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www.GOALias.blogspot.com124 Politics in India since IndependenceCredit: R. K. Laxman in the Times of India Credit: India TodayThis cartoon appeared after the election results of 1980.an important role. The issue of reservations for ‘other backwardclasses’ became very controversial in Bihar and following this, theMandal Commission was appointed by the Janata Party governmentat the centre. You will read more about this and about the role of thepolitics of backward castes, in the last chapter. The elections after theEmergency set off the process of this change in the party system.The Emergency and the period around it can be described as a periodof constitutional crisis because it had its origins in the constitutionalbattle over the jurisdiction of the Parliament and the judiciary. On theother hand, it was also a period of political crisis. The party in powerhad absolute majority and yet, its leadership decided to suspend