Identify the State with which the phrase `Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' is related to.
Identify the State with which the phrase `Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' is related to.
Options
Official answer
The correct answer is (C) Haryana.
The phrase 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' originated in Haryana in 1967, when legislator Gaya Lal changed his party allegiance three times in a single day, coming to symbolise frequent, opportunistic floor-crossing by legislators after the fourth general elections.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark for correctly choosing option (C).
Hint
Think of the legislator's name — Gaya Lal — and the pun it created; this happened in Haryana.
Quick oral answer
'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' originated in Haryana in 1967 from legislator Gaya Lal's repeated party-switching, symbolising political defection.
Common mistakes
- 1.Confusing Haryana with other states that also saw coalition governments collapse after 1967, such as Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh.
- 2.Not recognising the phrase as a specific historical reference to a named legislator's repeated defections.
Analysis and explanation
This is a direct factual-recall MCQ on a well-known phrase used in NCERT to illustrate post-1967 political instability and defections.
Why (C) is correct
- The phrase is directly traced to Haryana MLA Gaya Lal, whose repeated party-switching in 1967 gave rise to the pun 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' (roughly, 'one who comes and goes').
Why the distractors are wrong
- (A), (B) and (D) — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — also witnessed coalition instability in this period, but the specific phrase and the legislator who inspired it belong to Haryana, not these states.
Interesting facts
The phrase originated in 1967 when Haryana MLA Gaya Lal changed parties three times within a single day.
The instability caused by such defections after the 1967 elections eventually contributed to the enactment of the Anti-Defection Law (52nd Constitutional Amendment, 1985).
1967 was a landmark year in which Congress lost power in several state assemblies for the first time since independence, leading to a wave of coalition governments and defections.
Question details
Q4 of 38 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Political Science
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- MCQ
- Chapter
- Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System
- Topic
- 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' — Political Defections
- Bloom's level
- remember
- Syllabus topic
- Unit: Challenges to and Restoration of Congress System — Political Defections and Coalition Politics
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the phrase 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' significant in Indian politics?
It symbolises the era of frequent, opportunistic political defections after the 1967 general elections, which destabilised many state governments and eventually led to the Anti-Defection Law of 1985.
What law was eventually passed to curb such defections?
The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985, known as the Anti-Defection Law, was passed to disqualify legislators who defect from their parties.