1 Context: Five Turning Points of the Late 1980s
| Development | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1989 Congress defeat | Congress fell from 415 seats (1984) to 197 (1989): marked the end of the “Congress system,” even though it returned to power after 1991 |
| Rise of the “Mandal issue” | The National Front government’s 1990 decision to implement OBC job reservation sparked violent anti-Mandal protests |
| New economic reforms | Started under Rajiv Gandhi, visible from 1991 (PM Narasimha Rao, FM Manmohan Singh): a radical shift in India’s economic direction, continued by every government since |
| Ram Janmabhoomi movement | The Ayodhya dispute reshaped the secularism/democracy debate; resolved by the Supreme Court’s verdict on 9 November 2019 |
| Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination | May 1991, by a Sri Lankan Tamil linked to the LTTE; Congress still won the most seats in 1991; Narasimha Rao became PM |
2 The Era of Coalitions
In 1989, Congress was the largest party but lacked a majority and chose opposition. The National Front (Janata Dal + regional parties) formed a government backed from outside by both the BJP and the Left Front: opposite ends of the spectrum, both wanting Congress out. This began a genuine multi-party system: not more parties contesting (that was always true), but no single party dominating seats.
No single party won a Lok Sabha majority from 1989 until 2014. The 1996 United Front government (again Janata Dal + regional parties) was backed this time by Congress, not the BJP: both Congress and the Left wanted the BJP kept out. Alliance logic was genuinely fluid.
The BJP was the largest party after 1996 but couldn’t secure a majority; it led a coalition May 1998–June 1999, then was re-elected October 1999: Atal Bihari Vajpayee was PM through both NDA governments, and the 1999 government completed a full term. Since 1989, 11 governments at the Centre have been coalition or externally-supported minority governments: until this changed in 2014.
3 The Political Rise of OBCs: the Mandal Commission
OBC reservations existed in southern states since the 1960s but not in the North until the 1977–79 Janata government: Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur pioneered it there. In 1978, the centre appointed the Second Backward Classes Commission, popularly the Mandal Commission, chaired by B.P. Mandal.
The Mandal Commission (report: 1980) defined “backward classes” as “backward castes” and recommended 27% reservation in education and government jobs for OBCs, plus measures like land reform.
In August 1990, the National Front government decided to implement OBC job reservation in central government jobs: sparking violent protests. Challenged in the “Indra Sawhney case,” the Supreme Court upheld it in November 1992. OBC reservation now has support across all major parties.
4 The Rise of Dalit Politics
1978: BAMCEF (Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation) formed, championing political power for the “bahujan” (SC, ST, OBC and minorities), leading to the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti, then the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) under Kanshi Ram (founded 1984). BSP broke through in UP in the 1989 and 1991 elections: the first independence-era political success of a party mainly backed by Dalit voters.
5 Communalism, Secularism, Democracy: the BJP’s Rise
After the Emergency, the Jana Sangh merged into the Janata Party; after Janata’s break-up, former Jana Sangh supporters formed the BJP in 1980. It did poorly in 1984; after 1986, it emphasised nationalism and pursued “Hindutva” politics.
Hindutva, popularised by V.D. Savarkar, holds that being Indian means treating India as both one’s “fatherland” (pitrubhu) and “holy land” (punyabhu): a strong nation, in this view, needs a united national culture built on Hindutva.
Two events around 1986 were central to BJP’s politics: the Shah Bano case (1985), the Supreme Court’s maintenance ruling for a divorced Muslim woman was reversed by the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, which the BJP called “appeasement”, and the Ayodhya (Ram Janmabhoomi) dispute, rooted in a 500-year history from 1528.
6 Lok Sabha Elections, 2004–2019
| Party | 2004 | 2009 | 2014 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | 138 | 116 | 282 | 303 |
| INC | 145 | 206 | 44 | 52 |
2004: the NDA was defeated; the Congress-led UPA (with outside Left Front support) came to power. UPA-I completed its term despite the Left withdrawing support in July 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal. 2009: Congress rose to 206 seats; Manmohan Singh got a second term. September 2013: BJP declared Narendra Modi its PM candidate. 2014: BJP won 282 seats on its own, the first single-party majority in 30 years, yet still governed as the NDA coalition. 2019: BJP won 303 seats on its own.
