What were the problems faced by the Indian Constitution makers just after independence
Answers
Explanation:
15th August 1947 marked the end of colonial rule in India and the country found itself standing on the threshold of a new era wherein the task was to build a strong nation. While India found itself independent from the British, it was still to find independence from social, economic and political problems that had started to become a rock in the way of its growth. The problems that India faced right after independence can be divided into three phases:
Phase 1: 1947-1967
Phase 2: 1967-1977
Phase3: 1977-1984.
Phase 1 ( 1947- 1967)
India primarily these issues during this phase:
The division of assets: Tensions stretched to a breaking point with Pakistan over the division of assets. According to the Indo- Pakistan financial settlement of 1947 India had to pay rupees 55 crores as the latter’s share of the assets.
The Refugee Problem: The partition of India gave way to the refugee problem. By mid-1948 about 5.5 million non-Muslims had moved into India and a very large number of Muslims had left India for Pakistan. According to the Indian government, the non-Muslims left behind property worth 500 crores in west Pakistan whereas the Muslim losses in India are put to 100 crores.
Origin of the Kashmir Problem: The Maharaja Hari Singh was a Hindu while 75% of the population was that of Muslims. Kashmir was strategically important for both India and Pakistan, however, the famous movement lead by Sheik Abdullah waned integration with India. The Maharaja, on the other hand, feared democracy in India and communalism in Pakistan, thus hoping to stay independent.
Foundation of the Indian Democracy:The first general elections in India which were held in 1952 was a landmark event in the history of the state which marked the establishment of the Indian democracy. It was held over a period of 4 months from October 1951 to February 1952. Congress got more than 70% of the votes polled.
Linguistic Reorganization: Boundaries of the British Indian provinces had been drawn and redrawn in a haphazard manner without any thought to cultural and linguistic cohesion. Most provinces were multilingual and multicultural and after independence, many former princely states were absorbed into them. There was a demand for linguistically homogeneous provinces.
The Indus Water Dispute: The dispute started in 1960. The dispute arose because Indus and its tributaries flow through both India and Pakistan. West Pakistan and West India were both dependent on Indus and its tributaries for water, power supply, and irrigation. These rivers rise in India and the canal system is also in India. Partition cut through a complex and unified system of canals.
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Phase 2 ( 1967-1977)
The problems that India faced after independence in this phase were as follows:
The Elections of 1967
In 1967 elections were held in February. This time the popularity of the Indian National Congress had declined considerably although the INC did win for the fourth time. The number of seats won was less. The reason behind the dismissal show of the Congress was the death of two prominent leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Lal Bahadur Shastri. There were also internal problems in the party. The most important feature of the elections of 1967 was the coming together of the opposition parties.
Naxal Movement
The Naxalite Movement was a revolutionary movement that was started by the Naxalbari in Bengal another group of Maoist themed activities in Andra Pradesh the AndraNaxalitess were mainly active in two regions Telangana and Srikakulam bordering Odisha in both the regions the area of dispute was land and forest.
The main victims were the tribals and the peasants. The movement was violent. In Srikakulam, the struggle was led by a school teacher. He led the tribals in a series of labour strikes, seized grains from the rich farmers and redistributed it to the needy. In Telangana, the struggle was led by a veteran of the communist movement. The Naxalites formed a new party called the – CPI Maonist.
Emergency
The government responded to the JP Movement by declaring National Emergency which was the greatest threat to India’s democratic foundation. From 1973 there was a sharp decline in the economic situation, a combination of growing unemployment, rampant inflation, and scarcity of basic food and essential commodities created a serious crisis.
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