The BJP is a direct successor of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS, Indian Peoples Union), founded in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a nationalist leader, former Union Minister and freedom-fighter. It was considered the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.Formed to suppress the congress ideology But the fortunes of the young party took a dip in 1953, when Mookherjee was jailed in Kashmir by then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. After his death in custody, the BJS lasted for 24 more years, but never seriously challenged the power of Indian National Congress, the only well-structured political party since Indias independence. It did however groom future political leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani.. When Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency in 1975, postponing elections and making contested use of major central powers granted to her by the Constitution, the BJS joined a coalition of parties in active protest. Several of its leaders were arrested. But when elections were called in 1977, the BJS invested all its political and organizational capital in merging into the new Janata Party, a unified opposition party. A mixture of socialists, regionalists, and former Congressmen, the party was united in its opposition to the Emergency and Indira Gandhi. The Janata Party defeated Indira Gandhis Congress Party in a landslide victory and formed a government under Morarji Desais leadership. Vajpayee, the most senior BJS leader, became Minister for External Affairs, while Lal Krishna Advani became the Minister for Information and Broadcasting. The Janata Party government lasted for only two years, and following its collapse, Indira Gandhis Congress came back to power. When the Janata Party imploded, the nucleus of the BJS reorganised themselves in 1980 BJP born
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 07:26:57 +0000
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