Indira Gandhi Era
Bank nationalisation, Green Revolution, Garibi Hatao, Pokhran-I and the constitutional amendments that defined Indira Gandhi's India.
From "Goongi Gudiya" to "Iron Lady"
Indira Gandhi (born 19 November 1917, Allahabad) became India's third PM on 24 January 1966 after Shastri's death — chosen by the Congress "Syndicate" (Kamaraj, Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh, S.K. Patil, S. Nijalingappa) who called her "goongi gudiya" (dumb doll) expecting to control her. They miscalculated profoundly.
She served two long stints: 1966–77 and 1980–84. Between these was the Emergency period and the Janata interregnum.
1966-77 then 1980-84. She was India's first (and so far only) female PM. She was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by her own Sikh bodyguards (Satwant Singh and Beant Singh) at her residence in New Delhi, in retaliation for Operation Blue Star.
Bank Nationalisation (1969)
On 19 July 1969, Indira Gandhi nationalised 14 major commercial banks (those with deposits over ₹50 crore) through the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Ordinance. The political context was the split with the Congress Syndicate and the expulsion of Congress President S. Nijalingappa. Bank nationalisation was the popular, populist masterstroke that built her mass base.
| Round | Date | Banks | Criterion |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 19 July 1969 | 14 banks | Deposits ≥ ₹50 crore |
| Second Round | 15 April 1980 | 6 more banks | Deposits ≥ ₹200 crore |
| Note | 1955 | SBI nationalised separately | Imperial Bank of India → SBI |
The State Bank of India was formed on 1 July 1955 when the Imperial Bank of India was nationalised. The 1969 nationalisation covered 14 other commercial banks — SBI was NOT one of the 14. This distinction is tested almost every cycle.
Q: How many banks were nationalised in the first round of bank nationalisation in 1969? (a) 6 (b) 8 (c) 14 (d) 20
Answer: (c) — 14 major commercial banks (deposits ≥ ₹50 crore) were nationalised on 19 July 1969. Six more were nationalised in 1980 under Indira Gandhi's second term.
Abolition of Privy Purses (1971)
When princely states acceded to India in 1947–48, former rulers were granted tax-free annual payments (Privy Purses) and various privileges as part of the accession agreements. Indira Gandhi abolished these through the 26th Constitutional Amendment, 1971 (Articles 291 and 362 deleted).
Privy Purses were abolished by the 26th Amendment 1971. Earlier, Indira Gandhi had tried to abolish them by Presidential Order in 1970, which was struck down by the Supreme Court. She then won the 1971 elections with a massive majority and passed the constitutional amendment. The 24th, 25th and 26th Amendments were all passed together in 1971 — all were part of her socialist programme.
Green Revolution
India faced severe food shortages in the mid-1960s (Bihar famine 1966–67; dependence on US PL-480 food aid). The Green Revolution introduced High-Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds developed by Norman Borlaug (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico) — wheat varieties like Lerma Rojo and Sonora 64. These were adapted for India by M.S. Swaminathan (dubbed "Father of the Green Revolution in India").
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| HYV Seeds | Wheat (Lerma Rojo, Sonora 64 adapted by Swaminathan); Rice (IR-8 "Miracle Rice" from IRRI Philippines) |
| Chemical Fertilisers | Nitrogen-based; major expansion of fertiliser plants |
| Irrigation | Tubewell irrigation; expanded canal networks |
| Main beneficiary regions | Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh (wheat belt) |
| Norman Borlaug | Nobel Peace Prize 1970; developed original HYV wheat varieties |
| M.S. Swaminathan | Adapted HYV for Indian conditions; World Food Prize 1987 |
Norman Borlaug = Nobel Prize 1970 = developed HYV wheat in Mexico. M.S. Swaminathan = World Food Prize 1987 = Father of Green Revolution in India = adapted Borlaug's wheat for Punjab conditions. UPSC asks about both. Borlaug got the Nobel; Swaminathan got the World Food Prize (and the Bharat Ratna — recommended by the National Commission on Farmers he chaired, 2006).
"Garibi Hatao" and the 1971 Landslide
The Congress split of 1969 (Congress-I for Indira vs Congress-O for the Syndicate) led Indira to call snap elections in early 1971 on the populist slogan "Garibi Hatao, Desh Bachao" (Remove Poverty, Save the Country). Congress-I won 352 of 518 Lok Sabha seats — one of the largest electoral victories in Indian history. The 1971 victory was followed by India's decisive win in the Bangladesh war, making Indira Gandhi the most powerful leader since Nehru.
The Allahabad High Court later (12 June 1975) unseated Indira Gandhi on charges of electoral malpractice in this very 1971 election — a judgement that directly triggered the Emergency.
Operation Smiling Buddha (Pokhran I, 1974)
India conducted its first nuclear test on 18 May 1974 at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan — codenamed Operation Smiling Buddha. India described it as a "Peaceful Nuclear Explosion" (PNE). India became the sixth country to test a nuclear device (after USA, USSR, UK, France, China).
Pokhran I (Smiling Buddha) = 18 May 1974 = Indira Gandhi's government. Pokhran II (Operation Shakti) = 11–13 May 1998 = Vajpayee government (five tests; "we are now a nuclear weapons state"). These two tests are completely different events separated by 24 years and different governments.
Major Amendments Under Indira Gandhi
| Amendment | Year | Key Change |
|---|---|---|
| 24th Amendment | 1971 | Parliament's power to amend any part of Constitution including Fundamental Rights (overruling Golak Nath case) |
| 25th Amendment | 1971 | Restricted property right; Article 31C — laws giving effect to DPSP cannot be challenged on FR grounds |
| 26th Amendment | 1971 | Abolished Privy Purses and privileges of former rulers |
| 42nd Amendment | 1976 | "Mini-Constitution" — added Socialist, Secular, Integrity to Preamble; added Fundamental Duties; suspended judicial review (partly); made Emergency harder to revoke |
| 44th Amendment | 1978 | Janata Govt partially reversed 42nd; restored judicial review; Right to Property demoted to legal right (Art 300A) |
Q: Which Constitutional Amendment added the words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' to the Preamble of the Indian Constitution? (a) 40th Amendment (b) 42nd Amendment (c) 44th Amendment (d) 25th Amendment
Answer: (b) — The 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976), passed during the Emergency, added "Socialist", "Secular" and "Integrity" to the Preamble. The original Preamble (1949) did not contain these words.