Evaluate the impact of national emergency declared in June 1975.

OR

Assess the role played by ‘defections’ on Indian politics.

The impact of national Emergency was deeply felt in political circles and the organization of Indian parties.

a) There were major changes in Congress’ structure and outlook. It rapidly shed away its UMBRELLA image and instead opted to project itself as PRO-POOR and PRO-BACKWARD CLASSES. This shift and the failure of the Janta Government helped Indira Gandhi regain power in 1981.

b) Other parties decided to unite the non-Congress vote by pushing for NON-CONGRESSISM.

c) Also, there was massive discussion around the CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS that enabled the excesses of the Emergency and several debates regarding the division between politics and judiciary, the role of mass movements in politics and necessities of national emergency, was initiated.

OR

a) Defections are the practice of floor crossing, whereby elected legislators leave the party, whose ticket they fought on, and join some other party.

b) As Congress lost its hold on the national and state level post-1967 elections, defection became an important factor in state politics. It helped to establish non-Congress governments in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

c) The practice was so famous that ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ became a common phrase in Indian politics. This phrase referred to the multiple defections by Gaya Lal, an MLA from Haryana during the 1967 elections.