Editing Indian National Congress (section)

== Post-independence ==
After Indian independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress became the dominant political party in the country. In 1952, in the [[1951 Indian general election|first general election]] held after Independence, the party swept to power in the national parliament and most state legislatures. It held power nationally until 1977 when it was defeated by the Janata coalition. It returned to power in 1980 and ruled until 1989 when it was once again defeated. The party formed the government in 1991 at the head of a coalition, as well as in 2004 and 2009 when it led the United Progressive Alliance. During this period the Congress remained centre-left in its social policies while steadily shifting from a socialist to a [[neoliberal]] economic outlook.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/captains-musings/new-year-aspirations-can-india-hope-for-a-centrist-progressive-liberal-party/ |title=New year aspirations – Can India hope for a centrist progressive liberal party? |date=28 December 2015 |work=The Times of India |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> The Party's rivals at state level have been national parties including the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (CPIM), and various regional parties, such as the [[Telugu Desam Party]], [[All India Trinamool Congress|Trinamool Congress]] and [[Aam Aadmi Party]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Why India's opposition is nearly irrelevant |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2017/04/28/why-indias-opposition-is-nearly-irrelevant |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |access-date=6 June 2018 |date=28 April 2017}}</ref>

A post-[[Partition of India|partition]] successor to the party survived as the [[Pakistan National Congress]], a party which represented the rights of religious minorities in the state. The party's support was strongest in the Bengali-speaking province of [[East Pakistan]]. After the Bangladeshi War of Independence, it became known as the [[Bangladeshi National Congress]], but was dissolved in 1975 by the government.<ref name="A">{{cite book|title=Major governments of Asia|author1=George McTurnan Kahin |author2=Harold C. Hinton|publisher=[[Cornell University]] Press|page=439|year=1958}}</ref><ref name="B">{{cite book|title=Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations: Asia and Australasia|author=Moshe Y. Sachs|publisher=Worldmark Press|year=1967}}</ref><ref name="C">{{cite book|title=War and Secession: Pakistan, India and the Creation of Bangladesh|author1=Richard Sisson |author2=Leo E. Rose|publisher=University of California Press|pages=1–15|year=1991|isbn=978-0-520-07665-5}}</ref>

=== Nehru era (1947–1964) ===
{{see also|First Nehru ministry|Second Nehru ministry|Third Nehru ministry|Fourth Nehru ministry}}
[[File:Nehrucon.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption |[[Jawaharlal Nehru]] signing the [[Indian Constitution]] c.1950]]
From 1951 until his death in 1964, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] was the paramount leader of the party. Congress gained power in landslide victories in the general elections of 1951–52, 1957, and 1962.<ref name=career>{{cite web|title=Nehru Years in Indian Politics|url=http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/38480/WP16_Suranjan_Das.pdf |author=Suranjan Das |year=2001 |publisher=School of Social and Political Science, Edinburgh|access-date=23 June 2014|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105051/http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/38480/WP16_Suranjan_Das.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> During his tenure, Nehru implemented policies based on [[import substitution industrialisation]], and advocated a [[mixed economy]] where the government-controlled [[public sector]] co-existed with the [[private sector]].<ref name="economic policy">{{cite web|title=Economic Ideology of Jawaharlal Nehru|url=http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/1964_16/29-30-31/economic_ideology_of_jawaharlal_nehru.pdf |publisher=Economic and Political Weekly|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> He believed the establishment of basic and heavy industries was fundamental to the development and modernisation of the Indian economy.<ref name=career /> The Nehru government directed investment primarily into key public sector industries—steel, iron, coal, and power—promoting their development with subsidies and protectionist policies.<ref name="economic policy" /> Nehru embraced secularism, [[socialistic]] economic practices based on state-driven industrialisation, and a [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-aligned]] and non-confrontational foreign policy that became typical of the modern Congress Party.<ref name=root>{{cite news|title=History of Indian Economy Part II|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-why-jawaharlal-nehru-is-the-root-cause-of-indias-economic-troubles-1564479|access-date=23 June 2014|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |date=11 July 2011}}</ref> The policy of non-alignment during the [[Cold War]] meant Nehru received financial and technical support from both the [[Eastern Bloc|Eastern]] and [[Western Bloc]]s to build India's industrial base from nothing.<ref name=movement>{{cite news|title=Nehru: Founding member of The non-aligned movement|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/574242.stm|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=Non-Aligned>{{cite web|title=History and Evolution of Non-Aligned Movement|url=http://mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?20349/History+and+Evolution+of+NonAligned+Movement|website=mea.gov.in|publisher=Ministry of External Affairs, [[Government of India]]|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref>

During his period in office, there were four known assassination attempts on Nehru.<ref name="Sahgal2010">{{cite book|author=Nayantara Sahgal|title=Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilizing a Savage World|url={{Google books|KycnN-MlfY4C|page=PA58|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 January 2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-670-08357-2|page=58}}</ref> The first attempt on his life was during partition in 1947 while he was visiting the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North-West Frontier Province]] in a car. The second was by a knife-wielding rickshaw-puller in Maharashtra in 1955.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite book|author=Nayantara Sahgal|title=Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilizing a Savage World|url={{Google books|KycnN-MlfY4C|page=PA58|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 January 2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-670-08357-2|page=60}}</ref> A third attempt happened in [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]] in 1956.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite book|author=Nayantara Sahgal|title=Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilizing a Savage World|url={{Google books|KycnN-MlfY4C|page=PA58|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 January 2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-670-08357-2|page=61}}</ref> The fourth was a failed bombing attempt on railway tracks in Maharashtra in 1961.<ref name="Sahgal2010" /> Despite threats to his life, Nehru despised having excess security personnel around him and did not like his movements to disrupt traffic.<ref name="Sahgal2010" /> [[K. Kamaraj]] became the president of the [[All India Congress Committee]] in 1963 during the last year of Nehru's life.<ref name=life>{{cite web|title=K. Kamaraj – Life History|publisher=The Perun Thalaivar organization|url=http://www.perunthalaivar.org/english/life-history/|website=perunthalaivar.org|access-date=23 June 2014|archive-date=5 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705202836/http://www.perunthalaivar.org/english/life-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Prior to that, he had been the chief minister of [[Tamil Nadu|Madras state]] for nine years.<ref name=Kingmakers>{{cite web|title=The Syndicate: Kingmakers of India |url=http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2003/fjul2003/f150720031.html|website=pib.nic.in|publisher=Press Information Bureau: [[Government of India]]|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> Kamaraj had also been a member of "the syndicate", a group of right wing leaders within Congress. In 1963 the Congress lost popularity following the defeat in the Indo-Chinese war of 1962. To revitalise the party, Kamaraj proposed the [[Kamaraj Plan]] to Nehru that encouraged six Congress chief ministers (including himself) and six senior cabinet ministers to resign to take up party work.{{sfn|Mahendra Prasad Singh|1981|p=46}}<ref name="Jeyaraman2013">{{cite book|author=Bala Jeyaraman|title=Kamaraj: The Life and Times of K. Kamaraj|url={{Google books|BqWeAwAAQBAJ|page=PT55|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=2 September 2013 |publisher=Rupa Publications |isbn=978-81-291-3227-7|pages=55–56}}</ref><ref name="Gehlot1991">{{cite book|author=N. S. Gehlot|title=The Congress Party in India: Policies, Culture, Performance|url={{Google books|06HLD2_3Qj4C|page=PA177|plainurl=yes}} |year=1991|publisher=Deep & Deep Publications|isbn=978-81-7100-306-8|page=180}}</ref>

