Aya Ram, Gaya Ram
Topic: Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System"
Meaning
"Aya Ram, Gaya Ram" means "Ram came, Ram went". It is a mocking phrase for legislators who keep changing parties. Changing parties after winning on one party's symbol is called defection, or floor-crossing. The phrase began in Haryana in 1967. After 1967, defections often brought down state governments. That led to the Y.B. Chavan Committee on Defections and, much later, the anti-defection law (the Tenth Schedule, added by the 52nd Amendment, 1985).
Example
In 1967, Haryana MLA Gaya Lal changed parties three times in a fortnight, once within nine hours. Rao Birendra Singh then told the press that "Gaya Ram was now Aya Ram". Haryana came under President's rule (direct rule by the Centre) in November 1967.
Don't confuse with
- Conscience vote: in 1969 legislators were asked to ignore the party whip in one presidential election. They did not leave their party.