Class 12 Political Science Previous Year: Long Questions with Answers - The Crisis Of Democratic Order

Q.1. Analyse any three reasons for the declaration of Emergency in 1975.    [2023]
Ans. Reasons for declaring Emergency in 1975:
(i) Tensions in the relationship between the government and Judiciary. Congress advocated parliamentary supremacy and alleged judiciary a conservative institution.
(ii) After Bangladesh war -Prices were rising and expectations of the people were raised by the slogan ‘Garibi hatao’. So people were unsatisfied and agitated when these were not fulfilled.
(iii) Gujarat and Bihar movements -Students unrest and participation of leaders like Morariji Desai and Jayaprakash Narayan put government into trouble.
(iv) Judgement of Allahabad High Court on 12th June 1975- which declared the election of Indira Gandhi (PM) invalid. Accordingly, she was no more a member of Lok Sabha which was threat to her Prime ministership.
(v) Combined opposition parties demanded her resignation -Ramlila Maidan rally- where JP give a call and had asked the army ,the police and the Government employees not to obey the illegal and immoral order -all these reasons combined together let to the declaration of emergency.

Q.2. (a) Assess any three effects of Emergency imposed in 1975 in strengthening the democracy in India.   [2023]
OR
(b) Assess the impact of three democratic upsurges in post independent India.
Ans. (a) Effects of emergency in strengthening the democracy:
(i) Democracy in India was strengthened.
(ii) People became aware about their rights and importance of the liberty.
(iii) People also realised the importance of the ‘Freedom of Press’.
(iv) People understood the value of their ‘Voting Rights’ and used the right to get the Government of their choice.
(v) People did not become violent against emergency but waited for the right moment to use their democratic rights.  
(vi) The elections in 1977 were a silent revolution against the excesses but in favour of democracy.
OR
(b) Three democratic upsurges:
(i) First Democratic Upsurge could be attributed from 1950s - 1970s which was based on the participation of Indian adult voters to the democratic politics both at the centre and in states. Falsifying the western myth that the success of democracy requires modernization, urbanization, education and access to media.
(ii) During the 1980’s, the increasing political participation of the lower classes of the society such as SCs, STs and OBCs has been interpreted as ‘Second Democratic Upsurge’  
(iii) The Third Democratic Upsurge represents a competitive electoral market which is based not on the principle of survival of the fittest but rather the survival of the ablest. It underlines three shifts in India’s electoral market: from State to Market, from Government to Governance, from State as Controller to State as Facilitator. It seeks to promote the participation of the youth. Period of this uprising is attributed to 1990s.

Q.3. Analyse the various aspects of the Presidential election of 1969, which led to the formal split in the Congress Party.    [2023]
Ans. Various aspects of Presidential election 1969:
(i) Despite Indira Gandhi’s resentment, the Syndicate nominated N. Sanjeeva Reddy as the official congress candidate for ensuring presidential elections.
(ii) Indira Gandhi retaliated the situation by encouraging V.V. Giri, the then Vice President to be nominated as an independent candidate.
(iii) During elections, the then Congress President S. Nijlingappa issued a ‘whip’, asking all congress MPs and MLAs to vote for N. Snjeeva Reddy.
(iv) On the other hand, PM Indira Gandhi openly called for a conscience vote to vote the way they want.
(v) Elections went in favour of V.V.Giri and the defeat of N. Sanjeeva Reddy formalized the split of congress party into two: Congress(O) and Congress(R).

Q.4. (a) Why is the emergency imposed in 1975 considered the most controversial episode in Indian politics? Highlight any three reasons.     [2023]
OR
(b) Highlight any three factors which were responsible for the downfall of the Congress Party in the 1977 elections.
Ans. (a) Reasons:
(i) Democracy was negated for the first time.
(ii) Fundamental Rights were openly violated.
(iii) Freedom of press was curtailed.
(iv) Misuse of the  preventive detention Law
(v) Excesses were committed all over the country- e.g custodial death.
(vi) Abuse of authority- exercise of governmental power by people who held no official position- for example demolitions and forced sterilization in Delhi became very controversial.
(vii) Controversy over Parliament’s power to amend basic features of the constitution.
(viii) Political controversy regarding super seeding of three judges to the supreme court.
OR
(b) Factors responsible for the downfall of  the congress:
(i) Emergency imposed in 1975 -The 1977 elections turned into a referendum on the experience of emergency.
(ii) The experience of emergency brought forth that governments that are perceived to be anti- democratic are severely punished by the voters.
(iii) Unification of the opposition parties against the Congress; formation of Janata Party, to ensure that non-Congress votes would not be divided.
(iv) Some leaders of the Congress  were  also opposed to the emergency . They joined the new party.
(v) The Janata Party made this election into a referendum on the emergency.
(vi) The opposition fought the election on the slogan 'Save Democracy'
(vii) Janata Party focused it's campaign on the non-democratic character of the rule and on the various excesses that took place during this period.  
(viii) In the backdrop of arrests of  thousands of persons and the  censorship of press ,the public opinion was against the Congress.
(ix) Jaya Prakash Narayan became the popular symbol of restoration of democracy.

