1.How Presidential Election of 1969 was responsible for the split in the Congress Party ?
Ans:
- The factional rivalry between the Syndicate and Indira Gandhi came in the open in 1969.
- Despite Mrs Gandhi's reservations the "syndicate" managed to nominate her long time opponent
and then speaker of the Lok Sabha, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, as the official Congress candidate
for the ensuing Presidential elections.
- Indira Gandhi in response to that encouraged the then Vice-President, V.V. Giri, to file
his nomination as an independent candidate.
- She also announced several big and popular policy measures like the nationalisation of
fourteen leading private banks and the abolition of the ‘privy purse’ or the special
privileges given to former princes. Morarji Desai was the Deputy Prime Minister and
Finance Minister.This decisions led to differences between Desai and the Prime Minister
resulting in Desai leaving the government.
- S. Nijalingappa issued a "whip" asking all the Congress MPs and MLAs to vote in favour
of Sanjeeva Reddy, the official candidate of the party.
- The Prime Minister supported V.V. Giri and openly called for a "conscience vote" which
meant that the MPs and MLAs from the Congress should be free to vote the way they
want.
- The election ultimately resulted in the victory of V.V. Giri, the independent candidate,
and the defeat of Sanjeeva Reddy, the official Congress candidate.
- The defeat of the official Congress candidate formalised the split in the party.