Why has the period of Indian politics in the 1950s been described as the ‘Congress system’ ? Give any two reasons.

OR

Bharatiya Jana Sangh was different from other parties in terms of ideology and programmes. Validate the statement by giving two relevant arguments.

The 1950s period of Indian politics has often been described as the Congress system because of the following reasons:

• The coalition like character of Congress allowed the accommodation of various internal differences and ambitions. The different factions stayed within Congress during this period instead of creating an opposition. This went on to promote the picture of the Congress as a grand centrist party.

• During the 1950s the Congress acted as both the ruling as well as the opposition party. Other parties outside the Congress were far removed from the actual exercise of authority but they tried to influence the factions and thus, indirectly influence the policy and decision making capacity of the Congress. This enabled the political competition to be limited within the Congress party and the public had no other viable alternatives.

OR

The Jana Sangh was different from other parties in terms of ideology and programmes. It emphasised the idea of one country, one culture and one nation and believed that the country could become modern, progressive and strong on the basis of Indian culture and traditions.