Like other parties, the BJP has suffered from its share of discord. She has been in power for nearly 12 years of her four-decade life in electoral politics. As they were no longer in power, for a long time there was no patronage to distribute to their workers. Prime Minister Nehru ruled the nation until his death in 1964. Nehru was replaced by Lal Bahadur Shastri, who also died in office. In 1966, power passed to Nehru`s daughter, Indira Gandhi, who served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977. In 1975, Mrs. Gandhi, plagued by worsening political and economic problems, declared a state of emergency and suspended many civil liberties. Seeking a mandate at the polls for her policies, she called for elections in 1977, but was defeated by Morarji Desai, who led the Janata Party, a coalition of five opposition parties. Political scientist Suhas Palshikar calls India`s BJP the “second dominant party system,” the first being the Congress of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who ruled the republic for more than half a century. The BJP is the only and first party to win clear majorities since Rajiv Gandhi of the Congress in the 1984 elections.
After Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1984, Modi is the “only leader who really claims mass appeal almost throughout the country.” In February 2004, India and Pakistan agreed to adopt the “2+6” composite dialogue format, which includes talks on peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir, followed by technical and ministerial talks on six other bilateral disputes: Siachen Glacier, Wuller Barrage/Tulbul shipping project, Sir Creek Estuary, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and trade cooperation. and the promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields. Talks by the Minister for Foreign Affairs resumed in November 2006 after a three-month delay following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on 11 July 2006. The meeting made modest progress, with the two sides agreeing to establish a common counter-terrorism mechanism and to agree on a follow-up meeting in February 2007. The revival of the Composite Dialogue process is particularly important in view of the almost six years that have elapsed since the two sides agreed on this formula in 1997-98. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 created new tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistan supported the Afghan resistance, while India implicitly supported the Soviet occupation. Over the next eight years, India expressed growing concern about Pakistani arms purchases, US military aid to Pakistan, and Pakistan`s nuclear weapons program. To contain tensions, the two countries formed a joint commission. In December 1988, Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto made a pact not to attack each other`s nuclear facilities and initiated agreements on cultural exchanges and civil aviation.
Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world`s land area, it supports more than 15% of the world`s population. Only China has a larger population. India`s average age is 25, one of the youngest among major economies. About 70% live in more than 550,000 villages, the rest in more than 200 cities. During the thousands of years of its history, India has been invaded by the Iranian plateau, Central Asia, Arabia, Afghanistan and the West; The Indian people and culture absorbed and modified these influences to create a remarkable racial and cultural synthesis. In November 2006, President Hu Jintao paid an official state visit to India, further cementing China-India relations. India and China are building on growing economic ties to strengthen other aspects of their relationship such as counterterrorism, energy and trade. In another symbol of improved relations, the two countries opened nathu La Pass to bilateral trade in July 2006 for the first time in 40 years. Although this is the first direct land trade route in decades, trade is expected to be local and small, as the pass is only open four months a year. After independence, the Indian National Congress, the party of Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, ruled India under the leadership first of Nehru, then his daughter (Indira Gandhi) and grandson (Rajiv Gandhi), with the exception of short periods in the 1970s and 1980s, for a short period in 1996 and the period 1998-2004, when a coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled. PeopleNationality: Noun and adjective – Indian(s).
Population (2007): 1.12 billion; urban 27.8%. Annual growth rate: 1.3% Density: 324/ft² Kilometre. Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryans 72%, Dravidians 25%, other 3%. Although the national census does not recognize any racial or ethnic group, it is estimated that there are more than 2,000 ethnic groups in India. Religions: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi. Languages: Hindi, English and 16 other official languages. Education: Compulsory years – none. Literacy – 61%. Health: Infant mortality rate – 34.61 / 1,000. Life expectancy – 68.59 years (2007 est.). Labour force (estimated): 450 million.
Agriculture –60%; Industry and commerce – 18%; Services and Government – 22% The US is India`s largest investment partner with a 13% share. India`s total inflow of direct investment from the United States is estimated at more than $9 billion by 2006. Foreign direct investment proposals are reviewed by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board and usually receive government approval. Automatic approvals are available for investments with up to 100% foreign equity, depending on the type of industry. Foreign investment is particularly in demand in power generation, telecommunications, ports, roads, oil exploration/processing, and mining. .