HN07 — Post-Independence India

📖 HN07 · NDA General Ability Test — History ★ Moderate Yield — 1–2 Questions

Independence in 1947 meant the British had left — but India's challenges were immense: a partition that had uprooted 15 million people, 562 princely states that needed to be integrated, a new constitution to write, a broken economy to rebuild, and Cold War pressures from every direction. This chapter covers how India's leaders navigated these challenges. For NDA, the key areas are the Constituent Assembly and Constitution, Sardar Patel's integration of princely states, Nehru's foreign policy, and major political milestones. Questions are factual and direct.

🏭 NDA Focus: Constituent Assembly first met 9 December 1946; Constitution adopted 26 November 1949; effective 26 January 1950; Dr. Ambedkar = Chairman of Drafting Committee; Dr. Rajendra Prasad = President of Constituent Assembly; Panchsheel 1954 = India-China five principles; NAM = Non-Aligned Movement; India-China War 1962; Bangladesh Liberation War 1971; Emergency 1975–77; Pokhran I 1974 (Smiling Buddha); Pokhran II 1998.

PART 1 — CONSTITUTION MAKING

1. The Constituent Assembly and the Constitution

Constitution-Making Timeline — Key Dates and People

9 Dec 1946

Constituent Assembly first met at Constitution Hall, New Delhi. 299 members (initially 389; reduced after Pakistan's separation). Sachchidananda Sinha = temporary chairman.

11 Dec 1946

Dr. Rajendra Prasad elected permanent President of the Constituent Assembly. Served until Constitution was adopted.

13 Dec 1946

Objectives Resolution moved by Jawaharlal Nehru — set out the vision for the republic: sovereign, democratic, republic with justice, liberty, equality, fraternity.

29 Aug 1947

Drafting Committee constituted with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as Chairman — the most crucial committee; responsible for drafting the actual Constitution. Called "Father of the Indian Constitution."

26 Nov 1949

Constitution adopted by the Constituent Assembly — took 2 years, 11 months, 18 days to draft. Celebrated as Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas).

26 Jan 1950

Constitution came into force. India became a Republic. Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India. 26 January chosen because on that date in 1930, the Congress had first declared Purna Swaraj at the Lahore session.

PART 2 — NEHRU ERA (1947–1964)

2. Jawaharlal Nehru — India's First Prime Minister

🏭 Domestic Policies

Economic model: Mixed economy — public sector for heavy industries, private sector for consumer goods; Five Year Plans (Planning Commission, 1950)
Steel plants: Bhilai (USSR help), Rourkela (West Germany), Durgapur (UK) — "temples of modern India"
IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, ISRO: Nehru's "scientific temper" — founded India's premier institutions
States Reorganisation Act 1956: Redrew state boundaries on linguistic basis — Andhra Pradesh (Telugu), Maharashtra (Marathi), Kerala (Malayalam) etc. created
Hindu Code Bills: Reformed Hindu personal law — gave women inheritance rights, right to divorce

🌎 Foreign Policy

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): India refused to join either American or Soviet bloc in Cold War; Bandung Conference (1955) — Nehru, Nasser (Egypt), Tito (Yugoslavia), Sukarno (Indonesia), Nkrumah (Ghana) — founding members
Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, 1954): Signed between India and China — mutual respect, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, peaceful coexistence
India-China War (1962): China violated Panchsheel; captured Aksai Chin; military defeat shocked India; Nehru's health declined; died 1964

PART 3 — KEY POLITICAL MILESTONES

3. Post-Nehru India — Major Developments

🏭 Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–66)

Succeeded Nehru; simple, modest leader
Slogan: "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" (Long live the soldier, long live the farmer)
India-Pakistan War 1965 — ceasefire; Tashkent Agreement 1966 (mediated by USSR); Shastri died in Tashkent hours after signing — mysterious circumstances

🏭 Indira Gandhi (1966–84)

Green Revolution: HYV seeds (MS Swaminathan); wheat and rice production; Punjab led; India became food self-sufficient by 1970s
Bank Nationalisation (1969): 14 major banks nationalised — "banking for the poor"
1971 War: Bangladesh Liberation War; Pakistan split; creation of Bangladesh; "Indira is India" slogan
Smiling Buddha (1974): First nuclear test at Pokhran (Operation Smiling Buddha)
Emergency (1975–77): JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) Movement; Allahabad High Court verdict against Indira; Emergency declared; 21 months; press censorship; mass arrests
Operation Blue Star (1984): Army operation in Golden Temple (Amritsar) against Sikh militants; assassinated by bodyguards 31 October 1984

🏭 Other Key Governments

Janata Party (1977–79): Morarji Desai — first non-Congress PM; coalition fell apart
Rajiv Gandhi (1984–89): IT revolution; computerisation; anti-defection law (52nd Amendment); Bofors scandal
V.P. Singh (1989–90): Mandal Commission — 27% reservation for OBCs; massive controversy; government fell
P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991–96): Economic liberalisation (Dr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister); LPG reforms (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998–2004): Pokhran-II (1998) — Operation Shakti; five nuclear tests; India declared nuclear weapon state; Kargil War 1999

📝 NDA PYQs — Post-Independence India

Q1. Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution? NDA PYQ

(a) Jawaharlal Nehru(b) Dr. Rajendra Prasad(c) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar(d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

✔ Answer: (c) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly — making him the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. He is called the "Father of the Indian Constitution." Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly (and first President of India). Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution. Sardar Patel was not a key figure in constitution drafting but was crucial for integrating princely states. This distinction is directly tested in NDA.

Q2. The Panchsheel agreement (1954) was signed between India and: NDA PYQ

(a) Pakistan(b) USA(c) USSR(d) China

✔ Answer: (d) China

The Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) was signed between India and China on 29 April 1954 — part of an agreement on Tibet. The five principles: (1) Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty; (2) Mutual non-aggression; (3) Mutual non-interference in internal affairs; (4) Equality and mutual benefit; (5) Peaceful coexistence. The slogan "Hindi-Chini bhai bhai" (India and China are brothers) became popular — ironically, China violated all five principles in the 1962 war.

Q3. India's first nuclear test (Operation Smiling Buddha) was conducted in: NDA PYQ

India conducted its first nuclear test called Operation Smiling Buddha on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran (Rajasthan) under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. India became the sixth nation to successfully test a nuclear device (after USA, USSR, UK, France, China). The test was officially described as a "peaceful nuclear explosion." The second series of nuclear tests — Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti) — was conducted on 11–13 May 1998 under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

🧠 Quick Memory Chart — HN07

📜 Constitution

Assembly first met: 9 Dec 1946
Rajendra Prasad: President of Assembly
Ambedkar: Chairman, Drafting Committee
Adopted: 26 Nov 1949; effective: 26 Jan 1950
Nehru: moved Objectives Resolution

🌎 Foreign Policy

NAM: Nehru; Bandung Conference 1955
Panchsheel 1954: India-China (5 principles)
India-China War 1962: military defeat
1971 War: Bangladesh created (Indira)
Kargil War 1999: Vajpayee era

📈 Key Milestones

Shastri: "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan"; died Tashkent
Green Revolution: MS Swaminathan; wheat+rice
Emergency: 1975–77; Indira Gandhi
Pokhran I: 1974 (Smiling Buddha); Indira
Pokhran II: 1998 (Op. Shakti); Vajpayee

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