Telangana SCERT Class 10 Social Science Chapter 18 Solution – Emerging Political Trends 1977 to 2000. Here on this post we have provided Class 10 Social Science Emerging Political Trends 1977 to 2000 Telangana State Board Solution. Telangana State Board English Class X Medium Students can download this Solution to Solve out Improve Your Learning Questions and Answers.
Telangana State Board Class 10 Social Science Chapter 18 Emerging Political Trends 1977 to 2000 Solution:
1.) Match the following:
Ans: i) Economic liberalization – Restriction on foreign import taxes
- ii) Arbitrary dismissal- of state governments by the national governments.
iii) Ethnic cleansing – people who are different from themselves.
- iv) Federal principle – greater autonomy for state governments
2.) Identify the major changes in party system during the second phase of Independence.
Ans: As a result of change in the party system and emergence of competitive multi-party system no single party was able to form a government on its own and we have a series of coalition governments. In the economic sphere, this period brought about a major shift in the development strategy. The tension between the economics of market and the politics of democracy begins to play itself out during this period. At the same time, old issues of religious and caste differences are repackaged and used for political mobilisation.
The 1990s were years of very significant change in the post Independence India. With the transformation to a competitive multi-party system, it became near impossible for any single party to win a majority of seats and form a government of its own. Since 1989, all governments that had formed at the national level have been either coalition or minority governments. A number of national and regional parties had come together to form governments at the centre. This meant that the political ideologies and programmes of a number of parties had to be accommodated and a common agreement had to be arrived at. Thus, no party could pursue its extreme agendas and had to tone down their approaches. While this enabled the central government to become more sensitive to multiple viewpoints in politics and policy matters, it also caused considerable instability. Even small parties tried to gain undue advantage as the withdrawal of their support could cause the fall of the government. Sometime this also caused ‘policy paralysis’ – as the coalition could not implement any policy which called for serious change for fear of withdrawal of support by one or the other partners.
3.) What are the major economic policies of various governments at the centre and the state discussedin this and the previous chapters. How are they similar or different?
Ans: In terms of economic goals, the setting up of the Planning Commission and the aim of balanced regional development is noteworthy. There was a genuineconcern for the social and economically deprived sections of society. From a state of dependency for food, India gradually became self-sufficient in food production. It laid down the foundation for an enviable industrial base. However, balanced regional development did not take place and some regions developed better than others. Similarly, employment opportunities also did not increase as much as they should have.
As a result of change in the party system, the economic sphere, this period brought about a major shift in the development strategy. The tension between the economics of market and the politics of democracy begins to play itself out during this period.
The period between 1975 to 1985, was a testing time for Indian democracy. It began with the state of Emergency in which basic democratic rights were denied and ended with the historic electoral victory of the Congress led by Rajiv Gandhi.
In the late 1970s, this general feeling of unhappiness was transformed into a social movement. The All Assam Students Union (AASU) was at the forefront of the agitation. This organisation spread across the State and was especially popular among the youth. It led a number of strikes, agitations and marches directed against the central government to make its demands clear – mainly to remove the so-called ‘outsiders’. Besides culture and demographics, there was also an economic dimension to this issue. Trade and other establishments were in the hands of non-Assamese communities. The major resources of the state, including tea and oil, did not benefit the locals. The tea industry was mainly based in Kolkata and the oil industry had very few locals involved despite being in the hands of the public-sector. Furthermore, the oil was being moved out of the state and refined elsewhere. All in all, the dominant thrust of the movement was that Assam was being treated as an “internal colony” and this had to stop. The main demands were that the local people should be given greater preference in employment, the “outsiders” should be removed and the resources should be used for the benefit of the locals.
Rajiv Gandhi realised that despite all the attention to development in the country, much of it did not reach the real beneficiaries. In a famous speech, Rajiv Gandhi said that out of every Rupee spent on the poor, barely 15 paise reaches them! It highlighted the fact that despite huge increase in development expenditure, the benefit was not reaching the poor due to widespread corruptions and other problems.. Rajiv Gandhi felt that the best way to do this was to ensure the participation of the mass, of people in governance by activating the Panchayati Raj Institutions. However, many Stategovernments, especially, those run by opposition parties felt that it was an attempt to bypass them and reduce their powers. In the economic sphere too, Rajiv Gandhi attempted to chart a different course. His government’s first budget in 1985 moved towards a more liberalised system by removing some of the checks and controls that were in place.
