 20 and 21 from suspension under any Emergency.
Short Answer Questions
Q1. What was the Gujarat Navnirman Movement?
Answer: Navnirman (“reconstruction”) was a student-led agitation in Gujarat from December 1973 to March 1974 against rising prices of essential commodities, hostel mess bills and corruption in the Chimanbhai Patel ministry. It received wide middle-class support, forced the Chief Minister to resign, and led to the dissolution of the State Assembly and President’s Rule. Fresh elections in June 1975 returned a coalition led by the Janata Morcha.
Q2. What is meant by Total Revolution?
Answer: Sampurna Kranti was the slogan given by Jayaprakash Narayan at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on 5 June 1974. It called for transformation in seven spheres — political, social, economic, cultural, ideational/intellectual, educational and spiritual — to root out corruption, inequality and authoritarianism through non-violent mass action.
Q3. What did the Allahabad High Court decide on 12 June 1975?
Answer: Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha held PM Indira Gandhi guilty of corrupt electoral practices in her 1971 victory from Rae Bareli — namely, using government servant Yashpal Kapoor as her election agent before he had formally resigned, and using state machinery to build rostrums. The court declared her election void and disqualified her from contesting elections for six years. The verdict triggered the chain of events leading to the Emergency.
Q4. Under which Article was the 1975 Emergency declared?
Answer: Under Article 352 of the Constitution, on the ground of “internal disturbance.” It was the third national emergency in Indian history (after 1962 against China and 1971 against Pakistan) but the first declared on internal grounds.
Q5. Name three opposition leaders arrested during the Emergency.
Answer: Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Others included L. K. Advani, Charan Singh, Raj Narain, George Fernandes and Madhu Limaye.
Q6. What was MISA?
Answer: The Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971 — a preventive-detention law widely used during the Emergency to detain political opponents, journalists and trade unionists without trial.
Q7. What was the 20-Point Programme?
Answer: Announced by Indira Gandhi on 1 July 1975 to project a positive face for the Emergency, it covered land ceiling, abolition of bonded labour, debt relief for the rural poor, lower prices, anti-smuggling, larger production of food and essential commodities, and improved housing and health services.
Q8. Who was Sanjay Gandhi and what was his five-point programme?
Answer: Sanjay Gandhi was Indira Gandhi’s younger son who became an extra-constitutional centre of power during the Emergency. His five-point programme — family planning, tree plantation, abolition of dowry, removal of illiteracy, and abolition of caste — was implemented coercively, especially the sterilisation drive.
Q9. What was the 42nd Amendment?
Answer: Passed in November 1976 and called the “mini-Constitution,” it added “Socialist,” “Secular” and “Integrity” to the Preamble; transferred Education, Forests, Wildlife and Administration of Justice to the Concurrent List; extended the Lok Sabha and State Assembly terms from five to six years; curtailed judicial review; gave precedence to Directive Principles over Fundamental Rights in certain cases; and added Fundamental Duties as Part IV-A.
Q10. What was the 44th Amendment?
Answer: Enacted by the Janata Government in 1978, it reversed key features of the 42nd Amendment: restored the five-year term of legislatures, required written Cabinet advice for an Emergency, replaced “internal disturbance” with “armed rebellion,” made parliamentary approval mandatory within one month by a two-thirds majority, and ensured that Articles 20 and 21 cannot be suspended even during an Emergency.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Discuss the background to the declaration of Emergency in 1975.
Answer: The Emergency did not erupt overnight; it was the climax of a four-year crisis. After her landslide 1971 victory and the triumph in the Bangladesh war, Indira Gandhi inherited a stagnant economy. Drought in 1972-73, the OPEC oil shock of October 1973 and Indian commitments to refugee relief and reconstruction sent inflation above 20 per cent. Industrial production fell, unemployment rose, and the food situation became desperate. The Gujarat Navnirman agitation (December 1973 – March 1974) overthrew the Chimanbhai Patel ministry. The Bihar movement, beginning in March 1974 over similar economic grievances, was taken over in April by Jayaprakash Narayan, who broadened it into a campaign for “Total Revolution” against corruption and for the dismissal of the Congress government in Patna. The all-India railway strike of May 1974, led by George Fernandes and demanding wage parity with other public-sector workers, paralysed transport for twenty days before being broken by mass arrests. In foreign policy, India tested a nuclear device at Pokhran on 18 May 1974, which earned domestic prestige but international sanctions. Then on 12 June 1975 the Allahabad High Court set aside Indira Gandhi’s election. The Supreme Court on 24 June granted a conditional stay allowing her to remain PM but barring her from voting in Parliament. On 25 June, JP addressed a rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan urging the army, police and bureaucracy to disobey “illegal” orders. Within hours, on Indira Gandhi’s advice, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signed the proclamation of Emergency. Electricity to Delhi newspapers was cut off; opposition leaders were arrested before dawn on 26 June. The Cabinet was informed only the next morning.
