NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Political Science Chapter 1 The Cold War Era

(a) Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir

(b) Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

(a)- Rajni Kothari says that Patel’s idea of transforming Congress into strictly political party with a single ideology and tight discipline showed an equal lack of understanding of the eclectic role that the Congress, as a government, was to be called upon to perform in the decades to follow. This fact was proved right in next two decades after independence when Congress played a all comprehensive role as a ruling and opposition party as well. Congress accommodated various interests and groups before independence. But as the ability of the Congress to accommodate all interests and all aspirants for political power steadily declined, other political parties started gaining greater significance.

(b) The eclectic role played by the Congress party in the early years are:-

i) Conduct of free and fair election that became landmark in the history of democracy all over the world.

ii) All inclusive nature of Congress helped different groups, sections and interests to get representation.

iii) In first decade in the absence of effective opposition, Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as the opposition.

iv) The interim government that ruled the country after the declaration of independence and the first general election included the opposition leaders like Dr. Ambedkar and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

(c) Kothari thinks that Gandhi’s view about Congress future was romantic because Gandhi himself showed the least insight in the power dimensions of national consolidation. Just before his death in 1948 he proposed a virtual dissolution of the Congress as political machine. He argued for converting the Congress into a Lok Sevak Sangh, a non political institution devoted to social service only.

The new Party system that had risen after the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920 and persisted until 2000 was semi-authoritarian system. It was a hegemonic or dominant party system in which one party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), monopolized control over political institutions; this party coexisted with other legally registered parties but competed under conditions that ensured its absolute advantage and allowed it to preserve its power for seven decades, disregarding the will of the population. Mexican governments have always been compelled to maintain democratic forms, though the exercise of power may not have been democratic in reality.

But there is a crucial difference between Mexico and Indian experience. In Mexico the dominance of one party was ensured by compromising democracy. What distinguished the dominance of Congress party in India from Mexico was that it happened under democratic conditions. Many parties contested elections in conditions of free and fair elections and yet the Congress managed to win election after election. In the first decade of electoral competition the Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as opposition. India had a larger number of diverse and vibrant opposition parties than many other multi party democracies. Their presence played a crucial role in maintaining the democratic character of the system.

The prevalence of a one party dominant system did not affect adversely the democratic nature of Indian politics. India is not the only country to have experienced the dominance of one party. If we look around the world we find many other examples of one party dominance. But there is a crucial difference between these and the Indian experience. In the rest of the cases the dominance of one party was ensured by compromising democracy. In some countries like China, Cuba and Syria the constitution permits only a single party to rule the country. Some others like Myanmar, Belarus, Egypt, and Eritrea are effectively one-party states due to legal and military measures. Until a few years ago, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan were also effectively one-party dominant states. What distinguished the dominance of the Congress party in India from all these cases was it happened under democratic conditions. Many parties contested elections in conditions of free and fair elections and yet the Congress managed to win election after election. This was similar to the dominance the African National Congress has enjoyed in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

Another factor which helped to maintain democratic nature of Indian politics was the coalition like character of the Congress party. Party that has the nature of coalition, there is a greater tolerance of internal differences and ambitions of various groups and leaders are accommodated. Since there was room within the party for various factions to fight with each other, it meant that leaders representing different interests and ideologies got fair share in power sharing within the Congress. To conclude Congress party worked in democratic framework and represented all the different sections or shades of society. Even when Congress was a single dominant party it did not adversely affected the democratic nature of Indian politics.

By the time of independence, the Congress was transformed into a rainbow like social coalition broadly representing India’s diversity in terms of classes and castes, religions and languages and various interests. Many of these groups merged their identity within the Congress. Very often they did not and continued to exist within the Congress as groups and individuals holding different beliefs. In this sense the Congress was an ideological coalition as well. It accommodated the revolutionary and pacifist, conservative and radical, extremist and moderate and the right, left and all shades of the centre.

The Congress was a platform for numerous groups, interests and even political parties to take part in the national movement. In pre-independence days many organisations and parties with their own constitution and organisational structure were allowed to exist within the Congress. Some of these like the Congress socialist party, later separated from the Congress and became opposition party.

If Bharatiya Jana Sangh or the communist party of India had formed the government after the first election; the policies of the government would have been different as follows:

Bharatiya Jana Sangha was in forefront of the agitation to replace English with Hindi. If they had won our national language might be Hindi. They were opposed to granting of concessions to religious and cultural minorities. They might have amended constitution to stop reservation for minorities. They favoured development of Nuclear weapons. They might have developed nuclear weapons earlier.

Soon after independence the communists thought that the transfer of power in 1947 was not true independence and encouraged violent uprisings in Telangana. The communists failed to generate popular support for their position and were crushed by the armed forces. If communists had formed the government after independence they might had redefined the boundaries of nation and state.

Differences between Socialist parties and the Communist party

1. The socialists believed in the ideology of democratic socialism which distinguished them both from the Congress as well as from the Communists.
2. They criticised the Congress for favouring capitalists and landlords and for ignoring the workers and the peasants. But Communist party worked mainly within the Congress before independence.
3. The Socialist Party went through many splits and reunions leading to the formation of many socialist parties. The Communist Party went through a major split in 1964 following the ideological rift between Soviet Union and China. The pro-Soviet faction remained as the CPI, while the opponents formed the CPI (M).

Differences between Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Swatantra Party

1. Bharatiya Jana Sangh lineage however can be traced back to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu Mahasabha before independence. Swatantra Party was formed in August 1959 after the Nagpur resolution of the Congress.
2. The Jana Sangh was different from other parties in terms of ideology and programmes. Swatantra party stood out from the others in terms of its position on economic issues.
3. Jana Sangh was opposed to the granting of concessions to religious and cultural minorities. Swatantra party was opposed to the progressive tax regime and demanded dismantling of the licensing regime.