4.) How did regional aspirations lead to the formation of regional parties? Compare the similaritiesand differences between the two different phases.
Ans: The actions of both the Janata Party and Congress governments weakened the federal principles and backed a more centralising position. This was accompanied by some serious challenges to national unity too. The people of many states felt alienated and wanted either greater autonomy from the centre or even wanted to go separate from India itself. The non-congress regional parties (like SAD and DMK ) meanwhile attempted to come together to form a common front in support of greater say in national level decision making, greater financial autonomy, lower interference in State matters and stopping the misuse of the powers of the Governor and arbitrary imposition of President’s Rule. Let us look at three movements for greater autonomy in different parts of India: Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Punjab.
In combined Andhra Pradesh, the frequent change of Chief Ministers by the central Congress leadership and the imposition of leaders from above created a bad taste. There was a feeling that the Andhra Pradesh leadership was not getting respect from the national Congress leadership. This was perceived as an insult to the pride of the Telugu people. N T Rama Rao (NTR), popular film actor, chose to take up this cause. He began the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on his 60th birthday in 1982. He said that the TDP stood for the honour and self respect of the Telugu speaking people (Teluguvari atma gauravam).
A similar but much stronger demand for autonomy was also taking place in Assom. In Assom, besides Assamese, Bengali was also a major spoken language. From British times’, Bengalis occupied the lower and middle rungs of the administration in the State. The Assamese speaking people felt that the Bengali officialdom did not treat them as equals but as second-class citizens. To make matters worse, there was a lot of migration from across the border from Bangladesh. Whenever there was any political instability or natural calamity in the neighbouring country, thousands of people moved into the state creating huge discomfort forthe locals. The local people felt that they would lose their cultural roots and soon be outnumbered by the ‘outsiders’.
At the other end of India, another movement for autonomy was taking shape in the State of Punjab. Here too, the difference in language and religion of the dominant population became a point of mobilisation. Here also the grouse was that the contribution of the State was being ignored. They also believed that the State had received an unfair bargain when it was created. It laid claims to the new capital city of Chandigarh which remained a union territory directly administered by the Centre. Punjab also claimed more water from Bhakra Nangal dam and greater recruitment of Sikhs in the army. The Akali Dal had passed a set of resolutions in 1978 during the Janata Party rule in the centre, calling upon the central government to implement them. Itsmost significant demand was to amend the Constitution to give more powers to the states and ensure greater decentralisation of powers.
5.) In order to form governments, it becomes necessary for political parties to attract people fromdifferent sections of society. How did different political parties realise these objectives in thesecond phase after independence?
Ans: The 1990s were years of very significant change in the post Independence India. With the transformation to a competitive multi-party system, it became near impossible for any single party to win a majority of seats and form a government of its own. Since 1989, all governments that had formed at the national level have been either coalition or minority governments. A number of national and regional parties had come together to form governments at the centre. This meant that the political ideologies and programmes of a number of parties had to be accommodated and a common agreement had to be arrived at. Thus, no party could pursue its extreme agendas and had to tone down their approaches. While this enabled the central government to become more sensitive to multiple viewpoints in politics and policy matters, it also caused considerable instability. Even small parties tried to gain undue advantage as the withdrawal of their support could cause the fall of the government. Sometime this also caused ‘policy paralysis’ – as the coalition could not implement any policy which called for serious change for fear of withdrawal of support by one or the other partners. While the early coalition governments were highly instable and did not last their full terms, the later coalitions have put in place multiple mechanisms like common minimum programmes and coordination committees to bring about greater understanding between the partners. Later coalitions like the BJP led National Democratic Alliance and the Congress led United Progressive Alliance have completed their terms. Moreover, the UPA was the first coalition to be re-elected
6.) What were the developments that weakened the inclusive nature of Indian polity? How is theability to accommodate different communities and regional aspirations changing?