Q2. Examine the controversies and consequences of the Emergency.
Answer: The Emergency raised three lasting controversies. First, on whether the proclamation itself was constitutionally justified — critics argued that there was no actual breakdown of law and order, that the trigger was a personal court verdict against the PM, and that “internal disturbance” was a vague ground deliberately misused. Second, on the suspension of fundamental rights — through the ADM Jabalpur judgement (1976), the Supreme Court infamously held that even the right to life under Article 21 could be suspended; this was overturned only in 2017. Third, on the role of the Congress party and the bureaucracy in implementing excesses without resistance. The consequences were equally serious. About 1,11,000 persons were detained without trial; press censorship reduced major dailies to printing only government-cleared news; over 8 million sterilisations were performed in a single year, many forcibly; thousands of homes were demolished in slum-clearance drives at Turkman Gate and elsewhere. The 42nd Amendment damaged the Constitution’s basic structure. Yet the Emergency also strengthened democracy in the long run: voters punished authoritarianism in 1977; courts evolved doctrines (basic structure, public-interest litigation) to protect rights; and constitutional safeguards under the 44th Amendment now make a repetition almost impossible.
Q3. Describe the role of Jayaprakash Narayan in Indian politics during 1974-77.
Answer: Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly called Loknayak (“People’s Leader”), was a veteran socialist who had withdrawn from active party politics after the death of Vinoba Bhave’s Sarvodaya colleagues. In April 1974 students of the Bihar Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti invited him to lead their movement. He accepted on the condition that the agitation remain non-violent. On 5 June 1974 at Patna he gave the call for Sampurna Kranti, articulating a seven-fold transformation of Indian society. He led peaceful gheraos of the State Assembly, demanded its dissolution, and built bridges with non-Congress opposition parties — Bharatiya Lok Dal, Congress (O), Jana Sangh and the Socialists. After the Allahabad verdict he insisted that Indira Gandhi resign on moral grounds. On 25 June 1975 his Ramlila Maidan rally and call to the security services to disobey “illegal” orders provided the immediate occasion for the Emergency. Arrested under MISA, he was released only after his health collapsed in November 1975. From his hospital bed in Bombay he continued to demand opposition unity. When elections were announced in January 1977 he insisted that all opposition parties merge into a single Janata Party with a common symbol — and personally chose Morarji Desai as PM. Though he held no office, JP was the moral architect of the 1977 verdict and the restoration of democracy.
Q4. Why did the Janata Government fall, and what is its significance?
Answer: The Janata Party was a hasty merger of four very different formations — Bharatiya Lok Dal (Charan Singh’s Jat-peasant base), Jana Sangh (with its RSS background), Congress (O) (Morarji’s group) and the Socialists. Their only common ground was opposition to Indira Gandhi. Once in power, three rivalries surfaced: Morarji Desai vs Charan Singh over agricultural prices and rural policy; the Jana Sangh’s continuing organisational link with the RSS, which the socialists insisted was incompatible with cabinet membership (“dual membership”); and Jagjivan Ram’s leadership ambitions. In July 1979 Charan Singh resigned, withdrew his BLD MPs and toppled the Desai ministry. He was sworn in as PM with outside Congress support but lost it within weeks; he never faced Parliament. President N. Sanjiva Reddy dissolved the Lok Sabha in August 1979 and called fresh polls. In January 1980, Indira Gandhi’s Congress (I) won 353 of 529 seats. The Janata episode lasted barely 28 months, but its significance is large — it broke the Congress monopoly on power, established that opposition unity could win national elections, and restored constitutional government after the Emergency.
Q5. What lessons does the Emergency teach about Indian democracy?
