The 1971 elections and Garibi Hatao

The essentials

In December 1970 Indira Gandhi recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, and fresh elections were held in early 1971. Her Congress (R) appeared weak against the grand alliance of opposition parties, which included the SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party, Bharatiya Kranti Dal and Congress (O). The grand alliance had no clear programme except to remove Indira Gandhi, and its slogan was “Indira Hatao”.

Indira Gandhi presented a positive programme with the slogan “Garibi Hatao” (remove poverty). She stressed land reforms, the abolition of privy purses, public sector growth and limits on ownership of property. This appealed to the landless, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, women and the unemployed youth.

Key points

• The Congress (R)–CPI alliance won 375 Lok Sabha seats; the Congress (R) alone won 352 seats. The Congress (O) won very few seats.
• The war of December 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh added to Indira Gandhi's popularity, and the Congress won most state assembly elections in 1972.
• This was a restoration of Congress dominance, but of a different kind. The party now depended heavily on the popularity of one leader rather than on a balance of factions, and it relied on support from the poor and disadvantaged groups.
• The earlier Congress had been a broad coalition that accommodated many factions; the new Congress had fewer internal centres of power.

Exam tips

• Contrast the “Garibi Hatao” programme with the opposition's “Indira Hatao”.
• Explain why the restored Congress system was different from the Nehru-era Congress.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the 1971 election was held on schedule; the Lok Sabha was dissolved early.
• Thinking the restored Congress was again a loose coalition of factions.