Ans: This shift in politics was accompanied by some other significant developments. On one hand, India was forced to open up and ‘liberalise’ its economy by allowing freer flow of foreign capital and goods into India; on the other hand, new social groups asserted themselves politically for the first time, and finally religious nationalism and communal political mobilisation became important features of our political life. All this put the Indian society into great turmoil.
The Janata Dal focused on the need for inclusive development and ensuring opportunities for people from backward communities. The National Front government resurrected the Mandal Commission report which had recommended reservations for other backward castes (OBC) in government employment and educational facilities. The V P Singh government announced that it was implementing the core recommendation of the Commission by reserving 27% of the seats in government employment for candidates from the socially and educationally backward castes that were identified by the Commission.
The political tendency that seeks to build our nation based on nationalism, is led by Bharatiya Janata Party. This party believes that ideas of democracy and secularism are western ideas and are not sufficient and what is needed is to draw upon ancient Indian culture. The BJP, however, opposed to the idea of a religious priesthood run theocratic state. This tendency was largely on the margins of Indian politics till the 1980s. For example, in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, they won only 2 seats. However, BJP made great strides when it took up the Ayodhya issue – it decided to campaign for the building of a temple at the site of the mosque claiming that it was the site of birth of Lord Rama. In 1990, L K Advani, the leader of BJP led a “Rath Yatra” from Somnath to Ayodhya in support of these demands. During the campaign, the BJP tried to argue that the secular politics was trying to ignore the interests of the Hindu majority while trying appease to the minority communities, especially the Muslims. This campaign was accompanied by intense communal polarisation causing a large number of communal conflicts and finally ended with the arrest of L K Advani in Bihar. The BJP responded to this arrest by withdrawing support to V P Singh government and forcing early elections.
7.) How do different types of regional aspirations draw from cultural and economicdimensions?
Ans: The political tendency that seeks to build our nation based on nationalism, is led by Bharatiya Janata Party. This party believes that ideas of democracy and secularism are western ideas and are not sufficient and what is needed is to draw upon ancient Indian culture. The BJP, however, opposes the idea of a religious priesthood run theocratic state. The BJP has opened the debate on the nature of secularism by asserting that a secular state does not give special treatment to minorities, but common civil code is to be applicable to all. This tendency was largely on the margins of Indian politics till the 1980s. For example, in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, they won only 2 seats. However, BJP made great strides when it took up the Ayodhya issue – it decided to campaign for the building of a temple at the site of the mosque claiming that it was the site of birth of Lord Rama. In 1990, L K Advani, the leader of BJP led a “Rath Yatra” from Somnath to Ayodhya in support of these demands. During the campaign, the BJP tried to argue that the secular politics was trying to ignore the interests of the Hindu majority while trying appease to the minority communities, especially the Muslims. This campaign was accompanied by intense communal polarisation causing a large number of communal conflicts and finally ended with the arrest of L K Advani in Bihar. The BJP responded to this arrest by withdrawing support to V P Singh government and forcing early elections.
In 1991, when the V P Singh government fell, India was facing very serious economic crises. Its reserve of foreign currency with which it repaid its loans and paid for imports, had been virtually exhausted. This meant that India would have to default in payments to foreign countries unless it urgently got some loan. In 1992, when the new Congress government under P V Narasimha Rao was formed, itnegotiated with the International Monetary Fund for loans to tide over the crises. The IMF laid down certain stringent conditions (called ‘structural adjustment programme’), forcing India to accept a policy of liberalisation. This meant a. drastic reduction of government expenditure – including cuts in subsidies to farmers, expenditure on public services, health, etc. b. reducing restrictions and taxes on import of foreign goods c. reducing restrictions on foreign investments in India d. opening of many sectors of the economy (like telephone, banking, airlines, etc) to private investors (these were government monopolies earlier) These measures brought in foreign goods and forced Indian business to compete with global manufacturers. It also led to the setting up of industries and business by foreign companies in India. However, it also meant a lot of hardship for the common people as the government was forced to cut subsidies to the people and as many factories closed down due to influx of cheap foreign goods. This also led to privatisation of many public amenities like education, health, and transport and people had to pay high prices to private service providers.
