What was the main concern of the parties opposed to Congress during the 1960s and 70s?
1) Governmental authority becoming too centralized
2) The Court's support for pro-poor welfare programs
3) Personalization of politics
4) Lack of polarization in Indian politics

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

3

Answer: Personalization of politics
The parties opposed to the Congress felt that politics was becoming too personalized during the 1960s and 70s.

Many changes were taking place in Indian politics since 1967. Indira Gandhi had emerged as a towering leader with tremendous popularity. This was also the period when party competition became bitter and polarised. This period also witnessed tensions in the relationship between the government and the judiciary. The Supreme Court found many initiatives of the government to be violative of the Constitution. The Congress party took the position that this stand of the Court was against principles of democracy and parliamentary supremacy. The Congress also alleged that the Court was a conservative institution and it was becoming an obstacle in the way of implementing pro-poor welfare programmes. The parties opposed to the Congress felt that politics was becoming too personalised and that governmental authority was being converted into personal authority. The split in the Congress had sharpened the divisions between Indira Gandhi and her opponents.