V.P. Singh, Mandal Commission and the Chandra Shekhar Government

At a Glance

• V.P. Singh Sworn in 2 December 1989; resigned November 1990
• Mandal announcement 7 August 1990; 27 per cent reservation
• Chandra Shekhar 10 November 1990 to June 1991
• 1991 election Rajiv Gandhi assassinated 21 May 1991; Congress 244 seats
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: India After Nehru

Where Does It Fit?

This is the seventh topic of the category on India after Nehru. The previous topic covered the Rajiv Gandhi years. This topic covers the short governments of V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar. The next topic covers the Narasimha Rao years. Previous topic: The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89.

How Was the National Front Government Formed?

After the 1989 elections the National Front lacked a majority but staked a claim and formed the government with outside support from the BJP and the Left parties. Vishwanath Pratap Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on 2 December 1989. Rajiv Gandhi, as head of the Congress, became the Leader of the Opposition. After state elections in March 1990 the coalition obtained control of both Houses. One of its first decisions was to recall the Indian Peace Keeping Force from Sri Lanka, as in The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89. V.P. Singh was Prime Minister for less than a year but faced major problems.

What Happened in Kashmir?

In December 1989 militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front kidnapped the daughter of the Union home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and the Centre yielded and released jailed militants. The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen under Syed Salahuddin, who had left mainstream politics after the rigged elections of 1987 and wanted an Islamic state, soon sidelined the JKLF. As armed attacks grew, the Centre sent in forces and changed the governor, appointing Jagmohan. A series of incidents turned many Kashmiris towards the militants, religion became important, and the Kashmiri Pandits, who shared a common culture with the Muslims of the Valley, were targeted and many were killed. They left the Valley for Jammu and beyond and became refugees in their own land, many remaining in camps. The background is in The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89.

What Was the Mandal Commission Report and Why Was It Implemented?

The Mandal Commission, officially the Backward Classes Commission, appointed during the Janata rule, submitted its report in December 1980, and the Congress governments of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi quietly shelved it. It held that caste and backwardness were linked and that the other backward castes, though a large part of the population, had very low representation in administration, especially at higher levels. Its main recommendation was reservation of 27 per cent of jobs in central government for these castes, beyond the quota for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, with the same age relaxation as for them.

V.P. Singh thought implementing the report would win the large vote bank of OBCs, with rising leaders such as Lalu Yadav in Bihar and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, and would consolidate the caste coalition behind the Janata Dal in the north. Southern states already reserved many jobs for non-Brahmins without loss of efficiency, as supporters of the report pointed out. On 7 August 1990 he announced in Parliament that the government had accepted the report and would implement 27 per cent reservation at all levels of central services for the socially and educationally backward classes identified by the Commission. The government’s order met large protests, including self-immolation attempts and suicides by upper-caste youths, which were intense in the north and mild in the south, where reservation was old and industry offered other jobs. The Commission’s origin is in The Janata Party Years, 1977-80.

Why Did the Government Fall?

The BJP was divided about the Mandal move: some saw it as a plan to fragment Hindu society and others felt OBC aspirations had to be met. It decided to use the mandir card to mobilise Hindus. Its president L.K. Advani set out in September 1990 on a Ram Rath Yatra, a van converted to look like a chariot, from Somnath, to end at Ayodhya after touring several states. V.P. Singh faced a dilemma, because stopping or allowing the procession would harm the government. It was left to the Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to stop it: he had Advani arrested for disturbing peace and detained in a guest house as the procession passed through Bihar. Many kar sevaks were also arrested by the Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh, and clashes occurred between security forces and supporters of the temple and communal clashes followed. The BJP withdrew support, V.P. Singh lost the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha and resigned in November 1990. The Ayodhya dispute is in The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89 and The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj. As an analytical point, the two moves of 1990, the reservation order and the Rath Yatra, show how the politics of caste and the politics of religion competed for the same voters, a theme often summed up as Mandal to Mandir.

What Did the Chandra Shekhar Government Do?

As the V.P. Singh government was about to fall, Chandra Shekhar and Devi Lal left the Janata Dal to form the Samajwadi Janata Party. The Congress offered outside support, as it had to Charan Singh earlier, to a minority government led by Chandra Shekhar, who had only 64 MPs. He won a confidence vote and was sworn in on 10 November 1990. The precedent is in The Janata Party Years, 1977-80.

The economy was in poor shape, with foreign exchange reserves dangerously low. The crisis came from large fiscal imbalances through the 1980s and loans from world institutions and from the market, which created a heavy debt. India struggled to finance essential imports of oil and fertiliser and to repay official debt, and the Gulf war pushed up oil prices. By January 1991 the government, with Yashwant Sinha as finance minister, persuaded the IMF to approve two loans in return for a promise of economic reform in the February budget. In mid-February the Congress withdrew support on weak grounds, so the minority government could not present a full budget. In March 1991 the country had to pledge its gold reserves to manage the foreign exchange position. Rating agencies placed India on watch, short-term funds could not be raised, and there was a danger of default. Chandra Shekhar, though only a caretaker Prime Minister, authorised the move to pledge gold to raise money. It caused a public outcry and criticism that it humiliated India, but it helped meet the balance of payments crisis and let the next government begin reform.

Chandra Shekhar resigned in March 1991, the Lok Sabha was dissolved, and President R. Venkataraman asked him to continue as caretaker Prime Minister until June.

What Happened in the 1991 Elections?

The first phase of the 1991 general elections took place in May, covering 211 constituencies. On the night of 21 May Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, and the remaining phases were held in June. The results varied between the phases: the Congress did poorly in the constituencies that voted before the assassination and remarkably well in those that voted afterwards, reflecting sympathy and horror at the death of the young leader. The act by the LTTE ended the group’s support in India. The Congress became the largest party with 244 seats, short of a majority, and the BJP improved on its earlier performance. The new government and its reforms are in The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Mandal recommendations 27 per cent and the 1992 judgment are standard facts
• Mandal to Mandir The interplay of caste and religion in politics
• 1991 crisis Background to the economic reforms

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Narasimha Rao years, with economic reform and the constitutional status of local government. Next topic: The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj.

Key People and Terms

• National Front Coalition led by the Janata Dal in 1989
• Mandal Commission Backward Classes Commission of 1979-80
• Rath Yatra Advani’s yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, 1990
• Samajwadi Janata Party Chandra Shekhar and Devi Lal’s party
• Gold pledge Pledging of reserves in March 1991
• Kashmiri Pandits Community that left the Valley in the 1990s

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the Mandal report and the instability of the period. These points add depth.

• Social justice OBC reservation
• Communal mobilisation Rath Yatra
• Crisis Balance of payments