In 1964, Nehru [[Death and state funeral of Jawaharlal Nehru|died]] because of an [[aortic dissection]], raising questions about the party's future.<ref name=death>{{cite news|title=The death of Nehru|work=The Guardian archive|date=28 May 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/may/28/death-of-nehru-archive-1964|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="Nehru death">{{cite web|title=Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/nehru_jawaharlal.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="Nehru dies">{{cite news|title=1964: Light goes out in India as Nehru dies|publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/27/newsid_3690000/3690019.stm |access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> Following the death of Nehru, [[Gulzarilal Nanda]] was appointed as the interim prime minister on 27 May 1964, pending the election of a new parliamentary leader of the Congress party who would then become prime minister.<ref name="Interim PM">{{cite web |title=Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda |url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-gulzari-lal-nanda-2/ |publisher=PMO India |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref> During the leadership contest to succeed Nehru, the preference was between Morarji Desai and Lal Bahadur Shashtri. Eventually, Shashtri was selected as the next parliamentary leader thus the Prime Minister. Kamaraj was widely credited as the "kingmaker" in for ensuring the victory of [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] over Morarji Desai.{{sfn|Mahendra Prasad Singh|1981|p=42}}

=== Shastri era (1964–1966) ===
{{see also|Premiership of Lal Bahadur Shastri}}[[File:Inauguration of MNREC Building Allahabad by Indian PM Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri.JPG|thumb|Inauguration of MNREC Building Allahabad by [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]]]
As prime minister, Shastri retained most of members of Nehru's [[Council of Ministers of the Republic of India|Council of Ministers]]; [[T. T. Krishnamachari]] was retained as [[Finance Minister of India]], as was Defence Minister [[Yashwantrao Chavan]].<ref name="PradhanGodbole1999">{{cite book|author1=R. D. Pradhan|author2=Madhav Godbole|title=Debacle to Revival: Y. B. Chavan as Defence Minister, 1962–65|url={{Google books|9vDvpB_sqB0C|page=PA15|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1477-5|page=17}}</ref> Shastri appointed [[Swaran Singh]] to succeed him as [[External Affairs Minister]].<ref name="Affairs2008">{{cite book|author=Arvind Panagariya |title=India: The Emerging Giant: The Emerging Giant|url={{Google books|6eO1-yP7o4MC|page=PA27|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 February 2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-804299-0|page=27}}</ref> Shastri appointed [[Indira Gandhi]], Jawaharlal Nehru's daughter and former party president, [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref name=ministry>{{cite web|title=History and Politics of India |url=https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Indira.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991112105947/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Indira.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 1999|website=socialsciences.ucla.edu|publisher=UCLA Division of Social Sciences|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> Gulzarilal Nanda continued as the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]].<ref name="home affairs">{{cite web|title=Biography of Gulzarilal Nanda |url=http://pmindia.gov.in/pm_gulzari.html |website=pmindia.gov.in|publisher=Prime Minister's Office |access-date=23 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828142039/http://pmindia.gov.in/pm_gulzari.html |archive-date=28 August 2012 }}</ref> As [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]], Shastri continued Nehru's policy of [[Non-aligned Movement|non-alignment]],<ref name="NarayanShastri2006">{{cite book|author1=Narayan Agrawal Narayan|author2=Lal Bahadur Shastri|author3=Vivek Misra|author4=Subha Ravi|title=Lal Bahadur Shastri, Churn of Conscience|url={{Google books|Lwoae1jbcc0C|page=PA100|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2006|publisher=Eternal Gandhi|isbn=978-81-231-0193-4|page=88}}</ref> but built closer relations with the [[Soviet Union]]. In the aftermath of the [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962, and the formation of military ties between China and Pakistan, Shastri's government expanded the defence budget of India's armed forces. He also promoted the White Revolution—a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk by creating the [[National Dairy Development Board]].<ref name=Revolution>{{cite web|title=The White Revolution: A beginning|url=http://www.unicef.org/india/media_2643.htm|website=unicef.org|publisher=[[UNICEF]]|access-date=23 June 2014|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085943/http://www.unicef.org/india/media_2643.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Madras anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 occurred during Shastri's tenure.<ref name="Dasgupta1970">{{cite book|author=Jyotirindra Dasgupta|title=Language Conflict and National Development: Group Politics and National Language Policy in India|url={{Google books|qGACL5YJRjEC|page=PA237|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=1970|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-01590-6|page=237}}</ref><ref name=conflict>{{cite journal|title=The Madras anti-Hindi agitation|journal=Pacific Affairs|volume=39|issue=1/2|pages=19–36|publisher=Digital library of academic journals|jstor=2755179|last1=Forrester|first1=Duncan B.|year=1966|doi=10.2307/2755179}}</ref>

Shastri became a national hero following victory in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].<ref name=war>{{cite web|title=The Indo-Pakistan war of 1965|url=http://indiannavy.nic.in/book/1965-indo-pakistan-war|website=indiannavy.nic.in|publisher=[[Indian Navy]]|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> His slogan, "[[Jai Jawan Jai Kisan]]" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer"), became very popular during the war.<ref name=slogan>{{cite news|title=Life of Lal Bahadur Shastri|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/life-of-lal-bahadur-shastri-to-be-captured-on-celluloid-113032600267_1.html|access-date=23 June 2014|work=[[Business Standard]]|location=India|date=26 March 2013}}</ref> On 11 January 1966, a day after signing the [[Tashkent Declaration]], Shastri died in Tashkent, reportedly of a heart attack; but the circumstances of his death remain mysterious.<ref name=controversy>{{cite web|title=Controversial death of Shastri|url=http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/india/68/dead-silence-on-the-killers-and-contract-killers-of-lal-bahadur-shastri/8620/|website=wikileaks-forum.com|publisher=Wikileaks Forum|access-date=23 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501224743/http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/india/68/dead-silence-on-the-killers-and-contract-killers-of-lal-bahadur-shastri/8620/|archive-date=1 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="diminutive leader">{{cite web |title=Lal Bahadur Shastri's death in Tashkent |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/thereporters/soutikbiswas/2009/08/was_mr_shastri_murdered.html |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817235300/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/thereporters/soutikbiswas/2009/08/was_mr_shastri_murdered.html |archive-date=17 August 2014 |access-date=23 June 2014 |website=[[BBC]] |publisher=}}</ref><ref name=Shashtri>{{cite web|title=Lal Bahadur Shastri |url=https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Shastri.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000422080114/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Shastri.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 April 2000|website=socialsciences.ucla.edu/|publisher=UCLA Division of Social Science|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> After Shastri's death, Congress elected [[Indira Gandhi]] as leader over [[Morarji Desai]]. Once again, [[K. Kamaraj]] was instrumental in achieving this result. The differences among the top leadership of the Congress regarding the future of the party during resulted in the formation of several breakaway parties such as [[Orissa Jana Congress]], [[Bangla Congress]], [[Utkal Congress]], and, [[Bharatiya Kranti Dal]].

