Q.Whom would you identify with the following slogans/phrases?

These three slogans capture defining moments in India's post-independence political history, each associated with a specific leader or movement.

1. Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan was coined by Lal Bahadur Shastri during his tenure as Prime Minister (1964–66). He gave this slogan to honour both soldiers (jawans) and farmers (kisans), emphasizing their equal importance to the nation. It gained prominence during the 1965 Indo-Pak war and reflected Shastri's focus on self-reliance in food production and national defence.
2. Indira Hatao! ("Remove Indira") was the rallying cry of the opposition parties during the 1977 general elections. The Janata Party coalition used this slogan to mobilize public anger against Indira Gandhi's government, particularly after the Emergency (1975–77). It successfully united diverse opposition groups under a single anti-Congress platform.
3. Garibi Hatao! ("Remove Poverty") was Indira Gandhi's powerful slogan in the 1971 general elections. She used it to position herself as a champion of the poor and to distinguish her faction of the Congress from the older leadership. The slogan resonated widely and helped her secure a landslide victory, making poverty alleviation the central theme of her political agenda.
   ✓Final answer

   "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" belongs to Lal Bahadur Shastri, "Indira Hatao!" to the opposition Janata coalition in 1977, and "Garibi Hatao!" to Indira Gandhi in the 1971 elections.

Political slogans in India have always been more than catchy phrases—they capture the mood of an era, crystallize complex policies into memorable calls to action, and often decide the fate of elections. The three slogans you've asked about span a crucial decade in Indian politics, from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s, a period marked by war, economic crisis, and dramatic political realignment.

(a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan

This slogan belongs to Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's second Prime Minister, who coined it during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. The phrase—"Hail the soldier, hail the farmer"—was born out of a moment of national crisis when India faced simultaneous challenges on two fronts: a military threat from Pakistan and severe food shortages at home.

Shastri's genius lay in recognizing that India's security depended not just on military strength but on agricultural self-sufficiency. The slogan elevated the farmer to the same pedestal as the soldier, acknowledging that feeding the nation was as vital as defending its borders. This was particularly significant because India was then dependent on food imports, especially PL-480 wheat from the United States, which came with political strings attached.

The phrase became a rallying cry during the 1965 war and helped mobilize public support for both the war effort and the government's push toward agricultural modernization. It set the stage for the Green Revolution that would follow.

(b) Indira Hatao!

The opposition parties collectively raised this slogan—"Remove Indira!"—during the 1971 general elections. By this time, the Congress party had split in 1969, with Indira Gandhi leading one faction (Congress-R, for Requisition) and the old guard forming another (Congress-O, for Organisation). The opposition, sensing an opportunity, formed a grand alliance that included the Congress-O, the Jan Sangh, the Swatantra Party, and others.

Their campaign was essentially negative, focused entirely on removing Indira Gandhi from power. They attacked her populist policies, her authoritarian tendencies within the party, and what they saw as her departure from democratic norms. The slogan was personal, direct, and unambiguous—it wasn't about policy differences or ideological debates, but about one woman who, in their view, had to go.

The problem with this approach was that it offered no alternative vision, no positive program. It was purely reactive, and as events would prove, that was a fatal weakness.

(c) Garibi Hatao!

Indira Gandhi responded to "Indira Hatao" with one of the most brilliant counter-slogans in Indian political history: "Garibi Hatao!"—"Remove poverty!" This became the centerpiece of her 1971 election campaign and transformed what might have been a defensive battle into a triumphant offensive.

The slogan was politically masterful. Instead of defending herself against personal attacks, Indira Gandhi shifted the debate to the issue that mattered most to the vast majority of Indians: poverty. She positioned herself as the champion of the poor and the marginalized, promising radical measures like bank nationalization (which she had already implemented in 1969), abolition of privy purses for former princes, and land reforms.

"Garibi Hatao" allowed her to:

• Turn the election into a referendum on poverty rather than on her leadership
• Appeal directly to India's poor majority over the heads of traditional power brokers
• Present herself as a radical reformer against a conservative, elite opposition
• Frame the choice as forward-looking change versus backward-looking reaction

The slogan worked spectacularly. The Congress-R won 352 seats out of 518 in the Lok Sabha, giving Indira Gandhi an overwhelming mandate. The opposition's negative campaign collapsed in the face of her positive, populist appeal.

The irony, of course, is that while "Garibi Hatao" won elections, poverty itself proved far more stubborn. The slogan's promise remained largely unfulfilled, but its political impact was undeniable.