New economic policies
Most parties, despite some group opposition, back liberalisation as a path to prosperity.
OBC claims accepted
Near-universal support for OBC reservation in education/employment and a due share of power.
State-level parties matter nationally
The national/state party distinction has blurred; regional parties have shared central power for roughly the last twenty years.
Pragmatism over ideology
Coalitions form on power-sharing, not shared ideology: most NDA partners never shared BJP’s Hindutva, yet governed together a full term.
The chapter’s closing note: democracy’s future can’t be predicted, but democratic politics is “here to stay” in India, continuously shaped by popular movements around poverty, displacement, wages, livelihood, social security, and questions of justice framed by class, caste, gender and region.
- Five turning points: 1989 Congress defeat, Mandal issue, 1991 economic reforms, Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Rajiv Gandhi’s May 1991 assassination
- No single party won a Lok Sabha majority 1989–2014; National Front (1989), United Front (1996), NDA (1998/99), UPA (2004/09)
- Mandal Commission (B.P. Mandal, report 1980) recommended 27% OBC reservation; implemented 1990, upheld by SC (Indra Sawhney case) 1992
- BSP (Kanshi Ram, 1984) broke through in UP 1989–91: first major Dalit-backed party success
- BJP formed 1980; turned to Hindutva after 1986; Shah Bano case 1985, Ayodhya structure demolished 1992, SC verdict 9 November 2019
- BJP won single-party majority in 2014 (282) and 2019 (303): first since 1984
- Four-part new consensus: economic reforms, OBC claims, state parties’ national role, pragmatism over ideology
- 1 MarkHow many seats did Congress win in the 1989 election, down from how many in 1984?
- 1 MarkWho chaired the Mandal Commission?
- 1 MarkWhat percentage reservation did the Mandal Commission recommend?
- 1 MarkWho founded the Bahujan Samaj Party, and in which year?
- 1 MarkIn which year was the BJP formed?
- 1 MarkOn what date did the Supreme Court deliver its Ayodhya verdict?
- 1 MarkHow many seats did the BJP win in the 2014 election?
- 1 MarkWho was Prime Minister during both NDA governments (1998–99 and 1999–2004)?
- 2 MarksWhat is meant by “Hindutva”?
- 2 MarksWhat was the Shah Bano case, and how did the government respond to it?
- 2 MarksWhy is 1989 seen as marking the end of the “Congress system”?
- 4 MarksTrace the emergence of the BJP as a significant force in post-Emergency politics.
- 4 MarksWhat were the main recommendations of the Mandal Commission, and how were they implemented?
- 4 MarksExplain the four elements of the “new consensus” among Indian political parties.
- 4 MarksIn spite of the decline of Congress dominance, the party continues to influence politics. Do you agree? Give reasons.
- 6 MarksState the main issues in Indian politics after 1989 and the party configurations they produced.
- 6 Marks“In the new era of coalition politics, political parties are not aligning on the basis of ideology.” Discuss.
- 6 MarksDiscuss the roots, evolution and resolution of the Ayodhya dispute.
- 1 MarkThe Mandal Commission’s recommendations were implemented in:
(a) 1980(b) 1989(c) 1990(d) 1992 - 1 MarkThe Supreme Court upheld OBC reservation in the:
(a) Shah Bano case(b) Kesavananda Bharati case(c) Indra Sawhney case(d) Golaknath case - 1 MarkThe disputed Ayodhya structure was demolished in:
(a) 1986(b) 1990(c) 1992(d) 2019 - 1 MarkRajiv Gandhi was assassinated in:
(a) 1989(b) 1991(c) 1996(d) 1999 - 1 MarkThe BJP declared Narendra Modi its PM candidate in:
(a) 2009(b) September 2013(c) 2014(d) 2019
Options: (a) Both true, R correctly explains A · (b) Both true, R does not explain A · (c) A true, R false · (d) A false, R true.
- 1 Mark
Assertion (A): Coalition governments in India after 1989 always formed among ideologically similar parties.
Reason (R): In 1989 both the Left Front and the BJP supported the same National Front government, despite being ideologically opposite. - 1 Mark
Assertion (A): The Congress party disappeared from Indian politics after 1989.
Reason (R): Congress returned to power after the 1991 elections and has continued to win seats in every subsequent Lok Sabha election.