=== Indira Gandhi era (1966–1984) ===
{{See also|The Emergency (India)|Assassination of Indira Gandhi|Indian general election, 1977|1984 anti-Sikh riots}}
[[File:Indira and Nixon.JPG|thumb|upright|left|[[Indira Gandhi]] with U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]], 1971]]
In 1967, following a poor performance in the [[1967 Indian general election]], [[Indira Gandhi]] started moving toward the political left. On 12 July 1969, Congress Parliamentary Board nominated [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] as Congress's candidate for the post of [[President of India]] by a vote of four to two. [[K. Kamaraj]], [[Morarji Desai]] and [[S. K. Patil]] voted for Reddy. [[Indira Gandhi]] and [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] voted for [[V. V. Giri]] and Congress President [[S. Nijalingappa]], Home Minister [[Yashwantrao Chavan]] and Agriculture Minister [[Jagjivan Ram]] abstained from voting.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Austin |first=Granville |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r42bAAAAMAAJ |title=Working a Democratic Constitution: The Indian Experience |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0195648889 |pages=178}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Unnati |date=2022-08-10 |title=V.V. Giri – how election of first 'independent president' changed Congress & India's politics |url=https://theprint.in/politics/v-v-giri-how-election-of-first-independent-president-changed-congress-indias-politics/1077753/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=ThePrint}}</ref>

In mid-1969, she was involved in a dispute with senior party leaders on several issues. Notably – Her support for the independent candidate, [[V. V. Giri]], rather than the official Congress party candidate, [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]], for the vacant post of the [[president of India]]{{sfn|Mahendra Prasad Singh|1981|pp=65–80}}<ref>Hardgrave, R. L., 1970. "The Congress in India: Crisis and Split". ''Asian Survey'', 10(3), pp. 256–262.</ref> and Gandhi's abrupt nationalisation of the 14 biggest banks in India.

====Congress split, 1969====
In November 1969, the Congress party president, [[S. Nijalingappa]], expelled Indira Gandhi from the party for indiscipline.<ref name=socialism>{{cite news |title=March to socialism under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi|work=[[The Economic Times]]|agency=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd|date=24 August 2011}}</ref><ref name=expelled>{{cite news|title=1969: S. Nijalingappa expelled Indira Gandhi from the Party|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/1969-congress-splits/1/155566.html|access-date=25 June 2014|work=[[India Today]]|publisher=Aroon Purie|date=2 July 2007}}</ref> Subsequently, Gandhi launched her own faction of the INC which came to be known as Congress (R).{{efn|The "R" stood for Requisition or Ruling}} The original party then came to be known as [[Congress (O)|Indian National Congress (O)]].{{efn|The "O" stands for organisation/Old Congress.}} Its principal leaders were Kamraj, Morarji Desai, Nijalingappa and [[S. K. Patil]] who stood for a more right-wing agenda.<ref name="book">{{cite book|last=Sanghvi|first=Vijay |title=The Congress, Indira to Sonia Gandh|year=2006|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7835-340-1|page=77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npdqD_TXucQC&q=%22indira+gandhi%22+cow++calf+symbol&pg=PA77}}</ref> The split occurred when a united opposition under the banner of [[Samyukt Vidhayak Dal]], won control over several states in the [[Hindi Belt]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npdqD_TXucQC&q=%22indira+gandhi%22+cow++calf+symbol&pg=PA77|title=The Congress, Indira to Sonia Gandhi |first=Vijay|last=Sanghvi|date=21 March 2006|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|isbn=9788178353401}}</ref> Indira Gandhi, on the other side, wanted to use a populist agenda in order to mobilise popular support for the party.<ref name=book /> Her faction, called Congress (R), was supported by most of the Congress MPs while [[Indian National Congress (Organisation)|the original party]] had the support of only 65 MPs.<ref name="Rosser">{{Cite book|publisher = MIT Press| pages = 468–470| url={{Google books|y3Mr6TgalqMC|page=PA470|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=978-0-262-18234-8| last1=Rosser| first1=J. Barkley| last2=Rosser| first2=Marina V.| title=Comparative Economics in Transforming the World Economy| year=2004}}</ref> In the All India Congress Committee, 446 of its 705 members walked over to Indira's side. The "Old Congress" retained the party symbol of a pair of bullocks carrying a yoke while Indira's breakaway faction was given a new symbol of a cow with a suckling calf by the Election Commission as the party election symbol. The Congress&nbsp;(O) eventually merged with other opposition parties to form the [[Janata Party]].
{{quote box|bgcolor=#CCDDFF|width=25%|align=right|quote="India might be an ancient country but was a young democracy and as such should remain vigilant against the domination of few over the social, economic or political systems. Banks should be publicly owned so that they catered to not just large industries and big businesses but also agriculturists, small industries and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the private banks had been functioning erratically with hundreds of them failing and causing loss to the depositors who were given no guarantee against such loss."|source=—Gandhi's remarks after the nationalisation of private banks.<ref name="Quote">{{cite news |last1=Menon |first1=Vandana |title='We simply don't have time': Read Indira Gandhi's letters defending bank nationalisation |url=https://theprint.in/politics/letters-indira-gandhi-defending-bank-nationalisation/17110/ |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=ThePrint |agency=Printline Media Pvt. Ltd |date=16 November 2017}}</ref>}} 
In the mid-term [[1971 Indian general election]], the Gandhi-led Congress&nbsp;(R) won a landslide victory on a platform of progressive policies such as the elimination of poverty ({{lang|hi|[[Garibi Hatao]]}}).<ref name="1971 result">{{cite web|title=General Elections, India, 1971: Statistical report |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/statisticalreports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf |website=eci.nic.in |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |access-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175452/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2014 }}</ref> The policies of the Congress&nbsp;(R) under Gandhi before the 1971 elections included proposals to abolish the [[Privy Purse in India|Privy Purse]] to former rulers of the [[Princely states]], and the 1969 [[Nationalization|nationalisation]] of India's 14 largest banks.<ref name=nationalisation>{{cite news|title=Economic Milestone: Nationalisation of Banks (1969)|url=http://forbesindia.com/article/independence-day-special/economic-milestone-nationalisation-of-banks-(1969)/38415/1|access-date=17 September 2015|work=[[Forbes India]]|date=17 September 2015|archive-date=29 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029061931/http://forbesindia.com/article/independence-day-special/economic-milestone-nationalisation-of-banks-(1969)/38415/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 1969 attempt by Indira Gandhi government to abolish privy purse and the official recognition of the titles did not meet with success. The constitutional Amendment bill to this effect was passed in Lok Sabha, but it failed to get the required two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. However, in 1971, with the passage of the [[Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of India|Twenty-sixth Amendment]] to the Constitution of India, the privy purses were abolished.

