Who was India's Prime Minister in 1977-79?
VerifiedAnswer: Morarji Desai
Explanation:
Morarji Desai served as India's Prime Minister from March 24, 1977, to July 28, 1979. He became the Prime Minister after the historic 1977 general elections, which marked a significant turning point in Indian politics.
The 1977 elections were particularly important because they ended Indira Gandhi's rule and the Congress Party's dominance that had continued since independence. This election came after the controversial Emergency period (1975-1977), during which civil liberties were suspended and political opponents were imprisoned. The Indian people voted decisively against the Congress Party, bringing the Janata Party to power.
Morarji Desai was chosen as the leader of the Janata Party and became India's fourth Prime Minister. At the age of 81, he was the oldest person to assume the office of Prime Minister in India. Before becoming Prime Minister, Desai had a long political career and had previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister under Jawaharlal Nehru.
During his tenure, Desai's government focused on restoring democratic institutions and civil liberties that had been curtailed during the Emergency. His administration also worked on economic reforms and tried to address the various challenges facing the country. However, the Janata Party government faced internal conflicts and disagreements among its coalition partners.
Unfortunately, Desai's government became unstable due to political infighting within the Janata Party. The coalition began to break apart, and Desai eventually resigned from his position in July 1979. His resignation led to a period of political uncertainty, and eventually, Charan Singh briefly succeeded him as Prime Minister before early elections were called in 1980, which brought Indira Gandhi back to power.
