From Mahatma Gandhi to UPA: A Historical Account of Congress’s Suppression of Democracy
Introduction
India is celebrated as the world’s largest democracy, yet its democratic evolution has not always been smooth. Ironically, the party that led the freedom movement—the Indian National Congress—also became the foremost instrument in undermining democratic norms after independence. While much of the blame is placed on Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, the seeds of authoritarianism were sown much earlier, even during the pre-independence phase. This article traces twenty key instances where Congress leaders, from Gandhi onwards, weakened democracy, sidelined institutions, or placed personal authority above collective will.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Early Subversion of Internal Democracy
1. The Resignation of Subhas Chandra Bose (1939)
In 1939, Subhas Chandra Bose contested for the post of Congress President against Mahatma Gandhi’s candidate, Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Bose won decisively, securing the mandate of delegates. Instead of respecting the democratic outcome, Gandhi termed Bose’s victory his “personal defeat.” The pressure mounted by Gandhi’s faction, combined with non-cooperation from Congress Working Committee members, eventually forced Bose to resign. This episode demonstrated that Gandhi’s moral authority often overrode organizational democracy.
2. Blocking Sardar Patel as Prime Minister (1946)
In 1946, when it came to electing the Congress Parliamentary Party leader who would become independent India’s first Prime Minister, the overwhelming majority of Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) nominated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Yet, Mahatma Gandhi intervened to ensure Jawaharlal Nehru was chosen instead. Patel, ever loyal to Mahatma Gandhi, stepped aside, but the process revealed how internal party democracy was sacrificed to satisfy Mahatma Gandhi’s personal preference. This moment set a dangerous precedent: in Congress, individual will could trump institutional mandate.
Nehru’s Consolidation of Power
3. First Amendment to the Constitution (1951)
Barely a year after the Constitution came into force, Nehru piloted the First Amendment. It curtailed freedom of speech, imposed restrictions on the press, and diluted property rights. This amendment showed that the Congress leadership was uncomfortable with the unfettered liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.
4. Preventive Detention Acts
Nehru’s government introduced and liberally used preventive detention laws to silence political dissenters. These laws allowed imprisonment without trial, contradicting the democratic principle of due process.
5. Dismissal of the Kerala Government (1959)
The first democratically elected communist government in the world came to power in Kerala under EMS Namboodiripad. Nehru, under pressure from the Congress high command and interest groups, dismissed the government using Article 356. This misuse of central power became a recurring weapon against opposition-ruled states.
6. Indus Waters Treaty Without Parliamentary Sanction (1960)
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed by Nehru with Pakistan without seeking parliamentary debate or approval. Though diplomatically significant, bypassing Parliament on an issue of national resources revealed Nehru’s tendency to sidestep democratic scrutiny.
Indira Gandhi and the Darkest Phase of Indian Democracy
7. Crushing Inner-Party Democracy (1969)
Indira Gandhi’s split with the “Syndicate” in 1969 signaled the transformation of Congress into a personality-centric party. She sidelined senior leaders and converted the organization into a vehicle for her authority, killing internal checks and balances.
8. Supersession of Judges (1973)
After the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment that limited Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution, Indira Gandhi retaliated by superseding three senior judges to appoint Justice A.N. Ray as Chief Justice of India. This act shook the independence of the judiciary.
9. The Emergency (1975–77)
Following her conviction in the Allahabad High Court for electoral malpractices, Indira Gandhi declared Emergency. For 21 months, democracy was suspended:
- Fundamental rights were curtailed.
- Opposition leaders were jailed.
- The press was censored.
- Elections were postponed.
This remains the most direct and devastating assault on Indian democracy.
10. Mass Sterilisation Campaign (1976)
During Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi spearheaded a coercive sterilisation drive. Poor citizens were rounded up, often forcibly, undermining their basic human rights.
11. Censorship of the Press
The Emergency years saw complete censorship. Newspapers like The Indian Express and The Statesman had to leave blank spaces where censored articles would have appeared—a powerful reminder of freedom suppressed.
12. The 42nd Amendment (1976)
Often called the “mini-Constitution,” the 42nd Amendment sought to entrench authoritarianism. It curtailed judicial review, extended the life of Parliament, and tilted the balance of power overwhelmingly towards the executive.
Rajiv Gandhi’s Authoritarian Tendencies
13. The Shah Bano Reversal (1986)
When the Supreme Court upheld the right of Shah Bano, a Muslim woman, to alimony, Rajiv Gandhi’s government nullified the judgment through legislation under pressure from conservative groups. This undermined judicial authority and compromised secular principles.
14. The Anti-Defamation Bill (1988)
Rajiv Gandhi attempted to introduce a bill that would have severely restricted the freedom of the press. Strong protests from journalists and civil society forced him to withdraw, but the attempt itself revealed the government’s disdain for criticism.
15. Suppression During Bofors Scandal
When the Bofors scandal broke, implicating senior Congress figures, the government sought to intimidate journalists and whistle-blowers. This again showed intolerance to accountability.
Congress in the Post-Nehru-Gandhi Era
16. Abuse of Article 356 Against State Governments
Even after Indira, Congress governments continued to misuse Article 356 to dismiss opposition-ruled states. Between 1951 and 1993, Article 356 was invoked over 90 times, with Congress responsible for the overwhelming majority. The Supreme Court’s S.R. Bommai judgment (1994) finally placed checks on this abuse.
17. Ordinance Raj
During UPA rule, ordinances were excessively used to bypass Parliament. Laws of major significance were pushed without democratic debate, weakening the role of the legislature.
18. Crackdown on the Lokpal Movement (2011)
When Anna Hazare and civil society activists demanded an anti-corruption Lokpal, the Congress-led UPA government responded with police crackdowns, arrests of protestors, and restrictions on peaceful assembly. The hostility towards mass democratic mobilization was evident.
19. Shielding Corruption in 2G, Coalgate, and CWG Scams
Investigations into mega-scams during the UPA years revealed misuse of institutions like the CBI to shield ruling party leaders. Transparency was denied in Parliament, and accountability diluted.
20. Weakening Federalism
The Congress’s centralising tendencies were evident in its approach to federalism. States ruled by opposition parties often complained of discrimination in allocation of funds, while central agencies were deployed selectively against rivals.
Conclusion
From the sidelining of Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 to the Emergency of 1975, from Nehru’s constitutional restrictions to UPA’s crackdown on protest movements, the Congress Party’s record reveals a consistent pattern: when faced with challenges to its authority, it preferred to crush democracy rather than respect it.
The story of Congress’s suppression of democracy is not one of isolated incidents, but of a culture—nurtured first by Mahatma Gandhi’s moral dominance, consolidated by Nehru’s centralism, institutionalized by Indira’s authoritarianism, and perpetuated by later Congress regimes. It is a reminder that democracy in India has survived not because of Congress, but despite it, thanks to the resilience of institutions, courts, the press, and above all, the people.
Comments are closed.