8.) In the first half of the period after independence, there was a lot of importance given to planneddevelopment. In the later part, emphasis was given to liberalisation. Discuss and find out howdoes it reflect political ideals?
Ans: As a result of change in the party system and emergence of competitive multi-party system no single party was able to form a government on its own and we have a series of coalition governments. In the economic sphere, this period brought about a major shift in the development strategy.
The Congress, led by Rajiv Gandhi, won an unprecedented victory in the elections. Rajiv Gandhi began a peace initiative in Punjab, Assam and Mizoram and also in the neighbouring country of Sri Lanka. India sent its army to maintain peace between the warring parties (Separatist Tamils and Sinhalese government), but this turned out to be a misadventure as it was not accepted by either the Tamils or the Sri Lankan government and the force was finally withdrawn in 1989. Rajiv Gandhi realised that despite all the attention to development in the country, much of it did not reach the real beneficiaries. In a famous speech, Rajiv Gandhi said that out of every Rupee spent on the poor, barely 15 paise reaches them! It highlighted the fact that despite huge increase in development expenditure, the benefit was not reaching the poor due to widespread corruptions and other problems. The fact that most people who had been poor and marginalised including women, dalits and tribals were not getting access to the fruits of development. He also realised that there needed to be a sea change in the way things were being done. Rajiv Gandhi felt that the best way to do this was to ensure the participation of the mass, of people in governance by activating the Panchayati Raj.
In many States, movements of adivasis and farmers against displacement by development projects like dams and mines were also building up. The observers felt that this decline in popularity led the national political parties to pander to religious feelings in both Hindu and Muslim communities so as to retain their support in elections. However, it weakened the secular fabric of Indian polity and made way for a rise of communal politics in the following decade.
This shift in politics was accompanied by some other significant developments. On one hand, India was forced to open up and ‘liberalise’ its economy by allowing freer flow of foreign capital and goods into India; on the other hand, new social groups asserted themselves politically for the first time, and finally religious nationalism and communal political mobilisation became important features of our political life. All this put the Indian society into great turmoil. We are still coming to grips with these changes and adapting ourselves to them.In 1991, when the V P Singh government fell, India was facing very serious economic crises. Its reserve of foreign currency with which it repaid its loans and paid for imports, had been virtually exhausted. This meant that India would have to default in payments to foreign countries unless it urgently got some loan. In 1992, when the new Congress government under P V Narasimha Rao was formed, itnegotiated with the International Monetary Fund for loans to tide over the crises. The IMF laid down certain stringent conditions (called ‘structural adjustment programme’), forcing India to accept a policy of liberalisation. This meant a. drastic reduction of government expenditure – including cuts in subsidies to farmers, expenditure on public services, health, etc. b. reducing restrictions and taxes on import of foreign goods c. reducing restrictions on foreign investments in India d. opening of many sectors of the economy (like telephone, banking, airlines, etc) to private investors (these were government monopolies earlier) These measures brought in foreign goods and forced Indian business to compete with global manufacturers. It also led to the setting up of industries and business by foreign companies in India. However, it also meant a lot of hardship for the common people as the government was forced to cut subsidies to the people and as many factories closed down due to influx of cheap foreign goods. This also led to privatisation of many public amenities like education, health, and transport and people had to pay high prices to private service providers. The twentieth century closed with an India which was drawn into the world market, an India which seemed to have a thriving democracy in which voices of different sections of the population were making themselves heard and in which, divisive and communal political mobilisation were threatening to destroy social peace. It had stood the test of time for over fifty years and had built a relatively stable economy and deeply rooted democratic politics.
9.) Study the newspapers and magazines to identify at least one example each of moderation inpolicies due to coalition and how do different political parties in coalition emphasise their regionaldemands?
