The letter 'R' stands for 'Requisition'.[6] The original congress party then became the Indian National Congress (Organisation), or Congress (O), and was led by Kamaraj. It was informally called the organisation Congress or Syndicate and retained the party symbol of a pair of bullocks carrying a yoke. Mrs. Gandhi's breakaway faction were given a new symbol of a cow with suckling calf by the Election Commission as the party election symbol.[6]
The split occurred when, in 1969, a united opposition under the banner of Samyukt Vidhayak Dal won control over several states in the Hindi belt.[7] Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister and daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, was then challenged by the majority of the party leadership. Gandhi formed the new party to demonstrate her support amongst the people. In the 1971 general election, Congress (R) had secured an overwhelming majority winning 352 out of 518 seats in the Lok Sabha.[8] In the elections to five state assemblies too, the Congress (R) performed well.
In government
The Naxalbari uprising of 1967 made it imperative that the ruling class needed to address the concerns of small and middle peasantry against feudal interests. Indira undertook structural reforms to boost middle-class among rural and urban areas as well to project her leftist credentials while simultaneously providing public sector financial aid to bourgeois industrialists.
[9]
The government had a major boost in support after winning the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. In 1972, general insurance and coal industry were nationalised even as mixed economy was still followed.
Cheap foodgrains were distributed to the poor by government initiative while influence of businessmen in politics was curtailed by imposing ban on donations to parties through joint-stock companies.
On May 18, 1974, a significant breakthrough was achieved by the detonation of a nuclear device at Pokhran.[10]
Decline and legacy
Indira made the party into her own puppet organisation while economic malaise and unemployment started deepening. Suppression of railway strikes in 1974 led to fall in working-class support.Centralisation of power and increasing influence of business magnates(which led to more corruption) stoked protests in states like Gujarat and Bihar.
Sycophantic party leaders further contributed to the rot in leadership. The regime reached its absolute nadir with the disqualification of Indira and the subsequent emergency.[11]
Leaders like Jagjivan Ram and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna left the party as the Emergency became unpopular. Both went on to form Congress for democracy on February 2nd, 1977, which eventually merged with Janata Party. In July 1977, Karnataka CM Devaraj Urs separated and formed Congress(U).[12]
The party was removed from power after the emergency was lifted and elections were conducted.[13]
^ Andersen, Walter K.. India in 1981: Stronger Political Authority and Social Tension, published in Asian Survey, Vol. 22, No. 2, A Survey of Asia in 1981: Part II (Feb., 1982), pp. 119-135
