Which major factor was responsible for the dramatic victory of Indira Gandhi in 1971 elections?
How did the dominance of Congress Party in the first three general elections help in establishing a democratic set-up in India?
Assess any two positive aspects of the Chipko Movement.
Positive Aspects of Chipko Movement:
(i) Issues of ecological and economic exploitation were raised and the movement took up economic issues of landless forest workers and asked for guarantees of minimum wages.
(ii) The movement achieved a victory when the government issued a ban on felling of trees in the Himalayan regions for fifteen years until the green cover was fully restored.
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the following questions:
The interim government took a firm stance against the possible division of India into smaller principalities of different sizes. The Muslim League opposed the Indian National Congress and took the view that the States should be free to adopt any course they liked. Sardar Patel, India‟s Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Minister during the crucial period, immediately after Independence, played a historic role in negotiating with the rulers of Princely States in bringing most of them into the Indian Union.
(i) Which government has been referred to as the interim government?
(ii) Why did Muslim League oppose the Indian National Congress?
(iii) What makes the role of Sardar Patel a historic one? Explain.
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the following questions:
The New Congress had something that its big opponents lacked – it had an issue, an agenda and a positive slogan. The Grand Alliance did not have a coherent political programme. Indira Gandhi said that the opposition alliance had only one common programme ‘Indira Hatao’. In contrast to this, she put forward a positive programme captured in the famous slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’.
(i) Which Congress is being referred to as the ‘New Congress’?
(ii) Highlight any two steps taken by Indira Gandhi to remove poverty.
(iii) How far is it justified to call the ‘opposition alliance’ as the ‘Grand Alliance’?