Bharatiya Jana Sangh

Bhartiya Jan Sangh
Founded 1951
Dissolved 1980
Ideology Hindu nationalism, Hindutva
Politics of India
Political parties
Elections
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The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (abbreviated BJS, and often known simply as the Jan Sangh) existed from 1951 to 1980, whereupon it was succeeded by the Bharatiya Janata Party, one of India's largest political parties. Its name means Indian People's Alliance in Hindi.

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Origins

The BJS was started by Syama Prasad Mookerjee on 21 October 1951 at Delhi in consultation with the RSS. The symbol of the party in Indian elections was an oil-lamp. In 1952 general elections to the Parliament of India, Bharatiya Jana Sangh had won three seats; Mookerjee being one of the winning candidates. The BJS would often link up on issues and debates with the right-wing Swatantra Party of Chakravarti Rajgopalachari. Its strongest parliamentary performance came in the 1967 elections, when the Congress majority was its thinnest-ever.

Hindu Nationalism

See also: Hindu nationalism, Hindutva

The BJS was ideologically close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and derived most of its political activist base and candidates from the RSS ranks. The BJS was considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism, with the RSS being the central base. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, formed in 1964 would become the religious arm.

The BJS also attracted many conservative members of the Indian National Congress who were disenchanted with the more socialist policies and politics of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress Party. The BJS's strongest constituencies were in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The BJS leadership strongly supported a stringent policy against Pakistan and China, and were averse to the USSR and political Communism in India. Many BJS leaders also inaugurated the drive to ban cow slaughter nationwide in the early 1960s.

Emergency

In 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of Emergency, and threw many major opposition politicians in jail including the leaders of the BJS. In 1977, the Emergency was withdrawn, and elections were held. The BJS, joined forces with the Bharatiya Lok Dal, the Congress (O), and the Socialist Party, to form the Janata Party (People's Party). The Janata Party became the first Indian government not led by the Indian National Congress. Former BJS leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani became the External Affairs (Foreign), and Information and Broadcasting Ministers respectively.

Chronological List of Bharatiya Jana Sangh Presidents

S.No. Name Year

  1. Dr. S.P. Mookerjee 1951-52
  2. Pt. Mauli Chandra Sharma 1954
  3. Pt. Prem Nath Dongra 1955
  4. Acharya D.P. Ghosh 1956-59
  5. Shri Pitamber Das 1960
  6. Shri A. Rama Rao 1961
  7. Acharya D.P. Ghosh 1962-64
  8. Shri Bachhraj Vyas 1965
  9. Shri Balraj Madhok 1966
  10. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya 1967-68
  11. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee 1969-72
  12. Shri Lal Krishna Advani 1973-77

New BJP

After the Janata Party's poor showing in the 1980 elections, the former Bharatiya Jan Sangh members left to form the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been one of the three largest Indian political parties since 1989.

Literature

External links

See also