The political processes that are unfolding around us after the 1990s show the emergence of broadly four groups of parties- parties that are in coalition with the Congress; parties that are in alliance with the BJP; Left Front parties; and other parties who are not part of any of these three. The situation suggests that political competition will be multi-cornered. By implication, the situation also assumes a divergence of political ideologies.

Which of the following statements is correct about the consensus on development plans after independence in India?

a- Initially, the BJP adopted a broader political platform than that of the Jana Sangh.
b- BJP had a lot of success in the elections held in 1980 and 1984.

Only Statement a is correct.

After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of the erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) in 1980. Initially, the BJP adopted a broader political platform than that of the Jana Sangh. It embraced ‘Gandhian Socialism’ as its ideology. But it did not get much success in the elections held in 1980 and 1984. After 1986, the party began to emphasise the Hindu nationalist element in its ideology. The BJP pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ and adopted the strategy of mobilising the Hindus.