t.com www.GOALias.blogspot.com www.GOALias.blogspot.com

www.GOALias.blogspot.com96 Politics in India since IndependenceThe 1971 Election and Restoration of CongressThe split in the Congress reduced Indira Gandhi Government to aminority. Yet her government continued in office with the issue-basedsupport of a few other parties including the Communist Party of Indiaand the DMK. During this period the government made consciousattempts to project its socialist credentials. This was also a phase whenIndira Gandhi vigorously campaigned for implementing the existingland reform laws and undertook further land ceiling legislation. Inorder to end her dependence on other political parties, strengthenher party’s position in the Parliament, and seek a popular mandatefor her programmes, Indira Gandhi’s government recommended thedissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970. This was anothersurprising and bold move. The fifth general election to Lok Sabhawere held in February 1971.The contestThe electoral contest appeared to be loaded against Congress(R).After all, the new Congress was just one faction of an already weakparty. Everyone believed that the real organisational strength of theCongress party was under the command of Congress(O). To makematters worse for Indira Gandhi, all the major non-communist, non-Congress opposition parties formed an electoral alliance known asthe Grand Alliance. The SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, SwatantraParty and the Bharatiya Kranti Dal came together under this umbrella.The ruling party had an alliance with the CPI.Almost fourdecades after giving theslogan of Garibi Hatao, westill have much povertyaround! Was the sloganonly an electiongimmick?Yet the new Congress had something that its big opponentsAlliance did not have a coherent political programme. Indira Gandhisaid that the opposition alliance had only one common programme:Indira Hatao (Remove Indira). In contrast to this, she put forwarda positive programme captured in the famous slogan: Garibi Hatao(Remove Poverty). She focused on the growth of the public sector,imposition of ceiling on rural land holdings and urban property,removal of disparities in income and opportunity, and abolition ofprincely privileges. Through garibi hatao Indira Gandhi tried togenerate a support base among the disadvantaged, especially amongthe landless labourers, Dalits and Adivasis, minorities, women andthe unemployed youth. The slogan of garibi hatao and the programmesthat followed it were part of Indira Gandhi’s political strategy ofbuilding an independent nationwide political support base.