Due to [[Sino-Indian War]] 1962, India faced a huge budgetary deficit resulting in its treasury being almost empty, high inflation, and dwindling forex reserves. The brief War of 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and shifted the focus towards the defence industry and the [[Indian Army]]. The government found itself short of resources to fund the Third Plan (1961–1966). [[Subhadra Joshi]] a senior party member, proposed a non-official resolution asking for the nationalisation of private banks stating that nationalisation would help in mobilising resources for development.<ref name="Bank Act">{{cite web |title=The Defining Event |url=https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/PDFs/90069.pdf |publisher=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> In July 1969, Indira Gandhi through the ordinance nationalised fourteen major private banks.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChrzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |title=Banking Awareness |date=2017 |publisher=Arihant Publications (India) Ltd. |page=20 |isbn=978-93-11124-66-7}}</ref> After being re-elected in 1971 on a campaign that endorsed nationalisation, Indira Gandhi went on to nationalise the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles and insurance industries. The main reason was to protect employment and the interest of the organised labour.<ref name="Bank Act" />

On 12 June 1975, the [[Allahabad High Court|High Court of Allahabad]] declared Indira Gandhi's election to the [[Lok Sabha]], the lower house of India's parliament, void on the grounds of electoral malpractice.<ref name=emergency>{{cite web|title=The Emergency, and Indian democracy|url=https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Indira.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991112105947/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Indira.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 1999|website=sscnet.ucla.edu|publisher=UCLA Division of Social Science|access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> However, Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]]. In response to increasing disorder and lawlessness, Gandhi's ministry recommended that President [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] declare a [[State of Emergency in India|State of Emergency]], based on the provisions of [[Part Eleven of the Constitution of India|Article 352]] of the [[Constitution of India|Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Emergency papers found |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/Emergency-papers-found/articleshow/20839450.cms |website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=6 June 2018 |date=30 June 2013}}</ref> During the [[The Emergency (India)|nineteen-month emergency]], widespread oppression and abuse of power by Gandhi's unelected younger son and political heir [[Sanjay Gandhi]] and his close associates occurred.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ghildiyal|first=Subodh |title=Cong blames Sanjay Gandhi for Emergency 'excesses'|date=29 December 2010|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cong-blames-Sanjay-Gandhi-for-Emergency-excesses/articleshow/7181279.cms|access-date=30 January 2014 |url-status=live|archive-date=28 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828145401/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-29/india/28661327_1_slum-clearance-sanjay-gandhi-sterilization|journal=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Emergency 'propagandist' who banned Kishore Kumar songs |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/emergency-propagandist-who-banned-kishore-kumar-songs/1127804/ |access-date=17 January 2014|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="The Life of Indira Gandhi">{{cite journal |last=Dasgupta |first=Swapan |title=The Life of Indira Gandhi |date=July 1985 |volume=7 |issue=3 |journal=Third World Quarterly |department=Book Reviews |doi=10.1080/01436598508419863 |pages=731–778}}<!--|access-date=17 January 2014 --></ref> Implemented on 25 June 1975, the Emergency officially ended on 21 March 1977.<ref name=proved>{{cite news| author=Inder Malhotra|title=What Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Emergency proved for India|date=23 June 2010 |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/column/inder-malhotra-on-35-years-after-the-emergency/20100623.htm |access-date=25 June 2014|work=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> All political prisoners were released and fresh elections for the Lok Sabha were called.<ref name=union>{{cite web|title=Indian general election, 1977|url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/INDIA_1977_E.PDF |website=ipu.org|publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union|access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> In [[1977 Indian general election|parliamentary elections]] held in March, the Janata alliance of anti-Indira opposition parties won a landslide victory over Congress, winning 295 seats in the Lok Sabha against Congress' 153. Gandhi lost her seat to her Janata opponent [[Raj Narain]].

====Formation of Congress (I)====
On 2 January 1978, Indira and her followers seceded and formed a new opposition party, popularly called Congress&nbsp;(I)—the "I" signifying Indira.<ref name="Buffalo state">{{cite web | title= Indira Gandhi: India's Destined Leader| url=https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=history_theses | access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="IE">{{cite web | title=February 3, 1978, Forty Years Ago: Hand For Congress (I) | website=The Indian Express | date=3 February 2018 | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/february-3-1978-forty-years-ago-hand-for-congress-i-5049516/ | access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref><ref>"On 1 and 2 January dissidents led by Indira Gandhi staged convention of what they claimed was "the real Congress." Mrs. Gandhi was elected President of the body, which promptly laid claim to the offices, funds and even the electoral symbol of the Indian National Congress. These claims were, unsurprisingly, resisted by Y.B. Chavan and his group, who had controlled Congress since the I977 election. Initial reports varied but it seemed that no more than a third of the State Congress Committees sided with the Indira Gandhi faction." {{cite journal |last=Mendelsohn |first=Oliver |title=The Collapse of the Indian National Congress |journal=Pacific Affairs |volume=58 |number=1 |year=1978 |page=65 |doi=10.2307/2757008 |jstor=2757008}}</ref> During the next year, her new party attracted enough members of the legislature to become the official opposition.<ref name="Basu2016">{{cite book|last1=Basu |first1=Manisha |title=The Rhetoric of Hindutva|year=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-14987-8 |pages=73– |url={{Google books|E7gtDQAAQBAJ |page=PA73|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> In November 1978, Gandhi regained a parliamentary seat. In January 1980, following a [[1980 Indian general election|landslide victory]] for Congress&nbsp;(I), she was again elected prime minister.<ref name="1980 report">{{cite web |title=Statistical report general elections, 1980 |website=eci.nic.in |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/statisticalreports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf |access-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175926/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2014}}</ref> The national election commission declared Congress&nbsp;(I) to be the real Indian National Congress for the [[1984 Indian general election|1984 general election]].<ref name="IE 1984">{{cite web | last=Yadav | first=Shyamlal | title=1980 Lok Sabha elections: Triumph and tragedy of Indira Gandhi | website=The Indian Express | date=17 May 2024 | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/a-history-of-lok-sabha-elections-indiras-triumph-tragedy-9314864/ | access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref> However, the designation I was dropped only in 1996.<ref name="Basu2016" /><ref name="1980 report" />

