Question -
Answer -
The formal split of the Congress took place in 1969 on the issue of nomination of the candidate during presidential elections:
- Despite Mrs Gandhi’s reservations, the ‘syndicate’ managed to nominate her long-time opponent and then speaker of the Lok Sabha, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, as the official Congress candidate for the ensuing Presidential elections.
- Indira Gandhi retaliated by encouraging the then Vice-President, V.V. Giri, to file his nomination as an independent candidate.
- During election, the then Congress President S. Nijalingappa issued a ‘whip’ asking all the Congress MPs and MLAs to vote in favour of Sanjeeva Reddy, the official candidate of the party. Supporters of Indira Gandhi requisitioned a special meeting of the AICC (that is why this faction came to be known as ‘requisitionists’) but this was refused.
- On the other hand, after silently supporting V.V. Giri, the Prime Minister openly called for a ‘conscience vote’ which meant that the MPs and MLAs from the Congress should be free to vote the way they want.
- Election went in favour of V.V. Giri, the independent candidate, and the defeat of Sanjeeva Reddy, the official Congress candidate.
- The defeat of the official Congress candidate formalised the split in the party into two:
Congress (O), i.e. organisation led by Syndicate, known as Old Congress.
Congress (R), i.e. requisitionists led by Indira Gandhi, known as New Congress.