What is the indian national congress
In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and was succeeded as president by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Another split occurred in 1979, leading to the creation of the Congress (I), which was recognised as the Congress by the Electoral Commission in 1981. However, backlash against the Emergency and the uniting of several opposition parties into the Janata Party led to the Congress being defeated in the 1977 Indian general election. The Congress (R) became the dominant faction, winning a strong victory in the 1971 Indian general election. In 1969, the party suffered a major split, with a faction led by Indira Gandhi leaving to form the Congress (R), leaving the remainder as the Congress (O). During her tenure, the Congress shifted to the left. After Nehru's death and the short tenure of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became the leader of the party. During this time, the Congress generally advocated socialist policies, and established a secular state. There have been six Congress Prime Ministers, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964), and the most recent Manmohan Singh (2004–2014).Īfter Indian independence, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party under Nehru, dominating Indian politics for the next 20 years. As of 2021, in the 17 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on seven occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further three times, heading the central government for more than 54 years. On social issues, it advocates secular policies that encourage equal opportunity, right to health, civil liberty and welfare of weaker sections and minorities, with support for a mixed economy. It is a " big tent" party whose platform is generally considered to lie in the centre to centre-left of Indian politics. The Congress today is one of the two major political parties in India, along with its main rival the Bharatiya Janata Party. Due to its enduring history, the Congress is often called the "grand old party". Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and powerfully influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots.