Dual membership controversy
Topic: The Emergency (1975-77) and the Crisis of Democratic Order · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The dual membership controversy was a dispute inside the Janata Party in 1979. Former members of the Jana Sangh had joined the Janata Party but were also still members of the RSS. Other groups in the party objected to this "dual" (double) membership. The dispute helped split the Janata Party.
Example
The quarrel came at a time when Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram were already competing for power. The split weakened the party, and the Desai government lost its majority in July 1979. This led to the January 1980 mid-term election, which the Congress won.
Don't confuse with
- Ban on the RSS during the Emergency: in 1975 the RSS was banned by the Congress government. The dual membership controversy came later, inside the Janata Party, over whether its members could also belong to the RSS.