====Punjab crisis====
Gandhi's premiership witnessed increasing turmoil in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], with demands for [[Khalistan|Sikh autonomy]] by [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] and his militant followers.<ref name=operation>{{cite news|title=Operation Blue Star 1984|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-7-things-you-need-to-know-about-operation-blue-star-1993952|access-date=25 June 2014|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|agency=[[Dainik Bhaskar]]|publisher=Deepak Rathi|date=6 June 2014}}</ref> In 1983, Bhindranwale with his armed followers headquartered themselves in the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]] and started accumulating weapons.<ref name="telegraph report">{{cite news|title=1984: Operation Blue Star|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10881115/Operation-Blue-Star-How-an-Indian-army-raid-on-the-Golden-Temple-ended-in-disaster.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10881115/Operation-Blue-Star-How-an-Indian-army-raid-on-the-Golden-Temple-ended-in-disaster.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=25 June 2014|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=6 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In June 1984, after several futile negotiations, Gandhi ordered the [[Indian Army]] to enter the Golden Temple to establish control over the complex and remove Bhindranwale and his armed followers. This event is known as [[Operation Blue Star]].<ref name="blue star">{{cite news|title=Operation Blue Star|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/operation-blue-star-the-untold-story/article4798102.ece|access-date=25 June 2014|work=The Hindu|date=10 June 2013}}</ref> On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhi's bodyguards, [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]], [[assassination of Indira Gandhi|shot her]] with their service weapons in the garden of the prime minister's residence in response to her authorisation of Operation Blue Star.<ref name="telegraph report" /> Gandhi was due to be interviewed by British actor [[Peter Ustinov]], who was filming a documentary for Irish television.<ref name=assassination>{{cite news|title=1984: Indian prime minister shot dead|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/31/newsid_2464000/2464423.stm|access-date=23 June 2014|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=31 October 1984}}</ref> Her assassination prompted the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]], during which 3,000–17,000 people were killed.<ref name=violence>{{cite news|title=Violence follows Gandhi killing|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="SAGE">{{cite book |last=Joseph |first=Paul |title=The Sage Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives |date=11 October 2016 |publisher=Sage |isbn=978-1483359885 |page=433 |quote=around 17,000 Sikhs were burned alive or killed}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Dean |date=30 January 2014 |title=Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots |website=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10607451/Delhi-to-reopen-inquiry-in-to-massacre-of-Sikhs-in-1984-riots.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 May 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10607451/Delhi-to-reopen-inquiry-in-to-massacre-of-Sikhs-in-1984-riots.html |archive-date=12 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jagdish Tytler's role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots to be re-investigated |url=http://www.ndtv.com/cheat-sheet/jagdish-tytlers-role-in-1984-anti-sikh-riots-to-be-re-investigated-518648 |access-date=3 May 2016 |publisher=NDTV}}</ref> Congress Party MP, [[Sajjan Kumar]], was convicted in two cases for instigating and leading a mob to attack and murder Sikh civilians during the Anti-Sikh riots in New Delhi.<ref name=toi-Sajjan-conviction>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/anti-sikh-riots-delhi-court-rejects-political-motivation-claims-finds-sajjan-kumar-guilty-of-murdering-father-son-duo/articleshow/118201773.cms | date=13 Feb 2025 | work = [[The Times of India]] | title=Anti-Sikh riots: Court finds Sajjan Kumar guilty of murdering father-son duo}}</ref>

=== Rajiv Gandhi era (1984–1991) ===
{{See also|Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War|Economic liberalisation in India}}
[[File:The Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi addressing the Special Session of the United nations on Disarmament, in New York in June, 1988 (1).jpg|thumb|right|alt=refer caption|[[Rajiv Gandhi]], [[Prime Minister of India]] (1984–1989) addressing the Special Session of the United Nations on [[United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|Disarmament]], in New York City in June 1988]]
In 1984, Indira Gandhi's son [[Rajiv Gandhi]] became nominal head of Congress, and went on to become prime minister upon her assassination.<ref name="pm rajiv">{{cite web|title=Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, complete profile |url=http://pmindia.gov.in/pm_rajiv.html |website=pmindia.gov.in|publisher=Prime Minister's Office |access-date=23 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901121841/http://pmindia.gov.in/pm_rajiv.html |archive-date=1 September 2012 }}</ref> In December, he led Congress to a landslide victory, where it secured 401 seats in the parliament.<ref name="1984 election result">{{cite web|title=India General or the 8th Lok Sabha Election Results – 1984|url=http://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1984-election-results.html|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> His administration took measures to reform the government bureaucracy and liberalise the country's economy.<ref name=tenure>{{cite news|title=Resurgent India|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-hamid-ansari-launches-book-resurgent-india-glimpses-of-rajiv-gandhi-vision-of-india-1955270|access-date=23 June 2014|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=22 January 2014}}</ref> Rajiv Gandhi's attempts to discourage separatist movements in Punjab and Kashmir backfired. After his government became embroiled in several financial scandals, his leadership became increasingly ineffectual.<ref name=movements>{{cite web|title=Rajiv Gandhi and the story of Indian modernization|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/NYPeyCrc6NyfwmlxqjtumJ/Rajiv-Gandhi-and-the-story-of-Indian-modernization.html|newspaper=Mint|date=19 May 2013 |access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> Gandhi was regarded as a non-abrasive person who consulted other party members and refrained from hasty decisions.<ref name=consult>{{cite web|title=Rajiv Gandhi, History and Politics|url=https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Rajiv.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000226203915/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Rajiv.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2000|website=UCLA, Division of Social Sciences|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> The [[Bofors scandal]] damaged his reputation as an honest politician, but he was posthumously cleared of bribery allegations in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3458319.stm |title=Rajiv Gandhi cleared over bribery |publisher=BBC News |date=4 February 2004 |access-date=7 March 2010}}</ref> On 21 May 1991, Gandhi was killed by a bomb concealed in a basket of flowers carried by a woman associated with the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Tamil Tigers]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|title=The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzdoMbYnb7w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/CzdoMbYnb7w| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=NDTV India| date=10 July 2013 |via = YouTube|access-date=21 June 2014|author-link = NDTV India}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He was campaigning in Tamil Nadu for upcoming [[1991 Indian general election in Tamil Nadu|parliamentary elections]]. In 1998, an Indian court convicted 26 people in the conspiracy to assassinate Gandhi.<ref name=kiled>{{cite news|title=Rajiv Gandhi assassination case|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rajiv-Gandhi-assassination-case-SC-stays-release-of-4-convicts-issues-notice-to-Tamil-Nadu-govt/articleshow/31089717.cms|access-date=21 June 2014|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=27 February 2014}}</ref> The conspirators, who consisted of Tamil militants from Sri Lanka and their Indian allies, had sought revenge against Gandhi because the Indian troops he sent to Sri Lanka in 1987 to help enforce [[Indo-Sri Lanka Accord|a peace accord]] there had fought with Tamil Militant guerrillas.<ref name="RajuRaju2008">{{cite book|author1=D. R. Kaarthikenyan, Radhavinod Raju|author2=Radhavinod Raju|title=Rajiv Gandhi Assassination|url={{Google books|7MqfCkBGdQ8C|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2008|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=978-81-207-3265-0|pages=89–91}}</ref><ref name=Murder>{{cite news|title=SC refers Rajiv Gandhi killers' release case to Constitution Bench|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-supreme-court/|access-date=21 June 2014|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=25 April 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Visit of Narasimha Rao, Indian Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the CEC.jpg|thumb|left|alt=refer caption|Visit of erstwhile Minister for Foreign Affairs, [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]] to [[Gaston Thorn]], the then [[President of the European Commission]]]]
The mid-1990s marked a period of political flux in India, with frequent changes in government and coalition dynamics. Rajiv Gandhi was succeeded as party leader by [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], who was elected prime minister in June 1991.<ref name=rao>{{cite web|title=PV Narasimha Rao Biography |url=http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_narasimha.html |website=Website of the Prime Minister of India |access-date=23 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227115219/http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_narasimha.html |archive-date=27 December 2012 }}</ref>             
=== P. V. Narasimha Rao era (1991–1998) ===              
His rise to the prime ministership was politically significant because he was the first person from South India to hold the office, marking a shift from the traditionally northern-dominated leadership in Indian politics. After the election, he formed a minority government. Rao himself did not contest elections in 1991, but after he was sworn in as prime minister, he won in a by-election from [[Nandyal (Lok Sabha constituency)|Nandyal]] in Andhra Pradesh.<ref name="Rao AP Won">{{cite news |last1=Lakshman |first1=Ganesh |title=Nandyal bypoll: It was P V Narasimha Rao's backyard when he .. |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amaravati/it-was-p-v-narasimha-raos-backyard-when-he-was-the-pm/articleshow/60168304.cms |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=[[The Times of India]]|date=22 August 2017}}</ref> His administration oversaw major [[Economic liberalisation in India|economic change]] and experienced several domestic incidents that affected India's national security.<ref name="Reforming">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4120429.stm "Narasimha Rao – a Reforming PM"]. [[BBC News]] (23 December 2004). Retrieved 2 March 2007.</ref> Rao, who held the [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)|Industries portfolio]], was personally responsible for the dismantling of the [[Licence Raj]], which came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.<ref name="DNAArticle">Arvind Kumar, Arun Narendhranath (3 October 2001). [http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_india-must-embrace-unfettered-free-enterprise_1594401 "India must embrace unfettered free enterprise"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312095826/http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_india-must-embrace-unfettered-free-enterprise_1594401 |date=12 March 2013 }}. ''[[Daily News and Analysis]]''.</ref> Rao accelerated the dismantling of the Licence Raj, reversing the socialist policies of previous governments.<ref name=reinvention>{{cite web|title=PV Narasimha Rao reinvented India|url=http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/pv-narasimha-rao-reinvented-india-so-why-is-he-the-forgotten-man|website=[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]|date=19 May 2012 |location=Abu Dhabi|access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="policies by rao">{{cite web|title=Foreign Policies of India's Prime Ministers|url=http://www.transnational-perspectives.org/transnational/articles/article495.pdf|website=Transnational Organization|access-date=23 June 2014|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230255/http://www.transnational-perspectives.org/transnational/articles/article495.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> He employed Manmohan Singh as his finance minister to begin historic economic changes. With Rao's mandate, Singh launched reforms for India's [[globalisation]] that involved implementing [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) policies to prevent India's impending [[1991 India economic crisis|economic collapse]].<ref name="DNAArticle" /> Future prime ministers [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] and Manmohan Singh continued the economic reform policies begun by Rao's government. He is often called the "Father of Indian economic reforms".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071106123253/http://www.voanews.com/tibetan/archive/2004-12/a-2004-12-23-2-1.cfm "PV Narasimha Rao Remembered as Father of Indian Economic Reforms"]. ''[[VOA News]]'' (23 December 2004). </ref><ref name="Narasimha Rao was father of economic reform: Pranab">{{cite news|title=Narasimha Rao led India at crucial juncture, was father of economic reform: Pranab|access-date=25 January 2013|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Narasimha-Rao-led-India-at-crucial-juncture-was-father-of-economic-reform-Pranab/articleshow/17831434.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520071110/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-31/india/36078990_1_economic-reforms-president-pranab-mukherjee-finance-minister|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2013|work=[[The Times of India]]|date= 31 December 2012}}</ref> Rao was also referred to as ''[[Chanakya]]'' for his ability to push tough economic and political legislation through the parliament while heading a minority government.<ref name="frontline">{{cite journal |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20050114008013000.htm&date=fl2201/&prd=fline& |title=Obituary: A scholar and a politician|author=V. Venkatesan |journal=Frontline |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=1–14 January 2005 |access-date=30 March 2010}}{{dead link|date=March 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tlca.com/adults/obit-pvn.html "PV Narasimha Rao Passes Away"]. Retrieved 7 October 2007.  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101063203/http://www.tlca.com/adults/obit-pvn.html |date=1 November 2007 }}</ref>

By 1996, party found itself in a complex political landscape. It faced internal challenges, including factionalism and leadership struggles, allegations of corruption, and a degree of anti-incumbency sentiment. The [[1996 general elections]] witnessed the emergence of a fractured mandate, leading to the absence of a clear majority for any single party. Congress was reduced to 140 seats in elections that year, its lowest number in the Lok Sabha yet. Rao later resigned as prime minister and, in September, as party president.<ref name=resign>{{cite web|author=ABP News|title=Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 13-day govt.|date=December 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ4F8KNB3ao |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/eQ4F8KNB3ao| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=24 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He was succeeded as president by [[Sitaram Kesri]], the party's first non-[[Brahmin]] leader.<ref name=Kesari>{{cite news|title=The Sitaram Kesri case|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-the-sitaram-kesri-case-how-dynasty-trumped-ethics-1564149|access-date=23 June 2014|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=10 July 2011}}</ref> During the tenure of both Rao and Kesri, the two leaders conducted internal elections to the Congress working committees and their own posts as party presidents.<ref name="MitraEnskat2004">{{cite book|author1=Subrata Kumar Mitra|author2=Mike Enskat|author3=Clemens Spiess|title=Political Parties in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dObxI9xahSYC&pg=PR7|year=2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-96832-8|pages=42–43}}</ref>

=== Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh era (1998–2014) ===
[[File:The President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam authorizing the Prime Minister designate Dr. Manmohan Singh to form the next Government in New Delhi on May 19, 2004.jpg|thumb|250px|right|11th [[President of India]] [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]] authorizing the Prime Minister designate [[Manmohan Singh]] to form the next Government in New Delhi on 19 May 2004.]]
The [[1998 Indian general election|1998 general elections]] saw Congress win 141 seats in the Lok Sabha, its lowest tally until then.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2145_98.htm|title=India Parliamentary Chamber: Lok Sabha|website=[[Inter-Parliamentary Union]]|access-date=4 March 2018}}</ref> To boost its popularity and improve its performance in the forthcoming election, Congress leaders urged [[Sonia Gandhi]], Rajiv Gandhi's widow, to assume leadership of the party.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/01/31/another-gandhi-comes-to-congress-partys-aid/6dd58f02-b8d2-4a1e-b6ee-32e6f26cefcf/|title=Another Gandhi Comes to Congress Party's Aid|last=Cooper|first=Kenneth J.|date=31 January 1998|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> She had previously declined offers to become actively involved in party affairs and had stayed away from politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19950131-sonia-gandhi-emerges-as-cynosure-of-all-eyes-could-play-pivotal-role-in-party-politics-808336-1995-01-31|title=Sonia Gandhi emerges as cynosure of all eyes, could play pivotal role in party politics|first1=M. |last1=Rahman|date=31 January 1995|website=India Today}}</ref> After her election as party leader, a section of the party that objected to the choice because of her Italian ethnicity broke away and formed the [[Nationalist Congress Party]] (NCP), led by [[Sharad Pawar]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/21/world/congress-party-expels-3-who-opposed-gandhi.html|title=Congress Party Expels 3 Who Opposed Gandhi|first=Celia W.|last=Dugger|newspaper=The New York Times |date=21 May 1999}}</ref>

Sonia Gandhi struggled to revive the party in her early years as its president; she was under continuous scrutiny for her foreign birth and lack of political acumen. In the snap elections called by the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) government in [[1999 Indian general election|1999]], Congress' tally further plummeted to just 114 seats.<ref name="negi" /> Although the leadership structure was unaltered as the party campaigned strongly in the assembly elections that followed, Gandhi began to make such strategic changes as abandoning the party's 1998 Pachmarhi resolution of ''ekla chalo'' (go it alone) policy, and formed alliances with other like-minded parties. In the intervening years, the party was successful at various legislative assembly elections; at one point, Congress ruled 15 states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hindustantimes.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-s-19-years-as-congress-president-from-husband-rajiv-s-death-to-son-rahul-s-elevation/story-nmW3hNiG2zDo6abGYc38YO.html|title=Sonia Gandhi's 19 years as Congress president: From husband death to son Rahul's elevation|last=Naqshbandi|first=Aurangzeb|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|access-date=16 December 2017|date=4 March 2018}}</ref> For the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 general election]], Congress forged alliances with regional parties including the NCP and the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/election/2004/may/14congress.htm|title=The mathematics of politics|work=[[Rediff.com]]|access-date=4 March 2018|date=16 May 2004}}</ref> The party's campaign emphasised social inclusion and the welfare of the common masses{{emdash}}an ideology that Gandhi herself endorsed for Congress during her presidency{{emdash}}with slogans such as {{lang|hi|Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath}} ("Congress hand in hand with the common man"), contrasting with the NDA's "[[India Shining]]" campaign.<ref name="negi">{{cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/sonia-gandhis-legacy-she-reinvented-herself-to-fight-off-challenges-but-also-had-her-share-of-failures-1606229.html|title=Sonia Gandhi's Legacy: She Reinvented Herself to Fight Off Challenges but also Had Her Share of Failures|last=Negi|first=Saroj|website=[[India Today]]|access-date=2 March 2018|date=16 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/sonia-gandhi-congress-president-rahul-gandhi-politics-4983911/|title=Sonia Gandhi retires as Congress president, to remain active in politics|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=15 December 2017|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/as-sonia-gandhi-makes-way-4984673/ |title=As Sonia Gandhi makes way|last=Chowdhary|first=Neerja|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=16 December 2017|access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref> The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 222 seats in the new parliament, defeating the NDA by a substantial margin. With the subsequent support of the communist front, Congress won a majority and formed a new government.<ref name="Naqshbandi">{{cite news|url=http://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-s-19-years-as-congress-president-from-husband-rajiv-s-death-to-son-rahul-s-elevation/story-nmW3hNiG2zDo6abGYc38YO.html |title=Sonia Gandhi's 19 years as Congress president: From husband Rajiv's death to son Rahul's elevation|last=Naqshbandi|first=Aurangzeb|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=16 December 2017|access-date=20 December 2017}}</ref>

Despite massive support from within the party, Gandhi declined the post of prime minister, choosing to appoint [[Manmohan Singh]] instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-election-gandhi/sonia-gandhi-keeps-congress-hopes-alive-in-india-polls-idUSTRE53D1XH20090414 |title=Sonia Gandhi keeps Congress hopes alive in India polls|last=Chandra|first=Rina|work=Reuters|date=14 April 2009|access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref> She remained as party president and headed the [[National Advisory Council]] (NAC).<ref>{{cite news|title=Hands-on influence for Sonia Gandhi as NAC head|url=http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/bwgztbqFBjfiC4WnGGye3H/Handson-influence-for-Sonia-Gandhi-as-NAC-head.html|access-date=17 August 2016|last=Mathew|first=Liz|work=Mint|date=30 March 2010}}</ref> During its first term in office, the UPA government passed several social reform bills. These included an [[Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act|employment guarantee]] bill, the [[Right to Information Act]], and a [[Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act|right to education]] act. The NAC, as well as [[Left Front (West Bengal)|the Left Front]] that supported the government from the outside, were widely seen as being the driving force behind such legislation. The Left Front withdrew its support of the government over disagreements about the [[U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement]]. Despite the effective loss of 62 seats in parliament, the government survived the trust vote that followed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Manmohan survives trust vote|url=http://specials.indiatoday.com/trustvote/|work=India Today|access-date=6 January 2014}}</ref>

In the [[2009 Indian general election|Lok Sabha elections held soon after]], Congress won 207 seats, the highest tally of any party since 1991. The UPA won 262, enabling it to form a government for the second time. The social welfare policies of the first UPA government, and the perceived divisiveness of the BJP, are broadly credited with the victory.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bidwai|first=Praful|title=Reading the Verdict|url=http://www.frontline.in/navigation/?type=static&page=archiveSearch&aid=20090619261209100&ais=12&avol=26|work=Frontline|access-date=6 January 2014}}</ref>