Answer: The Emergency offers four enduring lessons. First, that even a constitutionally-elected leader can subvert democracy if checks and balances weaken — the Constitution’s safeguards must therefore be procedural and explicit, not dependent on goodwill. Second, that Indian democracy has deep roots: when given the first opportunity in 1977, voters across north India rejected authoritarianism by margins no analyst had predicted. Third, that an independent judiciary, a free press and an active civil society are indispensable — the ADM Jabalpur judgement showed what happens when courts surrender, and press censorship showed what happens when newspapers cannot publish. Fourth, that political parties matter — single-party dominance produced complacency; coalition politics since 1989, despite its instabilities, has made it harder for any single leader to centralise power. The 44th Amendment, the Basic Structure doctrine, public-interest litigation and the rise of regional parties together form the institutional inheritance of June 1975.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. The Internal Emergency was declared on:
(a) 12 June 1975 (b) 25 June 1975 (c) 26 June 1975 (d) 1 July 1975
Answer: (b) 25 June 1975.
2. Under which Article of the Constitution was the 1975 Emergency proclaimed?
(a) Article 356 (b) Article 360 (c) Article 352 (d) Article 368
Answer: (c) Article 352.
3. Who was the President of India when Emergency was proclaimed?
(a) V. V. Giri (b) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (c) N. Sanjiva Reddy (d) Zail Singh
Answer: (b) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
4. The Allahabad High Court verdict against Indira Gandhi was delivered by:
(a) Justice H. R. Khanna (b) Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha (c) Justice A. N. Ray (d) Justice Y. V. Chandrachud
Answer: (b) Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha.
5. The Emergency lasted for how many months?
(a) 18 (b) 19 (c) 21 (d) 24
Answer: (c) 21 months.
6. The slogan “Sampurna Kranti” was given by:
(a) Indira Gandhi (b) Morarji Desai (c) Jayaprakash Narayan (d) George Fernandes
Answer: (c) Jayaprakash Narayan.
7. The Navnirman Movement of 1973-74 began in:
(a) Bihar (b) Gujarat (c) Maharashtra (d) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (b) Gujarat.
8. The all-India Railway Strike of 1974 was led by:
(a) George Fernandes (b) Raj Narain (c) Charan Singh (d) Madhu Limaye
Answer: (a) George Fernandes.
9. Indira Gandhi was disqualified by the Allahabad High Court from:
(a) Amethi (b) Rae Bareli (c) Bellary (d) Allahabad
Answer: (b) Rae Bareli.
10. The 42nd Amendment was passed in:
(a) 1975 (b) 1976 (c) 1977 (d) 1978
Answer: (b) 1976.
11. The 44th Amendment was passed in:
(a) 1977 (b) 1978 (c) 1979 (d) 1980
Answer: (b) 1978.
12. India’s first non-Congress Prime Minister was:
(a) Charan Singh (b) Morarji Desai (c) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (d) V. P. Singh
Answer: (b) Morarji Desai.
13. The 1977 (sixth) general election was held in:
(a) January 1977 (b) March 1977 (c) June 1977 (d) October 1977
Answer: (b) March 1977.
14. Indira Gandhi returned to power in:
(a) 1978 (b) 1979 (c) January 1980 (d) 1984
Answer: (c) January 1980.
15. The Shah Commission was set up to investigate:
(a) Bofors scandal (b) Emergency excesses (c) Indo-China war (d) Punjab crisis
Answer: (b) Emergency excesses.
16. The MISA stood for:
(a) Maintenance of Internal Security Act (b) Maintenance of Indian State Authority (c) Major Internal Security Amendment (d) Ministry of Internal State Affairs
Answer: (a) Maintenance of Internal Security Act.
17. Which judge of the Supreme Court dissented in the ADM Jabalpur case?
(a) A. N. Ray (b) M. H. Beg (c) H. R. Khanna (d) Y. V. Chandrachud
Answer: (c) H. R. Khanna.
18. The slogan “Garibi Hatao” was given by:
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru (b) Lal Bahadur Shastri (c) Indira Gandhi (d) Rajiv Gandhi
Answer: (c) Indira Gandhi.
19. The Janata Party adopted which election symbol in 1977?
(a) Lotus (b) Hand (c) Plough-bearing farmer (Haldhar) (d) Cycle
Answer: (c) Plough-bearing farmer (Haldhar).
