Janata Party: Difference between revisions

|merger            = * [[Indian National Congress (O)]]

* [[Socialist Party]] headed by [[George Fernandes]]

* [[Bharatiya Kranti Dal]] headed by [[Charan Singh]]

|successor        = * [[Janata Party (Secular)]]

* [[Janata Dal]]

* [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]

|ideology          = [[Indian nationalism]]<br />[[Populism]]<br />'''Factions:'''<br />[[Gandhian socialism]]<br />[[Social justice]]<br />[[Anti-corruption]]<br />

|position          = {{flatlist|

* [[Big tent]]

|youth=Janata Yuva Morcha|Women's=Janata Mahila Morcha

women=Janata Mahila Morcha|Slogan=Janata se Janata ke liye|party_logo=Janata Party symbol.png|Image=[[Janata Party 300.jpg]]|eci=|dissolution=|merged=11 August 2013 Merged from [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]}}

[[Raj Narain]], a socialist leader, had filed a legal writ alleging electoral malpractice against Indira Gandhi in 1971. On 12 June 1975, [[Allahabad High Court]] found her guilty of using corrupt electoral practices in her [[1971 Indian general election|1971 election]] victory over Narain in the [[Rae Bareli (Lok Sabha constituency)|Rae Bareli constituency]]. She was barred from contesting any election for the next six years. Economic problems, corruption and the conviction of Gandhi led to widespread protests against the Congress (R) government, which responded by imposing a State of Emergency. The rationale was that of preserving national security. However, the government introduced press censorship, postponed elections and banned strikes and rallies. Opposition leaders such as [[Jivatram Kripalani]], [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], [[Chandra Shekhar]], [[Biju Patnaik]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], [[L. K. Advani]], [[Raj Narain]], [[Satyendra Narayan Sinha]], [[Ramnandan Mishra]] and [[Morarji Desai]] were imprisoned,<ref>{{cite book

Raj Narain, a leader of the [[Socialist Party (India)]], who had unsuccessfully contested election against Indira from the constituency of [[Rae Bareilly]] in 1971, lodged a case at the Allahabad High Court, alleging electoral malpractices and the use of government resources for her election campaign. On 12 June 1975 in ''[[State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain]]'', the Allahabad High Court found Indira guilty and barred her from holding public office for six years.<ref name="LOC" /><ref name="ING" /><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|title=OBITUARY: Morarji Desai|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-morarji-desai-1615165.html|work=[[The Independent]]|author=Kuldip Singh|date=11 April 1995|access-date=27 June 2009|location=London}}</ref> Opposition politicians immediately demanded her resignation and stepped up mass protests against the government. On 25 June, Narayan and Desai held a massive rally in Delhi, calling for a "[[Satyagraha]]" – a campaign of non-violent [[civil disobedience]] to force the government to resign.<ref name="LOC" />

On 25 June 1975, the [[president of India]], [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]], accepted prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]]'s recommendation to declare a state of national emergency.<ref name="UK">{{cite news|title=OBITUARY: Morarji Desai|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-morarji-desai-1615165.html|work=The Independent|first=Kuldip |last=Singh|date=11 April 1995|access-date=27 June 2009|location=London}}</ref><ref name="LOC" /> Indira argued that the political and civil disorder constituted a threat to national security.<ref name="ING2">{{cite book|title=Indira: The Life Of Indira Nehru Gandhi|pages=[https://archive.org/details/indiralifeofindi00fran/page/377 377]|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|author=Katherine Frank|year=2002|isbn=978-0-395-73097-3|url=https://archive.org/details/indiralifeofindi00fran/page/377}}</ref> A state of emergency enabled the central government to issue executive decrees without requiring the consent of Parliament.<ref name="LOC" /> Elections were postponed and public gatherings, rallies and strikes were banned. Curfews were imposed and police forces were empowered to make warrantless searches, seizures and arrests. Indira's government imposed "President's rule" in the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, dismissing the governments controlled by opposition political parties.<ref name="LOC" /> The central government also imposed censorship on radio, television and newspapers. Across the country, police forces arrested thousands of opposition political activists, as well as leaders such as [[Raj Narain]], [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], [[Jivatram Kripalani]], [[Kamaraj]], [[Morarji Desai]], [[Satyendra Narayan Sinha]], [[Vijaya Raje Scindia]], [[Charan Singh]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], [[Lal Krishna Advani]] and others.<ref name="UK" /><ref name="LOC" /> Opposition political organizations such as the Hindu nationalist [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) and the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] were banned and their leaders arrested.<ref name="ING3">{{cite book|title=Indira: The Life Of Indira Nehru Gandhi|pages=[https://archive.org/details/indiralifeofindi00fran/page/382 382]|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|author=Katherine Frank|year=2002|isbn=978-0-395-73097-3|url=https://archive.org/details/indiralifeofindi00fran/page/382}}</ref> Only the [[Communist Party of India]] supported the state of emergency.<ref name="ING3" /> Due to the advancing age and failing health, Narayan was released from prison, but remained prohibited from political activity.

