The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89
Modern History › India After Nehru · Topic 32.6
Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister on 31 October 1984 and won over 400 Lok Sabha seats in December 1984. His term saw the anti-Sikh riots, the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Anti-Defection Act, accords on Punjab, Assam and Mizoram, technology missions, the National Policy on Education of 1986, and controversies over the Shah Bano case, the Ayodhya locks and Bofors, and the IPKF in Sri Lanka. The Congress lost in November 1989.
10 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · India After Nehru
At a Glance
- Prime Minister 31 October 1984 to December 1989
- 1984 election Congress (I) won over 400 seats
- Accords Punjab (July 1985), Assam (August 1985), Mizoram (1986)
- Sri Lanka Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, 29 July 1987; IPKF
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: India After Nehru
Where Does It Fit?
This is the sixth topic of the category on India after Nehru. The previous topic covered Indira Gandhi’s second term. This topic covers the Rajiv Gandhi years from 1984 to 1989. The next topic covers V.P. Singh, the Mandal Commission and the Chandra Shekhar government. Previous topic: Indira Gandhi, 1980-84: Punjab Turmoil and Operation Blue Star.
What Were the First Crises?
As the news of Indira Gandhi’s death spread, sporadic violence deepened by 1 November into organised mob violence against Sikhs, mostly in the resettlement colonies of north Delhi, with some looting and killing in better-off localities as well. According to Ramachandra Guha and newspaper reports of the time, the mobs drew on groups such as sweepers, Jat farmers and Gujjar pastoralists from the city’s fringes, thousands of Sikhs were killed, and witnesses said several Congress leaders instigated them. The police either turned a blind eye or helped, and the army was ordered into action only on 3 November, after the riots had gone on for two days. In a speech on 19 November, Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Rajiv Gandhi said that when a great tree falls the earth around it shakes, which many took to justify the riots. The Delhi High Court in 2009 said the role of the police and state machinery made the nation hang its head in shame, and many Hindus hid and helped Sikh families. The cause of the assassination is in Indira Gandhi, 1980-84: Punjab Turmoil and Operation Blue Star.
On 3 December 1984 a leak of methyl isocyanate gas from the pesticide plant of Union Carbide at Bhopal killed thousands and left many more impaired for life, mostly in neighbouring slums and villages. It was one of the worst industrial tragedies in the world. The company tried to shift responsibility to its Indian subsidiary, the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act of March 1985 made the government the sole representative of victims, and under the Supreme Court Union Carbide agreed to pay 470 million dollars as a full and final settlement, a sum based on a lower count of claimants. There were allegations that American pressure led to the release of the Union Carbide chairman, Warren Anderson.
What Did the 1984 Election and the First Reforms Bring?
Rajiv Gandhi recommended early elections, which were held in December 1984 and not January 1985. The Congress (I) won more than 400 seats, the largest majority in the history of the Lok Sabha, partly from sympathy and largely from a wish to keep extremism and separatism down. He was the youngest Prime Minister. In March 1985 the Congress (I) won eight of eleven state assemblies. In January 1985 the Anti-Defection Act disqualified an elected legislator who joined another party before the next election, aimed at curbing bribery of MPs and MLAs to change sides. The 52nd Amendment inserted the Tenth Schedule. He promised to curb incompetence, corruption and sycophancy in the party, brought modern management techniques and younger people into decision-making, and tried to cut red tape, but the Congress culture was too entrenched.
| Area | Steps |
|---|---|
| Environment | The Environment Protection Act of 1986 created the Ministry of Environment and Forests with power to close or regulate industry; 1987 amendments to the Factories Act on hazardous processes; Hazardous Waste Rules of 1989; Public Liability Insurance Act of 1991 came later |
| Panchayats | A constitutional amendment for regular panchayat elections failed in his term but led to the later amendments |
| Economy | The first budget by V.P. Singh simplified licensing, cut some import duties, reduced tax rates and loosened curbs on company assets; by the end of his term he returned to populism with higher taxes on consumer durables and air travel; in April 1989 the NREP and RLEGP were merged into the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana |
| Technology missions | Six missions on drinking water, dairy, edible oil, immunisation, literacy and telecommunications; Sam Pitroda led the telecom mission and chaired the Telecom Commission; MTNL was set up; computerisation was helped by lower duties on components and liberal rules, and India became a software exporter |
| Education, 1986 | The new National Policy on Education stressed removal of disparities and equal opportunity; Operation Blackboard for primary schools; IGNOU; Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district; the first national policy had been in 1968 |
How Were the Regional Disputes Handled?