20. After the fall of the Janata Government, who became PM briefly in 1979?
(a) Jagjivan Ram (b) Charan Singh (c) Y. B. Chavan (d) Chandra Shekhar
Answer: (b) Charan Singh.
21. Sanjay Gandhi’s five-point programme included all EXCEPT:
(a) Family planning (b) Tree plantation (c) Land reforms (d) Abolition of dowry
Answer: (c) Land reforms.
22. The Emergency was withdrawn on:
(a) 18 January 1977 (b) 21 March 1977 (c) 24 March 1977 (d) 30 June 1977
Answer: (b) 21 March 1977.
23. Which words were added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment?
(a) Sovereign and Democratic (b) Socialist, Secular and Integrity (c) Republic and Justice (d) Liberty and Equality
Answer: (b) Socialist, Secular and Integrity.
24. The Naxalite movement began in 1967 at:
(a) Naxalbari, West Bengal (b) Singur, West Bengal (c) Telangana, Andhra Pradesh (d) Wayanad, Kerala
Answer: (a) Naxalbari, West Bengal.
25. The Janata Party government was formed in:
(a) 24 March 1977 (b) 1 May 1977 (c) 15 August 1977 (d) 21 March 1977
Answer: (a) 24 March 1977.
Timeline — The Crisis of Democratic Order
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Naxalite peasant uprising at Naxalbari, West Bengal. |
| March 1971 | Congress (R) wins fifth Lok Sabha elections under “Garibi Hatao” slogan. |
| December 1971 | Bangladesh Liberation War; India defeats Pakistan. |
| 1972-73 | Drought, food shortage and OPEC oil shock; inflation crosses 20%. |
| December 1973 – March 1974 | Navnirman Movement in Gujarat; Chimanbhai Patel resigns. |
| March 1974 | Bihar Movement begins; Jayaprakash Narayan takes over leadership. |
| May 1974 | All-India Railway Strike led by George Fernandes — 20 days. |
| 5 June 1974 | JP gives the call for “Sampurna Kranti” at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. |
| 12 June 1975 | Allahabad HC sets aside Indira Gandhi’s election from Rae Bareli. |
| 24 June 1975 | Supreme Court grants conditional stay. |
| 25 June 1975 | JP’s Ramlila Maidan rally; Internal Emergency proclaimed at midnight. |
| 1 July 1975 | 20-Point Programme announced. |
| November 1976 | 42nd Constitutional Amendment passed. |
| 18 January 1977 | Indira Gandhi calls fresh elections; opposition leaders released. |
| March 1977 | Sixth general elections; Janata Party wins 330 of 542 seats. |
| 21 March 1977 | Emergency formally withdrawn. |
| 24 March 1977 | Morarji Desai sworn in as India’s first non-Congress PM. |
| May 1977 | Shah Commission of Inquiry appointed. |
| 1978 | 44th Amendment passed; restores key safeguards. |
| July 1979 | Janata government collapses; Charan Singh becomes caretaker PM. |
| January 1980 | Mid-term elections; Indira Gandhi’s Congress (I) returns to power. |
Key Terms and Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Internal Emergency | An emergency proclaimed under Article 352 on the ground of “internal disturbance,” used in 1975-77. |
| Navnirman Movement | 1973-74 student-led agitation in Gujarat against price rise and corruption. |
| Sampurna Kranti | “Total Revolution” — JP’s call for fundamental change in seven spheres of Indian life. |
| MISA | Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971; preventive-detention law widely used during the Emergency. |
| Press Censorship | Pre-publication control over newspapers imposed by executive order in June 1975. |
| 42nd Amendment | 1976 amendment (“mini-Constitution”) that altered the Preamble, extended legislative terms and restricted judicial review. |
| 44th Amendment | 1978 Janata-era amendment that restored constitutional safeguards. |
| Shah Commission | One-man inquiry under Justice J. C. Shah (1977-78) into Emergency excesses. |
| Janata Party | Coalition of BLD, Jana Sangh, Congress (O) and Socialists; formed in January 1977. |
| 20-Point Programme | Indira Gandhi’s socio-economic agenda announced on 1 July 1975 to legitimise the Emergency. |
| ADM Jabalpur | 1976 Supreme Court case (4-1) holding that Article 21 could be suspended during Emergency; overruled in 2017. |
| Garibi Hatao | “Remove Poverty” — Indira Gandhi’s 1971 election slogan. |
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