Read the passage and answer the questions:
The 1980s also saw the rise of political organisation of the Dalits. In 1978 the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) was formed. This organisation was not an ordinary trade union of government employees. It took a strong position in favour of political power to the ‘bahujan’ – the SC, ST, OBC and minorities. It was out of this that the subsequent Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti and later the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) emerged under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. The other long-term development during this period was the visible rise of politics based on religious identity leading to a debate about secularism and democracy. After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of 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. BJP embraced ‘Gandhian’ Socialism along with cultural nationalism as its ideology. But it did not get much success in the elections held in 1984. After 1986, the party began to emphasise nationalism as the core of its ideology. The BJP also pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ for political mobilisation.
Two developments around 1986 became central to the politics of BJP. The first was the Shah Bano case in 1985. In this case a 62-year old divorced Muslim woman, had filed a case for maintenance from her former husband. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Shah Bano. The orthodox Muslims saw the Supreme Court’s order as an interference in Muslim Personal Law. On the demand of some Muslim leaders, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgement. The Ayodhya issue, as the second significant development, was deeply rooted in socio-cultural and political history of the country pertaining to different perspectives from various stakeholders.
Which one of the following statements is not correct regarding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It emerged out of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1978.
Option (1) It emerged out of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1978. False. After the fall and break-up of the Janata Party, the supporters of the erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the BJP in 1980. The year 1978 in the passage belongs to BAMCEF, not to the BJP.
Option (2) It embraced ‘Gandhian’ Socialism along with cultural nationalism as its ideology. True.
Option (3) It did not get much success in the 1984 elections. True.
Option (4) It also pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ for political mobilisation. True.
Note: This passage is taken almost word for word from the NCERT chapter ‘Recent Developments in Indian Politics’, from the sections ‘Political fallouts’ and ‘Communalism, Secularism, Democracy’. NTA stitched two sections of the chapter into one case study, so read the chapter section by section, without skipping any part.
NCERT (2025-26): “Communalism, Secularism, Democracy The other long-term development during this period was the visible rise of politics based on religious identity leading to a debate about secularism and democracy. We noted in Chapter Six that in the aftermath of the Emergency, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh had merged with the Janata Party. After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of 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. BJP embraced ‘Gandhian’ Socialism’ along with cultural nationalism as its ideology. But it did not get much success in the elections held in 1984. After 1986, the party began to emphasise nationalism as the core of its ideology. The BJP also pursued the politics of ‘Hindutva’ for political mobilisation.…” |