Ans: The magnitude of the BJP’s domination is easily understood by taking a quick look at the round of five state elections held in March 2022. The BJP was the incumbent in four out of the five states, although polls indicated strong anti-incumbency sentiment in at least three of the races. The BJP had significant obstacles to success, including inflation, unemployment, and the devastating COVID-19 wave. However, the party easily won all but one poll, even in Uttar Pradesh, a state with significant political ramifications. This highlights the incapacity of the opposition parties to convert public discontent into votes. Overall, it doesn’t appear that the Indian opposition is experiencing a crisis. If all non-BJP coalition parties are taken into account, the opposition still holds control of 12 out of the 30 state legislatures and more than 55% of the vote in the national election. The BJP, which received less than 25% of the vote or came in outside the top two slots, was not even competitive in nearly one-third of the parliamentary seats in the 2019 general election.2 These seats cover a sizable portion of southern and eastern India, where the BJP has had difficulty overtaking the earlier-dominant Congress.
All too frequently, experts blame the BJP’s victory on the Hindu nationalist wave that has altered Indian politics and undermined the opposition. That viewpoint has some merit, but it is also worthwhile to consider the opposing side of the issue. Certain political parties have adapted and even flourished in the post-2014 BJP age of rule, according to Darwinian theory. This success is undeniably true for the regional parties with linguistic bases in the East and the South, where the BJP has never defeated them in a state election. A case in point is the West Bengal assembly election from the previous year, in which the BJP was soundly defeated by the regional powerhouse All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).The BJP, on the contrary, has quickly absorbed the positions of those political parties, however, that were already in a condition of decline before its ascent.
Consequently, we may distinguish between two groups in the Indian opposition space: one that is in crisis, and another that is stronger and more able to withstand it. These camps’ difficulties and potential future trajectories are discussed in the first two sections of this essay. The aggregate opposition space’s dynamics, including potential for reconfiguration, fragmentation, and coordination, are examined in the third section.
10.) Prepare and album by collecting the photos of Prime Ministers of India and wrote their specialities.
Ans: (To be done in class, using art paper)
11.) Read the para under the title “Andhra Pradesh” from. “In combined Andhra Pradesh …….. office of the congress party” of page 258 and comment on it.
Ans: In combined Andhra Pradesh, the frequent change of Chief Ministers by the central Congress leadership and the imposition of leaders from above created a bad taste. There was a feeling that the Andhra Pradesh leadership was not getting respect from the national Congress leadership. This was perceived as an insult to the pride of the Telugu people. N T Rama Rao (NTR), popular film actor, chose to take up this cause. He began the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on his 60th birthday in 1982. He said that the TDP stood for the honour and self respect of the Telugu speaking people (Teluguvari atma gauravam). He argued that the State could not be treated as a lower office of the Congress party. Equally important were his promise of some very important welfare measures for the poor including midday meal scheme in government schools, sale of rice at Rs 2 per Kg to the poor and liquor prohibition. These populist measures helped the TDP to sweep the 1982 elections. However, he was surreptitiously dismissed by the Governor in 1984 when he was away in the United States for a surgery. The Governor appointed N Bhaskar Rao, who had defected from the TDP to the Congress. On his return, NTR challenged the action of the Governor and proved that he had the support of majority of the MLAs. After a month of campaigning, the central government appointed a new Governor who reappointed NTR as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. In this struggle, against arbitrary dismissal, NTR was supported by several parties holding power in States like CPI (M), DMK, SAD and National Conference among others.
12.) What are the effects of changes of ‘Telecom Revolution’ on the Human life styles?
Ans: In the economic sphere, Rajiv Gandhi attempted to chart a different course. His government’s first budget in 1985 moved towards a more liberalised system by removing some of the checks and controls that were in place. Rajiv Gandhi was also convinced that India needed to adapt itself to the new technologies emerging in the world, especially computer and telecommunication technologies. He initiated what is called the ‘telecom revolution’ in India which spread the network of telephonic communication in the country using satellite technology.
Friends, families and relatives could stay far away from each other but still, stay in contact, or could contact their loved ones any time by using the telephones.
There has been advancements in technologies in today’s date with the help of telecommunication services. People can held job related meetings and discussions over telephones. One can easily operate his/ her business by staying far away from their own stations by the help of telephonic communication, and thus plays a huge role in building the nation’s economy.