During the Emergency, Indira Gandhi implemented a 20-point program of economic reforms that resulted in greater economic growth, aided by the absence of strikes and trade union conflicts. Encouraged by these positive signs and distorted and biased information from her party supporters, Indira called elections for May 1977.<ref name="POI2">{{cite book|title=The Politics of India Since Independence|authors=Paul R. Brass|pages=40–50|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1994|isbn=978-0-521-45970-9}}</ref> However, the emergency era had been widely unpopular. The most controversial issue was the 42nd amendment to the [[Constitution of India]], which deprived citizens of direct access to the Supreme Court, except when violation of the fundamental rights resulted from Union law. The Parliament was given unrestrained power to amend any parts of the Constitution. The Supreme Court was given exclusive jurisdiction as regards determination of the constitutional validity of laws passed by the Union government. It restricted the power of the courts to issue stay orders or injunctions. Almost all parts of the Constitution saw changes through this amendment. The clampdown on civil liberties and allegations of widespread abuse of human rights by police had angered the public. Indira Gandhi was believed, by the public at large to be under the influence of a clique of politicians led by her youngest son, [[Sanjay Gandhi]], who had become notorious for using his influence in the government and the Congress party for alleged corrupt activities. [[Sanjay Gandhi]] had masterminded the Union government's unpopular campaign of family planning, which had allegedly involved forcible sterilization of young men by government officials.<ref name="LOC" /> Sanjay Gandhi had also instigated the demolition of slums in the [[Jama Masjid, Delhi|Jama Masjid]] area of New Delhi, the national capital, which left thousands of people, mostly Muslims, homeless.<ref name="LOC" /><ref name="POI2" /> Indian laborers, urban workers, teachers and government employees were also disenchanted by wage freezes and the curtailing of trade union activities and rights.<ref name="LOC" /><ref name="POI2" />

Calling elections on 18 January 1977 the government released political prisoners and weakened restrictions and censorship on the press, although the state of emergency was not officially ended. When opposition leaders sought the support of Jayaprakash Narayan for the forthcoming election, Narayan insisted that all opposition parties form a united front. The Janata party was officially launched on 23 January 1977 when the [[Janata Morcha]], [[Charan Singh]]'s [[Bharatiya Lok Dal]], [[Swatantra Party]], the [[Socialist Party of India]] of [[Raj Narain]] and [[George Fernandes]], and the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] (BJS) joined, dissolving their separate identities (the merger of all party organizations was to be completed after the election). Although the political ideologies of Janata constituents were diverse and conflicting, the party was able to unite under the over-reaching appeal of Jayaprakash Narayan, who had been seen as the ideological leader of the anti-Emergency movement and now the Janata party. [[Chandra Shekhar]] became first president of Janata Party. [[Ramakrishna Hegde]] became the party general secretary, and [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] politician [[Lal Krishna Advani]] became the party spokesperson.

As it became clear that Indira's Emergency rule had been widely unpopular, defections from the [[Indian National Congress|Congress (R)]] government increased. The most significant was that of [[Jagjivan Ram]], who commanded great support amongst India's [[Dalit]] communities. A former Minister of Defence, Ram left the [[Indian National Congress|Congress (R)]] and along with his supporters formed the [[Congress for Democracy]] on 2 February 1977.<ref name="B">{{cite book|title=320 Million Judges|author=G. G. Mirchandani|pages=90–100|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2003|isbn=81-7017-061-3}}</ref> Other co-founders included the former [[List of Chief Ministers of Odisha|Chief Minister of Orissa]] [[Nandini Satpathy]], former Union Minister of State for Finance K. R. Ganesh, former [[Member of Parliament|MP]] D. N. Tiwari and Bihar politician Raj Mangal Pandey.<ref name="B" />

of imposing the state of emergency as being essential for national security. On the other hand, Janata leaders assailed Indira for ruling as a dictator and endangering human rights and democracy in India. Janata's campaign evoked memories of India's freedom struggle against [[British Raj|British rule]], during which Jayaprakash Narayan, Jivatram Kripalani and Morarji Desai had first emerged as political leaders. Although Narayan and Kripalani did not seek office themselves, they became the leading campaigners for the Janata party, drawing great masses of people in rallies across the country.

