Indian National Congress (R) | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | INC(R) |
| Founder | Indira Gandhi |
| Founded | 12 November 1969; 56 years ago (1969-11-12) |
| Dissolved | 24 December 1978; 47 years ago (1978-12-24) |
| Split from | Indian National Congress |
| Succeeded by | Dissolved |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-left[5] toleft-wing[6] |
| Colours | Turquoise |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
Indian National Congress (Requisitionists) was the leftist faction of the Indian National Congress that was registered in 1969 and led byIndira Gandhi. The then unifiedIndian National Congress was split, with the other part beingIndian National Congress (O).
The letter 'R' stands for 'Requisition'.[7] The other faction of Congress party then became theIndian National Congress (Organisation), orCongress (O), and was led byKamaraj. It was informally called theorganisation Congress orSyndicate and retained the party symbol of a pair of bullocks carrying a yoke. Gandhi's breakaway faction were given a new symbol of a cow with suckling calf by the Election Commission as the party election symbol.[7]
The split occurred when, in 1969, a united opposition under the banner ofSamyukt Vidhayak Dal won control over several states in theHindi belt.[8]
Indira Gandhi, prime minister and daughter ofJawaharlal Nehru, was then challenged by the majority of the party leadership. Gandhi led the new faction to demonstrate her support amongst the people. In the1971 general election, Congress (R) had secured an overwhelming majority winning 352 out of 518 seats in theLok Sabha.[9] In the elections to five state assemblies too, the Congress (R) performed well.
TheNaxalbari uprising of 1967 made it imperative that the ruling class needed to address the concerns of small and middle peasantry against feudal interests. Indira Gandhi undertook structural reforms to boost middle-class among rural and urban areas as well to project her leftist credentials while simultaneously providing public sector financial aid to bourgeois industrialists.[10]
The government had a major boost in support after winning theIndo-Pakistani war of 1971.
In 1972,general insurance andcoal industry were nationalised even as a mixed economy was still followed.
Cheap foodgrains were distributed to the poor by government initiative while influence of businessmen in politics was curtailed by imposing ban on donations to parties through joint-stock companies.
On May 18, 1974, a significant breakthrough was achieved by thedetonation of a nuclear device atPokhran.[11]
Indira made the party into her own puppet organisation while economic malaise and unemployment started deepening. Suppression of railway strikes in 1974 led to fall in working-class support. Centralisation of power and increasing influence of business magnates (which led to more corruption) stoked protests in states likeGujarat andBihar.
Sycophantic party leaders who promoted Indira Gandhi'scult of personality further contributed to the rot in leadership. The regime reached its absolute nadir with the disqualification of Indira and the subsequent proclamation ofEmergency.[12]
Leaders likeJagjivan Ram andHemvati Nandan Bahuguna left the party as the Emergency became unpopular. Both went on to formCongress for Democracy on February 2, 1977, which eventually merged withJanata Party. In July 1977, Karnataka CMDevaraj Urs resigned and formedCongress (U).[13]
The party was voted out of from power after the emergency was lifted and elections were conducted in1977.[14]
Later, in 1978, following more leaders likeNandini Satapathy, criticising the Emergency-era abuses, resigned from party & Indira's nomineeK. Brahmananda Reddy being challenged bySiddhartha Shankar Ray for the post of party president, Indira Gandhi broke away from the Congress (R) to form the Congress (Indira).[15]
After 1996, Congress (I) dropped the suffixIndira from its registered name, while Congress (O) had merged with right-wing parties like theBharatiya Jana Sangh to form theJanata Party.
The right-wing tried to control the party but Mrs Gandhi allied with the centre-left forces and fought back and the party split.
...the split placed the faction of their preference-the Congress left wing- in firm control of the ruling party.
Congress (I) where the 'I' stands for Indira Gandhi, was a camp that emerged in 1978...
