The phrase ‘Congress system’ was coined by which of the following authors?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → R. Kothari
The period in which the Congress acted both as the ruling party and as the opposition has been described as the ‘Congress system’; the phrase was coined by the political scientist Rajni Kothari.
Note: None of the NCERT books – pre-rationalised, 2023-24, 2025-26 or 2026-27 – says who coined the phrase ‘Congress system’; it comes from an article of 1964 by Rajni Kothari on the Congress ‘system’ in India.
NCERT (2026-27): “Tolerance and management of factions … The system of factions functioned as balancing mechanism within the ruling party. Political competition therefore took place within the Congress. In that sense, in the first decade of electoral competition the Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as the opposition. That is why this period of Indian politics has been described as the ‘Congress system’.” |