Today’s history: Indira Gandhi was expelled from Congress 52 years ago, syndicate leaders showed the way out

The story is from 1969. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country. At that time the Congress was dominated by a syndicate of some elderly leaders. The role of Indira Gandhi was no more than a ‘gungi gudiya’ in the words of Ram Manohar Lohia. There were very few listeners in the party.

Indira wanted VV Giri to become the President but the party’s active syndicate had named Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as the presidential candidate. Then Indira Gandhi revolted and Reddy was defeated. Since the removal of Morarji Desai from the post of Finance Minister, the leaders of the syndicate were angry with Indira. Reddy’s defeat further troubled him. He used to think that if the Prime Minister does not support the leader of the party, then who will.

Of. Indira Gandhi with Kamaraj and Morarji Desai.

The signature campaign started against the then Congress President S Nijalingappa. Indira was also mobilizing Congressmen in her favor by going to different states. Indira supporters demanded a special Congress session so that a new president could be elected. Enraged, Nijalingappa wrote an open letter to Indira and accused her of ending internal democracy. Indira also stopped attending Nijalingappa’s meetings.

The Congress Working Committee met at two different places. One at the Prime Minister’s residence and the other at the Jantar Mantar Road office of the Congress. In a meeting held at the Congress office, Indira was expelled from the primary membership of the party and the parliamentary party was asked to choose its new leader.

Indira broke the Congress into two pieces. Indira’s party was named Congress (R) and the other party became Congress (O). Then Indira dropped the no-confidence motion of Congress (O) with the help of CPI and DMK.

1930: Beginning of the First Round Table Conference

Even though India got independence in 1947, the Congress Working Committee, which was leading the freedom struggle at that time, had decided to start the Civil Disobedience Movement in February 1930 to achieve complete independence. When Mahatma Gandhi broke the salt law after the Dandi March, the British government became active and organized Round Table Conferences, or Round Table Conferences, for constitutional reforms in India.

Delegates attended the first round table conference.

These Round Table Conferences started on 12 November 1930 and continued till 19 January 1931 in London. It was presided over by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, with 89 delegates attending. This was the first such conversation in which the British rulers allegedly gave equal status to Indians. Prominent Congress leaders were in jail at that time and Mahatma Gandhi as well as Jawaharlal Nehru had announced a boycott of the conference.

The day of November 12 is remembered in history due to some other important events.

2009: Incredible India campaign was awarded the World Travel Award-2009 for promoting tourism in India.

2002: The United Nations prepared a new peace plan for Cyprus based on the federal structure of Switzerland.

1995: Nigeria suspended from membership of the Commonwealth.

1956: Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia joined the United Nations.

1946: Great freedom fighter and social reformer Madan Mohan Malviya passed away.

1936: Kerala temples open to all Hindus.

1925: The US and Italy signed a peace deal.

1847: British doctor Sir James Young Simpson used chloroform for the first time as an anesthetic.

1781: The British captured Nagapatnam.