Q.5. Analyse the circumstances responsible for the declaration of a state of emergency in India on 25 June, 1975. 
Or 
Examine any six reasons for the imposition of Emergency in India in 1975.
Or 
Analyse the reasons given by the Government for declaring a National Emergency in 1975.
Ans. Circumstances that led to imposition of Emergency :
(i) Clash between the Executive (Government) and Judiciary.
(ii) Rising prices and lower growth rate.
(iii) Students movements in Bihar and Gujarat against price rise and corruption.
(iv) Railway strike led by George Fernandes.
(v) A big rally at Ram Lila Maidan and call to the employees including police / army not to obey the undemocratic orders.
(vi) Judgement of Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Indira Gandhi.
All these led to the atmosphere of distrust against Indira Gandhi which hurriedly tried to save her position by imposing emergency.

Q.6. Examine the three consequences of Emergency imposed in 1975.
Ans. Consequences of Emergency in 1975:
(i) The nationwide strikes and protests got terminated and banned.
(ii) Many leaders of the opposition and other prominent persons were arrested on the ground of preventive detention.
(iii) Freedom of the Press was suspended. Newspapers were asked to get prior approval for all material to be published.
(iv) National organisations like Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) and Jamait-e-Islami were banned.
(v) Fundamental Rights of the citizens were suspended till the continuance of National Emergency.
(vi) The 42nd Amendment was also passed during the Emergency declaring that elections of Prime Minister, President and Vice-President could not be challenged in the court.

Q.7. Discuss the effects of Emergency on the following aspects of our polity. 
(i) Effect on civil liberties for citizens. 
(ii) Impact on relationship between the Executive and Judiciary. 
(iii) Functioning of Mass Media. 
(iv) Working of Police and Bureaucracy.
Ans. 
(i) There were mass arrests on the grounds of Preventive Detention. The arrests could not be challenged in any court of law. There were no reasons given for arrests of the so-called suspects.
(ii) There were many new changes incorporated through Amendment 42 of the Constitution. The role of Supreme Court was curbed to some extent. The Court could not challenge the elections of President of India, Vice President of India and Prime Minister of India. It also gave the power to the government for postponement of elections in situations of Emergency.
(iii) The powers of media were curtailed by imposition of press censorship. There was ban on protests, strikes, agitations, etc. Fundamental Rights were curtailed and suspended. Many eminent Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awarded returned their titles. Some prominent newspapers like Indian Express protested by leaving blank space at places where news were censored.
(iv) It is a combination of restriction on civil liberties of the people along with tension between the government and the judiciary.

Q.8. ‘Emergency is one of the most controversial episodes in Indian politics.’ Analyse three reasons and three consequences of it.
Ans. Causes of Emergency: 
(i) ‘The Bangladesh crisis had put a heavy strain on India’s economy.
(ii) This was followed by war with Pakistan.
(iii) After the war the US government stopped all aid to India. Industrial growth was low and unemployment was very high. Monsoons failed in 1972-1973.
(iv) This resulted in a sharp decline in agricultural productivity and increase in the activities of Marxist groups.
(v) Students in Gujarat started an agitation against rising prices of food grains, cooking oil and other essential commodities, and against corruption in high places.
(vi) Leader Jayaprakash Narayan demanded the dismissal of the Congress government in Bihar and gave a call for total revolution in the social, economic and political spheres in order to establish what he considered to be true democracy.
(vii) A series of bandhs, gheraos, and strikes were organised in protest against the Bihar government.
(viii) There constitutional hindrance regarding the change in the basic structure the Supreme Court said it cannot. Secondly, can the Parliament curtail the right to property by making an amendment ? Again, the Court said that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution in such a manner that rights are curtailed. Thirdly, the Parliament amended the Constitution saying that it can abridge Fundamental Rights for giving effect to Directive Principles.
Consequences of Emergency : 
(i) It invoked Article 352 of the Constitution that federal distribution of powers remains practically suspended and all the powers are concentrated in the hands of the union government.
(ii) Secondly, the government also gets the power to curtail or restrict all or any of the Fundamental Rights during the Emergency. Strikes were banned; many opposition leaders were put in Jail; the political situation became very quiet though tense.
(iii) Deciding to use its special powers under Emergency provisions, the government suspended the freedom of the press. The government made extensive use of preventive detention.
(iv) Under this provision, people are arrested and detained. Kannada writer Shivarama Karanth, awarded with Padma Bhushan, and Hindi writer Fanisharnath Renu, awarded with Padma Shri, returned their awards in protest against the suspension of democracy.

Q.9. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the following questions : 
The Janata Party made the 1977 elections into a referendum on the Emergency. Its election campaign was focused on the non-democratic character of the Congress rule and on the various excesses that took place during this period. In the backdrop of arrests of thousands of persons and the censorship of the Press, the public opinion was against the Congress. 
(a) What is meant by ‘referendum’? 
(b) ‘‘Acts like arrests of thousands of persons and the censorship of the Press during the Emergency period were non-democratic.’’ Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with one suitable argument for/ against each act. 
(c) In spite of winning the 1977 elections with a thumping majority, why could the Janata Party remain in power only for a short period? Explain.
Ans. 
(a) Referendum means to refer an important issue to the people for decision/verdict by general vote.
(b) (i) Nearly one lakh eleven thousand people were arrested under Preventive Detention, but none of them were tried for antinational activity.
(ii) Newspapers were not allowed to publish articles without the prior approval of government. Note : If a candidate gives an appropriate argument in favour of the statement, it may be suitably awarded.
(c) (i) Stiff competition from within the Janata Party for the post of Prime Minister.
(ii) It lacked directions, leadership and a common programme.
(iii) Split in the Janata Party reduced it to minority.