Recent Issues and Challenges

About this unit

This unit looks at major issues in Indian politics from the 1990s. It covers the New Economic Policy of 1991 and the debates around globalisation, the rise of OBC and Dalit politics after the Mandal decision, and the challenge of communalism, including the Ayodhya dispute and the violence that followed. The unit links these issues to the deeper values of the Constitution, such as social justice, equality and secularism.

Key ideas

• The New Economic Policy of 1991 introduced liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.
• Globalisation was opposed or criticised by left parties, trade unions, farmers' groups and some swadeshi groups.
• The Mandal Commission recommended 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions.
• The Bahujan Samaj Party, founded by Kanshi Ram in 1984, built a strong base among Dalit voters.
• The demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 and the Gujarat violence of 2002 raised serious questions about communal harmony and the role of the state.
• India's constitutional secularism requires the state to protect the rights of all communities equally.

How to prepare

Learn the key dates: 1991 (NEP), 1979–80 (Mandal Commission), 1990 (Mandal implementation), 1984 (BSP), 1992 (Ayodhya demolition). Understand arguments on both sides of the globalisation debate. Expect questions on the meaning of reservation, the aims of Dalit politics and the importance of secularism.