=== Rahul Gandhi and modern era (2014–present) ===
[[File:Bharat Jodo Yatra.webp|thumb|right|alt=Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra|Former INC president [[Rahul Gandhi]] during [[Bharat Jodo Yatra]]]]
By the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 election]], the party had lost much of its popular support, mainly growing discontent over a series of corruption allegations involving government officials, including the [[2G spectrum case]] and the [[Indian coal allocation scam]], as well as the ineptness towards national security, particularly the insensitivity in the aftermath of the [[2011 Mumbai bombings]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Difficult to stop terror attacks all the time, says Rahul Gandhi |date=14 July 2011 |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/mumbai-serial-blasts-difficult-to-stop-terror-attacks-all-the-time-says-rahul-gandhi/1/144774.html |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714114727/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/mumbai-serial-blasts-difficult-to-stop-terror-attacks-all-the-time-says-rahul-gandhi/1/144774.html |archive-date=14 July 2011  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=2G>{{cite news|title=2G spectrum scam|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/what-is-the-2g-scam-all-about/1/188832.html|access-date=22 June 2014|work=India Today|date=19 October 2012}}</ref><ref name=coal>{{cite news|title=Coal Block Allocations Scam|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-what-is-the-indian-coal-allocation-scam-1828830|access-date=22 June 2014|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=30 April 2013}}</ref> The Congress won only 44 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]], compared to the 336 of the BJP and the NDA.<ref name=performance>{{cite news|title=List of Congress winners|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lok-sabha-election-results-list-of-congress-winners/472493-37-64.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519170158/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lok-sabha-election-results-list-of-congress-winners/472493-37-64.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 May 2014|access-date=22 June 2014|publisher=CNN-IBN|date=17 May 2014}}</ref> The UPA suffered a landslide defeat, which was the party's worst-ever national electoral performance with its vote share dipping below 20 per cent for the first time.<ref name=result>{{cite news|title=Congress Vote Share Dips Below 20 Per Cent for First Time|url=http://www.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/election-results-2014-congress-vote-share-dips-below-20-per-cent-for-first-time-526000|access-date=22 June 2014|work=[[NDTV India]]|date=17 May 2014}}</ref> Sonia Gandhi retired as party president in December 2017, having served for a record nineteen years. She was succeeded by her son [[Rahul Gandhi]], who was elected unopposed in the 2017 INC presidential election.<ref name="Naqshbandi" />

Rahul Gandhi resigned from his post after the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 election]], due to the party's dismal electoral performance.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/rahul-gandhi-resignation-what-next-1561338-2019-07-03|title=Rahul Gandhi has resigned. For real. What next?|newspaper=India Today|access-date=14 July 2019|agency=Ist}}</ref> The party only won 52 seats, eight more than the previous election. Its vote percentage once again fell below 20 per cent. Following Gandhi's resignation, party leaders began deliberations for a suitable candidate to replace him. The Congress Working Committee met on 10 August to make a final decision on the matter and passed a resolution asking Sonia Gandhi to take over as interim president until a consensus candidate could be picked.<ref name="2019 president">{{cite news|url= https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/cwc-chooses-sonia-gandhi-as-interim-chief-of-congress/articleshow/70623767.cms|title=CWC chooses Sonia Gandhi as interim chief of Congress|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=11 August 2019|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rahul-had-said-no-gandhi-but-congress-goes-back-to-sonia-gandhi/articleshow/70625074.cms | title=Rahul had said 'no Gandhi', but Congress goes back to Sonia Gandhi | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=11 August 2019 | access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref> Following the election, [[Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury]] was chosen as the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha,<ref name="Pioneer">{{cite news |title=Chowdhury to stay as leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/india/chowdhury-to-stay-as-leader-of-opposition-in-lok-sabha.html |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=The Pioneer|location=India |date=15 July 2021}}</ref> [[Gaurav Gogoi]] was chosen as the deputy leader in Lok Sabha, and [[Ravneet Singh Bittu]] was chosen as the party whip.<ref>{{cite news |title=Congress appoints Gaurav Gogoi as deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Ravneet Bittu as whip |url=https://theprint.in/politics/congress-appoints-gaurav-gogoi-as-deputy-leader-in-lok-sabha-ravneet-bittu-as-whip/490567/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=ThePrint |date=27 August 2020}}</ref> Based on an analysis of the candidates' poll affidavits, a report by the National Election Watch (NEW) and the [[Association for Democratic Reforms]] (ADR) says that, the Congress has highest [[Defection|political defection]] rate since 2014. According to the report, a total of 222 electoral candidates had left the Congress to join other parties during elections held between 2014 and 2021, as 177 MPs and MLAs quit the party.<ref name="Analysis">{{cite news |last1=Joy |first1=Shemin |title=Congress has lost six governments to BJP since PM Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014 |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/congress-has-lost-six-governments-to-bjp-since-pm-narendra-modi-assumed-power-in-2014-954411.html |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=Deccan Herald|agency=The Printers, Mysore |date=23 February 2021}}</ref> The defections resulted in a loss of the party's established governments in [[2015–2016 Arunachal Pradesh political crisis|Arunachal Pradesh]], [[2020 Madhya Pradesh political crisis|Madhya Pradesh]], [[Goa]], [[2019 Karnataka political crisis|Karnataka]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], and [[Manipur]].
[[File:Mallikarjun Kharge.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mallikarjun Kharge]], INC's incumbent president and leader in [[Rajya Sabha]]]]
On 28 August 2022, the [[Congress Working Committee]] (CWC) held an [[2022 Indian National Congress presidential election|election]] for the next president of the INC, to succeed Rahul Gandhi. The election was held on 17 October 2022 and counting took place on 19 October 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 August 2022 |title=Election for Congress president to be held on October 17, counting on October 19 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/election-for-congress-president-to-be-held-on-october-17-101661682471947.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Hindustan Times}}</ref> The candidates in the race were Kerala MP [[Shashi Tharoor]] and Karnataka MP [[Mallikarjun Kharge]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Congress president polls: It's Mallikarjun Kharge vs Shashi Tharoor as Tripathi's nomination is rejected |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/congress-president-polls-its-mallikarjun-kharge-vs-shashi-tharoor-as-tripathis-nomination-rejected/article65958509.ece |date=1 October 2022 |work=The Hindu |agency=Press Trust of India |issn=0971-751X|access-date=2022-10-04}}</ref> Mallikarjun Kharge won the election in a landslide,<ref name="indiatimes1"/> securing 7,897 out of the 9,385 votes cast. His rival, Shashi Tharoor, secured 1,072 votes.<ref name="thehindu1"/>

Kharge would lead the party into the [[2024 Indian general election]], where the party made significant gains in [[2024 Indian general election in Uttar Pradesh|Uttar Pradesh]] and other states, securing 99 seats — enough to elect [[Rahul Gandhi]] as leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The election was the best result for the party since 2009. The party was the principal opposition party within the [[Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance]] (INDIA), which was formed in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aggarwal |first=Raghav |date=4 June 2024 |title=INDIA bloc's combined strength plays spoilsport for BJP in 2 biggest states |url=https://www.business-standard.com/elections/lok-sabha-election/india-bloc-s-combined-strength-plays-spoilsport-for-bjp-in-2-biggest-states-124060401570_1.html |access-date=5 June 2024 |work=Business Standard |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604151957/https://www.business-standard.com/elections/lok-sabha-election/india-bloc-s-combined-strength-plays-spoilsport-for-bjp-in-2-biggest-states-124060401570_1.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-election-results-narendra-modi-rcna154839 |title=India hands PM Modi a surprise setback, with his majority in doubt in the world's largest election|first1=Mithil |last1=Aggarwai |first2=Janis Mackey |last2=Frayer |publisher=NBC News |date=4 June 2024 |access-date=4 June 2024 |archive-date=4 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604151033/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-election-results-narendra-modi-rcna154839|url-status=live}}</ref>