Arrange the following events in chronological order :
(i) Assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
(ii) Formation of the First Non-Congress coalition government at the centre.
(iii) Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections.
(iv) The Mandal Commission gave its recommendations.
Choose the correct option :
Arrange the following events in chronological order :
(i) Assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
(ii) Formation of the First Non-Congress coalition government at the centre.
(iii) Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections.
(iv) The Mandal Commission gave its recommendations.
Choose the correct option :
Options
The correct chronological order is (C) (iv), (ii), (i), (iii).
- (iv) Mandal Commission recommendations — 1980: the Commission submitted its report recommending reservations for Other Backward Classes.
- (ii) First Non-Congress coalition government at the centre — 1989: the National Front coalition led by V.P. Singh, supported externally by the BJP and the Left, formed government.
- (i) Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi — 21 May 1991: the former Prime Minister was assassinated during an election campaign.
- (iii) Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections — 2014: held about 23 years after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for correctly choosing option (C), i.e., the complete correct chronological sequence.
Hint
Anchor each event to its decade: Mandal Commission report (1980s start), first coalition government (1989), Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (1991), and the most recent Lok Sabha election (2014).
Quick Oral Answer
The correct order is: Mandal Commission recommendations (1980), first coalition government (1989), Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (1991), and the Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections (2014).
Analysis & Explanation
This chronology question spans over three decades of Indian political history, testing precise date recall across multiple chapters.
Why (C) is correct
- The Mandal Commission report was submitted in 1980 (though implemented only in 1990).
- The first genuinely multi-party coalition government at the Centre was the National Front government of 1989 under V.P. Singh.
- Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991, during the general election campaign that followed the National Front government's collapse.
- The Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections were held in 2014, the most recent event in the list.
Why the distractors are wrong
- (A), (B) and (D) all place at least one event out of its actual chronological position — for instance, placing the 2014 elections before 1991's assassination, or the coalition government after the Mandal recommendations were meant to be implemented, which does not match the historical sequence of 1980 → 1989 → 1991 → 2014.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing the Mandal Commission's report submission (1980) with its implementation (1990), causing sequencing errors.
- 2Misplacing the Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections (2014) earlier in the sequence instead of recognising it as the most recent event.
Interesting Facts
The Mandal Commission, headed by B.P. Mandal, submitted its report in 1980, but its recommendation of 27% OBC reservation was implemented only in 1990 by the V.P. Singh government.
The 1989 National Front government was India's first coalition government at the Centre after the Janata Party's 1977 formation, supported externally by both the BJP and the Left parties.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on 21 May 1991 in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, during the 1991 general election campaign.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was the first non-Congress coalition government formed at the centre?
The National Front government under V.P. Singh, formed in 1989 with external support from the BJP and the Left parties, is regarded as India's first genuine multi-party coalition government at the Centre.
When did the Mandal Commission submit its recommendations?
The Mandal Commission, set up in 1979 and headed by B.P. Mandal, submitted its report in 1980, recommending 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes; it was implemented a decade later, in 1990.