Restoration of the Congress system
Topic: Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System"
Meaning
"Restoration of the Congress system" means the Congress became dominant again in 1971-72 under Indira Gandhi, after its setbacks in 1967 and its split in 1969. The dominance came back in a new form. The old Congress was a broad coalition. It had a strong organisation, it allowed factions (groups inside the party), and it made room for all interests. The new Congress rested on one leader's popularity. Its organisation was weak and it had few factions. It relied on the poor, women, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities, and it was less able to absorb conflict. NCERT says she "restored the Congress system by changing the nature of the Congress system itself".
Example
The Congress (R) won 352 Lok Sabha seats in 1971 with "Garibi Hatao". After the 1971 war and the birth of Bangladesh, it swept the 1972 assembly elections and came to rule almost every state. Sudipta Kaviraj argued that through this change "the Congress party as a political organisation died".
Don't confuse with
- Congress (Organisation) / "Old Congress": this was the Syndicate-led party formed in the 1969 split. It won only 16 seats in 1971. The "restoration" was achieved by Indira Gandhi's Congress (R), not by the Old Congress.