Actions taken during Emergency significantly diminished support for the Congress (R) amongst its most loyal constituencies. The bulldozing of slums near the Jama Masjid was widely unpopular amongst India's Muslims, and the defection of Jagjivan Ram significantly diminished support for the Congress (R) amongst India's Dalits. BLD leader Charan Singh's peasant roots helped him raise considerable support in the rural parts of [[Uttar Pradesh]], the most populous state of India. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party of the [[Sikhs]] of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and regional political parties such as the [[Tamil Nadu]]-based [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] became important allies. The leaders of the [[Hindu nationalist]] Bharatiya Jana Sangh rallied India's middle-class merchants, traders and conservative [[Hindus]]. The Hindu nationalist RSS and trade unions aligned with Janata helped rally considerable voting blocs.

In contrast to the rest of the country, the Janata party won only six seats from India's southern states – none from the state of [[Kerala]] – where the Emergency had not caused political unrest. The Congress (R) won a total of 153 seats, mainly from India's south. However, Janata candidates resoundingly defeated Congress (R) candidates in the northern "[[Hindi belt]]", especially in Uttar Pradesh. One of the most shocking outcomes of the election was the defeat of Indira Gandhi in her bid to seek re-election from her constituency of Rae Bareilly, which she lost to her 1971 opponent Raj Narain by a margin of 55,200 votes. The Congress (R) did not win any seats in Uttar Pradesh and was wiped out in 10 states and territories by Janata candidates.

On the morning of 24 March, [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] and [[Jivatram Kripalani]] led the newly elected Janata MPs to [[Raj Ghat]], where the ashes of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] were laid, and administered a pledge to continue Gandhi's work and preserve honesty in serving the nation.<ref name="B1">{{cite book|title=320 Million Judges|author=G. G. Mirchandani|pages=176–191|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2003|isbn=81-7017-061-3}}</ref> Immediately afterwards, the Janata party faced a serious challenge in choosing a leader to become India's new prime minister, where the rival bids of party leaders could divide the party and weaken its majority before it took power. Janata party chairman [[Morarji Desai]], [[Charan Singh]] and [[Jagjivan Ram]] enjoyed the support of a significant number of Janata MPs and the activists brought from their own political parties into the Janata organization.<ref name="B1" /> To avoid a potentially divisive contest, Janata leaders asked Jayaprakash Narayan and Jivatram Kripalani to select the party's leader, pledging to abide by their choice.<ref name="B1" /> After a period of deliberation, Narayan and Kripalani selected Morarji Desai to become the chairman of the Janata Parliamentary Party on 24 May. Although some leaders such as [[George Fernandes]] and Jagjivan Ram hesitated to support Desai and criticized the undemocratic method of selection, Desai's position was soon confirmed and consolidated.<ref name="B1" />

Taking office as prime minister, Desai also took charge of the Ministry of Finance. He sought to carefully distribute important posts to satisfy Janata's different constituents and the most powerful party leaders who were rivals for his own position of leadership. Both [[Charan Singh]] and [[Jagjivan Ram]] were accorded the title of deputy prime minister. [[Charan Singh]] became the Minister of Home Affairs, the second-most important position in the Council of Ministers, while [[Jagjivan Ram]] took charge of the Ministry of Defence. [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJS]] leaders [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] and [[Lal Krishna Advani]] were respectively given charge of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. [[Raj Narain]] was appointed Minister of Health, [[Madhu Dandavate]] was to head the Ministry of Railways and trade unionist [[George Fernandes]] was made the Minister of Communications. Jurist [[Shanti Bhushan]] was appointed [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Minister of Law and Justice]].<ref name="EI">{{cite web|title=Morarji, Charan Singh waited for each other to die: Book|url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Morarji-Charan-Singh-waited-for-each-other-to-die-Book/384209/|publisher=[[The Indian Express]]|date=11 November 2008|access-date=27 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215182044/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Morarji-Charan-Singh-waited-for-each-other-to-die-Book/384209/|archive-date=15 December 2008}}</ref> [[Congress (O)]] veteran and Janata candidate [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] won the [[1977 Indian presidential election|presidential election]] to become the 6th President of India on 25 July 1977.

