Question

The Elections of 1977 brought a non - Congress government to power in India for the first time since Independence.

In the context of this statement, briefly discuss the following:

Any four policies of the new non-Congress government.

Answer 1

Following the elections of 1977, the new non-congress government's policies were:

1. End of Emergency and Media Censorship: Ensuring the restoration of fundamental rights and civil liberties, the Janata government swiftly eliminated media control, ended the state of emergency, and overturned contentious executive decrees made during the emergency.
2. Amendment of the Constitution: It changed the 42nd Amendment by removing clauses that misrepresented the Indian Constitution in the 44th Constitutional Amendment. This reinstated the Supreme Court's and High Courts' authority to rule on the legality of federal or state laws.
3. Dismissal of State Governments: In order to strengthen its control over the states, the Janata government called for new elections and dismissed nine state governments that the Congress had ruled, claiming that the Congress had lost the right to govern.
4. Inquiry into Emergency-era Abuses: In order to look into claims of corruption and violations of human rights by Indira Gandhi's government officials, it formed inquiry commissions and tribunals. These included specialized inquiries into the operations of former Defense Minister Bansi Lal and the administration of Maruti Udyog Ltd.