Drought brought severe hardship to West and Central India. This was exacerbated by inflation and the worldwide petroleum crisis, leading to a reduced standard of living.
Riots in a number of states protested these conditions. For instance, in Gujarat, street fighting led to resignation of the state government and the imposition of presidential rule.
In Bihar, the veteran socialist Jayaprakash Narayan(JP) headed a popular campaign against the local Congress government. During 1974 he sought allies outside Bihar and began to attack the central government. He posed a Gandhian vision of a nation of self-sufficient villagers against the multinational development philosophy of Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
The Allahabad High Court found Indira Gandhi guilty of election malpractices. She then proclaimed a state of emergency and arrested large numbers of her opponents. The houses of Parliament were recalled and, in the absence of nongovernment members, rapidly approved constitutional amendments to strengthen the executive and legislative branches and to protect the prime minister.
New policies implemented during the state of emergency demonstrated the abrogation of individual rights that was under way; forced sterilization (to reduce the birthrate) became the most publicized example.