| State | Settlement or problem |
|---|---|
| Punjab | Rajiv Gandhi and Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal signed an accord in July 1985; Longowal was shot dead in August; the Akali Dal won the September elections; militancy continued, and Operation Black Thunder in May 1988 flushed militants from the Golden Temple, led by police under J.F. Ribeiro and K.P.S. Gill; Chandigarh remained unresolved |
| Assam | The Assam Accord with the All Assam Students Union was signed on 15 August 1985; the AASU became the Asom Gana Parishad and won the December elections; the Bodo agitation under the All-Bodo Students Union continued |
| Mizoram | A 1986 agreement ended the Mizo rebellion; Laldenga became Chief Minister and Mizoram became the 23rd state in February 1987 |
| Darjeeling and Tripura | Subhash Ghisingh’s Gorkha National Liberation Front accepted an autonomous council; in August 1988 the Tripura National Volunteers signed a memorandum to give up violence and secession |
| Kashmir | A Congress-National Conference arrangement in 1986 and elections in 1987 marked by rigging against the Muslim United Front, which alienated people and began the militancy of the Kashmir youth turning to Pakistan |
What Were the Negative Episodes?
In 1985 the Supreme Court, in the case of Shah Bano, a Muslim divorcee, held under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code that she was entitled to maintenance, that the section prevailed over personal law, and that a uniform civil code would help national integration. Conservative Muslims protested, and the government yielded by introducing the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Bill in 1986, which passed with a whip, limiting maintenance to the iddat period of three months and putting the burden on relatives or the Wakf Board. Arif Mohammed Khan, who had opposed the earlier private bill, resigned in protest.
The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was used by Muslims, with a platform outside where Hindus worshipped Ram; an idol was placed inside in 1949 and the premises were locked. In the 1980s the Vishwa Hindu Parishad launched a campaign for a temple, and on 1 February 1986 the Faizabad district judge ordered the doors opened. It was believed that the government opened them almost at once with television cameras present, to balance the Muslim Women’s Act, but the initiative passed to the Sangh Parivar and demands to demolish the mosque grew. As analysts warned, appeasement of communities for electoral gain was a vicious cycle. This led to the later events in The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj.
In March 1986 India signed an agreement with the Swedish firm AB Bofors for 400 howitzers of 155 mm worth about 285 million dollars (about Rs 1,500 crore). In April 1987 a Swedish radio report claimed bribes were paid to Indian politicians and officials, and the correspondent Chitra Subramaniam of The Hindu reported that over Rs 64 crore was paid, with the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi among the names. V.P. Singh, moved from finance to defence, was left out of the cabinet. Rajiv Gandhi declared in Parliament that no bribe was paid and no middleman involved, but his image as Mr Clean suffered. In July 1988 he introduced a defamation bill to restrict the press, which was dropped after protests. The severe drought of 1987 and farmers’ organisations such as Sharad Joshi’s Shetkari Sanghatana in Maharashtra and Mahendra Singh Tikait’s Bharatiya Kisan Union in Punjab and Haryana, which represented mainly rich and middle farmers, added to the discontent.
What Was Rajiv Gandhi’s Foreign Policy?
He improved relations with the United States and expanded scientific and economic ties, reportedly used a private channel to President Reagan that led to cancellation of AWACS supplies to Pakistan, and in June 1988 presented an Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free and Non-Violent World Order at the UN. The navy helped to avert a coup in Seychelles in 1986 (Operation Flowers Are Blooming) and in the Maldives in 1988 (Operation Cactus). In 1987 India re-occupied the Quaid Post in Siachen in Operation Rajiv. In December 1988 he became the first Prime Minister since Nehru in 1954 to visit China, after a standoff at Sumdorong Chu in 1986-87, and the two countries agreed to a joint working group on the boundary and a joint economic group.
In Sri Lanka the Tamils, a minority in the north, faced discrimination after Sinhala was made the only official language, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam under Velupillai Prabhakaran became the leading militant group. The LTTE used Tamil Nadu as a refuge. When Sri Lankan forces besieged Jaffna, India air-dropped relief supplies on 4 June 1987 in Operation Poomalai after the Sri Lankan navy turned back a flotilla, and the siege was lifted. On 29 July 1987 Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayewardene signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord at Colombo, which provided for devolution to Tamil areas, withdrawal of Sri Lankan troops to barracks, surrender of arms by the militants and the recognition of Tamil as an official language. The Tamil groups were not party to the talks. The Indian Peace Keeping Force was sent to the north and east, the LTTE refused to surrender arms, and the IPKF fought it at heavy cost, captured Jaffna, but could not defeat guerrillas in the jungle. The IPKF episode is linked to Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination at Sriperumbudur on 21 May 1991 by an LTTE suicide bomber. The earlier relations are in India and Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
How Did the Government Lose in 1989?