The new government also proceeded to withdraw all charges against the 25 accused in the [[Baroda dynamite case]], which included the new Minister of Industry, [[George Fernandes]].<ref name="B1" /> The Minister of Railways reinstated the railway employees disciplined after the May 1974 strike.<ref name="B1" /> The Desai government proceeded to establish inquiry commissions and tribunals to investigate allegations of corruption and human rights abuses by members of Indira Gandhi's government, political party and the police forces. Specific inquiries were instituted on Sanjay Gandhi's management of the state-owned [[Maruti Udyog Ltd.]], the activities of the former Minister of Defence [[Bansi Lal]] and the [[1971 Nagarwala scandal]].<ref name="B1" /> Both Indira and her son Sanjay were charged with allegations of corruption and briefly arrested.

The Janata government had lesser success in achieving economic reforms. It launched the Sixth Five-Year Plan, aiming to boost agricultural production and rural industries. Seeking to promote economic self-reliance and indigenous industries, the government required multi-national corporations to go into partnership with Indian corporations. The policy proved controversial, diminishing foreign investment and led to the high-profile exit of corporations such as [[Coca-Cola]] and [[IBM]] from India.<ref name="IMM">{{cite book|title=India: From Midnight To Millennium and Beyond|authors=Shashi Tharoor|pages=164–66|publisher=Arcade Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1-55970-803-6 }}</ref>

Despite a strong start, the Janata government began to wither as significant ideological and political divisions emerged.<ref name="LOC" /> The party consisted of veteran socialists, trade unionists and pro-business leaders, making major economic reforms difficult to achieve without triggering a public divide.<ref name="LOC" /> Socialists and secular Janata politicians shared an aversion to the Hindu nationalist agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, whose members included Vajpayee, Advani and other leaders from the former [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]. Violence between Hindus and Muslims led to further confrontations within the Janata party, with most Janata leaders demanding that [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] and [[Lal Krishna Advani]] choose between staying in government and being members of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]]. Both Vajpayee and Advani as well as other members of the former BJS opted to remain members of the RSS and consequently resigned from their posts and from the party.

Through 1979, support for Morarji Desai had declined considerably due to worsening economic conditions as well as the emergence of allegations of nepotism and corruption involving members of his family. Desai's confrontational attitude eroded his support.<ref name="UK" /> His main rival Charan Singh had developed an acrimonious relationship with Desai.<ref name="EI" /> Protesting Desai's leadership, Singh resigned and withdrew the support of his BLD. Desai also lost the support of the secular and socialist politicians in the party, who saw him as favoring the Hindu nationalist BJS.<ref name="LOC" /> On 19 July 1979 Desai resigned from the government and eventually retired to his home in [[Mumbai]] (then Bombay).<ref name="UK" /> The failing health of [[Jayaprakash Narayan]] made it hard for him to remain politically active and act as a unifying influence, and his death in 1979 deprived the party of its most popular leader. Dissidents projected [[Charan Singh]] as the new prime minister in place of Desai.

President Reddy appointed Charan Singh as the Prime Minister of a minority government on the strength of 64 MPs, calling upon him to form a new government and prove his majority. The departure of Desai and the BJS had considerably diminished Janata's majority, and numerous Janata MPs refused to support Charan Singh. MPs loyal to [[Jagjivan Ram]] withdrew themselves from the Janata party. Former allies such as the DMK, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had distanced themselves from the Janata party. Desperately seeking enough support for a majority, Charan Singh even sought to negotiate with Congress (I), which refused. After only three weeks in office, Charan Singh resigned. With no other political party in position to establish a majority government, President Reddy dissolved the Parliament and called fresh elections for January 1980.<ref name="LOC" />

In [[1980 Indian general election|1980 general elections]], Janata Party declared [[Jagjivan Ram]] as its Prime Ministerial candidate, but the party won only 31 seats out of 542.<ref>{{Cite web|first=General Election, 1980 (Vol I, II)|title=General Election, 1980 (Vol I, II)|url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/4117-general-election-1980-vol-i-ii/|url-status=live|website=Election Commission of India}}</ref>

