Question

The nineties also saw the emergence of powerful parties and movements that represented the Dalit and backward castes (Other Backward Classes or OBCs). Many of these parties represented powerful regional assertion as well. These parties played an important role in the United Front government that came to power in 1996. The United Front was similar to the National Front of 1989 for it included Janata Dal and several regional parties. This time the BJP did not support the government. The United Front government was supported by the Congress. This shows how unstable the political equations were. In 1989, both the Left and the BJP supported the National Front Government because they wanted to keep the Congress out of power.

In 1996, the Left continued to support the non-Congress government but this time the Congress, supported it, as both the Congress and the Left wanted to keep the BJP out of power. They did not succeed for long, as the BJP continued to consolidate its position in the elections of 1991 and 1996. It emerged as the largest party in the 1996 election and was invited to form the government. But most other parties were opposed to its policies and therefore, the BJP government could not secure a majority in the Lok Sabha. It finally came to power by leading a coalition government from May 1998 to June 1999 and was re-elected in October 1999. Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister during both these NDA governments and his government formed in 1999 completed its full term.

Since then, there have been eleven governments at the Centre, all of which have either been coalition governments or minority governments supported by other parties, which did not join the government. In this new phase, any government could be formed only with the participation or support of many regional parties. This applied to the National Front in 1989, the United Front in 1996 and 1997, the BJP-led coalition in 1998, the NDA in 1999, the UPA in 2004 and 2009. However, this trend changed in 2014.

Who was the Prime Minister during the United Front Government from April 1997-March 1998?

• A. I. K. Gujral
• B. H.D. Deve Gowda
• C. V. P. Singh
• D. Chandra Shekhar

Hint:

Deve Gowda came first, then this leader took over in April 1997.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Method.
We build a short timeline of Prime Ministers after 1989 and place the dates April 1997 to March 1998 on it.

Step 2: The timeline.
V. P. Singh led the National Front from 1989 to 1990. Chandra Shekhar followed from 1990 to 1991. The United Front had two Prime Ministers, first Deve Gowda in 1996-97, then Gujral in 1997-98.

Step 3: Place the dates.
April 1997 to March 1998 falls in the second half of the United Front rule, so the Prime Minister was the second leader, I. K. Gujral.

Step 4: Link to the passage.
The passage mentions the United Front in 1996 and 1997, which shows it lasted past 1996 under a change of leader. This supports the timeline.

Step 3b: Why Deve Gowda is the common trap.
Many students pick Deve Gowda because he is the first name linked to the United Front. But the question gives a date window that starts in April 1997. He had stepped down by then, so the date window points to his successor. V. P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar led earlier governments and have nothing to do with the United Front, so they can be dropped at once.

Final Answer:
The answer is I. K. Gujral.
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