V.P. Singh left the Congress and floated the Jan Morcha with Arun Nehru and Arif Mohammed Khan, which merged with the Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress (S) into the Janata Dal. The Janata Dal joined regional parties such as the DMK, Telugu Desam and Asom Gana Parishad in the National Front. In the November 1989 elections the opposition was consolidated and the Congress, hurt by corruption charges, fell back though it remained the largest party. It was the first election in which no party won a majority, the start of a period of coalitions. Rajiv Gandhi resigned in December 1989 and the Congress chose to sit in opposition. The next government is in V.P. Singh, Mandal Commission and the Chandra Shekhar Government.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Accords and Acts Years and signatories are frequent Prelims facts
- Controversies Shah Bano, Ayodhya and Bofors are standard GS themes
- Technology and education The 1986 policy and the telecom mission
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the V.P. Singh government, the Mandal Commission report and the Chandra Shekhar government. Next topic: V.P. Singh, Mandal Commission and the Chandra Shekhar Government.
Key People and Terms
- Anti-Defection Act 1985 law on disqualification for changing parties
- Punjab Accord Rajiv-Longowal agreement of July 1985
- Assam Accord Signed with AASU on 15 August 1985
- IPKF Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka
- Operation Black Thunder Police operation at the Golden Temple, May 1988
- Shah Bano case 1985 maintenance judgment
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Over 400 seats in December 1984.
- Bhopal: 3 December 1984; Anti-Defection Act: 1985.
- Punjab Accord July 1985; Assam Accord 15 August 1985.
- Indo-Sri Lanka Accord: 29 July 1987.
- Ayodhya locks opened 1 February 1986.
Do Not Confuse With
- Blue Star and Black Thunder Army action in 1984 versus police operation in 1988
- Punjab Accord and Assam Accord Longowal in July 1985 versus AASU in August 1985
- Operation Poomalai and the IPKF Relief drop of June 1987 versus the force sent after the July accord
Memory Hook
A landslide, a gas leak, a law against defection, three accords and a force sent abroad.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about positive steps and the failures of the Rajiv Gandhi years. These points add depth.
- Reform Technology and local government
- Settlements Regional accords
- Mistakes Shah Bano, Ayodhya, Bofors
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Evaluate the achievements and failures of the Rajiv Gandhi government of 1984-89.”
How to Answer
- Mandate 1984 election.
- Positive steps Law, technology, accords.
- Failures Controversies and the IPKF.
- Conclude Defeat in 1989.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Anti-Defection Act of 1985 do?
Passed in January 1985, it disqualified an elected member of a legislature at the Centre or state who joined an opposition party before the next election, aiming to curb corruption and bribery of legislators to change sides and manipulate numbers to form governments.
What was the Bhopal gas tragedy?
On 3 December 1984 a leak of toxic methyl isocyanate from the Union Carbide pesticide plant at Bhopal killed thousands and left many impaired for life, and a settlement of 470 million dollars was later reached under the Supreme Court, which many considered too low.
What was the Shah Bano case?
In 1985 the Supreme Court upheld maintenance for Shah Bano, a Muslim divorcee, under Section 125 of the CrPC, and after Muslim protests the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act in 1986, which overturned the judgment.
What was the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987?
Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayewardene signed it on 29 July 1987, providing for devolution to Tamil areas, surrender of militant arms and Tamil as an official language; the Indian Peace Keeping Force was sent to enforce it and fought the LTTE at heavy cost.
What was the Bofors scandal?
It arose from the 1986 deal with the Swedish firm Bofors for 400 howitzers, after a Swedish radio report in April 1987 and press investigations alleged that bribes had been paid to top Indian politicians and officials, which seriously damaged Rajiv Gandhi's image.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Congress (I) won more than 400 Lok Sabha seats in the elections of December 1984.
It was the largest majority till then.
2 The Assam Accord was signed on 15 August 1985.
The AASU became the Asom Gana Parishad.
3 The Muslim Women Act of 1986 supported the Shah Bano judgment.
It overturned it.
4 Mizoram became the 23rd state in February 1987.
Laldenga became Chief Minister.
5 The IPKF was withdrawn by Rajiv Gandhi before the 1989 election.
V.P. Singh recalled it after taking office.
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