* [[Chandra Shekhar]] (1977 – 1988).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shri Chandra Shekhar {{!}} Prime Minister of India|url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-chandra-shekhar/|access-date=2022-01-29|website=www.pmindia.gov.in}}</ref>

* [[Ajit Singh (politician)|Ajit Singh]] (1988).<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Prabhu Chawla |date=June 15, 1988 |title=Ajit Singh catapulted as Janata Party president|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880615-ajit-singh-catapulted-as-janata-party-president-797348-1988-06-15|access-date=2022-01-29|magazine=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

* [[Subramanian Swamy]] (1990 – 2013).<ref>{{Cite news|title=Subramanian Swamy|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/topic/subramanian-swamy|access-date=2022-01-29}}</ref>

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[[Jeevaraj Alva]] (1988-1990)<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Raj Chengappa |date=September 15, 1988 |title=Karnataka's new CM S.R. Bommai inherits a troubled legacy|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880915-karnataka-new-chief-minister-s-r-bommai-inherits-troubled-legacy-797677-1988-09-15|access-date=2021-08-17|magazine=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

Between 1980 and 1989, the Janata party maintained a small presence in the Indian Parliament under the leadership of socialist politician [[Chandra Sekhar]].<ref name="POI">{{cite book|title=The Politics of India Since Independence|authors=Paul R. Brass|pages=84–86|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1994|isbn=978-0-521-45970-9}}</ref> In 1988, Lok Dal (A) was merged into Janata Party and [[Ajit Singh (politician)|Ajit Singh]] was made its president.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chawla |first=Prabhu |date=15 June 1988 |title=Ajit Singh catapulted as Janata Party president |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880615-ajit-singh-catapulted-as-janata-party-president-797348-1988-06-15 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> After some months, it merged into the [[Janata Dal]], which had emerged as the chief opposition party under the leadership of [[V. P. Singh|Vishwanath Pratap Singh]] and the main constituent of the [[National Front (India)|National Front]] coalition.<ref name="POI" /> Singh had become widely popular for exposing the role of the government of prime minister [[Rajiv Gandhi]], the eldest son and successor of Indira, in the [[Bofors scandal]], though on 5 February 2004, the [[Delhi High Court]] quashed the charges of bribery against Rajiv Gandhi and others.<ref name="POI" /><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3458319.stm | work=BBC News | title=Rajiv Gandhi cleared over bribery | date=4 February 2004}}</ref>  

But some leaders of Janata Party refused to accept the its merger into [[Janata Dal]] and continued in Janata Party.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=31 January 1989 |title=Blundering On |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/your-week/story/19890131-zzz-768512-2013-02-27 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pachai |first=Pankaj |last2=Awasti |first2=Dilip |date=15 March 1989 |title=State chiefs' selection deepens rift in Janata Dal |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19890315-state-chiefs-selection-deepens-rift-in-janata-dal-815855-1989-03-15 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> These included Indubhai Patel, [[Subramanian Swamy]], [[Syed Shahabuddin]], [[H. D. Deve Gowda]], [[Sarojini Mahishi]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinha |first=Yashwant |title=Relentless: An Autobiography |publisher=Bloomsbury India |year=2019 |isbn=978-9386950352 |pages=241 |language=en}}</ref> On 4 January 1989, Indubhai Patel was declared as acting president of Janata Party.<ref>{{Cite news |last=News Service |first=Express |date=6 January 1989 |title=Convention will elect new Janata Leader: Indubhai |pages=9 |work=Indian Express |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19890106&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> [[Janata Dal]] filed an application to [[Election Commission of India]] to seek the transfer of Janata Party symbol to its own.<ref>{{Cite news |last=News Service |first=Express |date=5 January 1989 |title=Janata Dal application for symbol |pages=7 |work=Indian Express |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=54FlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g54NAAAAIBAJ&pg=576%2C2198926 |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> But the Election Commission froze the symbol ''chakra–haldhar'' for [[1989 Indian general election|1989 general election]] and as a result, Janata Dal had to use ''wheel'' as their election symbol.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Shekhar |last2=Pachauri |first2=Pankaj |last3=Baweja |first3=Harinder |date=15 November 1989 |title=Various opposition parties agree to come together and take on the Congress(I) |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19891115-various-opposition-parties-agree-to-come-together-and-take-on-the-congressi-816718-1989-11-15 |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>