By invitation: Indira the politician lost, but Indira the democrat won
This year marks the birth centenary of one of the nation's tallest leaders and by far her best Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi. A patriot and a nationalist, she was born in the year of the socialist revolution in Russia and grew up in the heat and tumble of the freedom struggle, absorbing the spirit of the times.
Her family, totally involved in the movement, greatly influenced her thinking processes. In and out of prison, Jawaharlal Nehru tutored his only child, through his now famous "Letters from a Father to his Daughter", sowing in her the seeds of nationalist fervour. Shy and withdrawn, she was uncomfortable in her extended paternal family, clinging to her ailing mother, whom she lost at the age of 19. Torn between her duties to her father, who became Prime minister after freedom, and her husband, firebrand Feroze Gandhi, she raised her two sons with all the love and attention a mother could give.
She became Congress President in 1959, receiving her training in Party intricacies, government and diplomacy from her father. On his death in 1964, she was elected to Parliament from his constituency of Phulpur to become minister for I&B in Lalbahadur Shastri's government. She was nervous about answering questions in Parliament we are told, and hoped her questions would not be reached. But, she gained confidence and was chosen to succeed Shastriji on his death in 1966.
Senior leaders of the Party led by Nijalingappa thought they could manipulate the inexperienced young Indira, coining the term Gungi Gudia for her! Unfortunately for them, she came into her own and took on the Syndicate that had been formed to “contain her.” The split of the Congress after the historic AICC session of 1969 at Bangalore heralded a new era in Indian politics. She challenged senior leaders, got her choice – V.V. Giri, elected as Rashtrapati, and launched her agenda for economic reform by announcing the nationalisation of banks and an end to Privy Purses. The general election that followed, with her slogan of Garibi Hatao, swept the Congress (I) to power. This strengthened her resolve to push her socialist agenda forward, with many path breaking legislative measures.
In the years that followed, Bangladesh was born, with India's direct support and Atal Bihari Vajpayee christening her 'Durga'; Sikkim became part of the Indian Union; the Treaty of Friendship with the USSR was signed; and in an act of true statesmanship India released the thousands of Pakistani prisoners captured in the Bangladesh war. She challenged the hegemony of the Super Powers by working to strengthen the Non-aligned movement. The saying in international circles those days was "You may agree with her – you may disagree with her – but you can’t ignore her.” Fearing her rising power and popularity, the opposition united in a "do or die" struggle to oust her. The Allahabad High court judgment, unseating her in an election petition (though stayed by the SC pending an appeal) added to the chaos, leading ultimately to the imposition of Emergency and its consequences.
I had the privilege of working with her closely for almost ten years. Hand picked by her for the Rajya Sabha in 1974, she groomed and mentored me, always willing to listen and understand. She sent me on the delegation to the First UN Conference on Women in Mexico in 1975, and to the UN General Assembly in 1976, asking me to tour the US and "explain" the emergency- (she didn’t say "defend") and on many other assignments.
The Emergency in 1975 shocked the nation and the world, though Indira Gandhi felt it necessary to restore law and order and save the nation. As time passed, she sensed things were going wrong - people were turning hostile. And so, despite strong opposition from her senior advisors, her son Sanjay and chief ministers, she decided to lift the emergency, release jailed leaders, end press censorship and announced national elections. "I will not continue without the people's mandate" she proclaimed as she went to the polls. Though the Congress Party was routed and she and Sanjay lost their seats, Indira the democrat had won, and Indian democracy had been saved. In spite of every effort to finish her politically, she survived. She was elected back to Parliament from Chikkamagaluru, in 1978 but was expelled and jailed by a vindictive government. Gradually people sensed their new leaders had feet of clay- squabbling, accusing each other of corruption and falling like nine pins. Indira Gandhi was swept back to power in 1980. The popular slogan in the campaign was "laati goli kayenge, Indiraji ko vapas layenge".
She returned to power a changed person. I had been expelled from the party, along with Devraj Urs and the Karnataka Congress unit for having demanded election of the KPCC President. The day she was to take her oath, I went to greet her with a basket of red roses. She saw me in the midst of Party workers that had gathered. She stopped, called me and took the roses with a smile. The next morning she sent Pranab Mukherjee to me to inquire if something was wrong. "She looks weak and worn out – check if everything is well with her" she is supposed to have told him.
The fact was that Nivedith my fourth child had just arrived and I was still recovering.
Indira Gandhi was a leader of courage and determination, with her finger on the pulse of the people. She had a connect with the crowds that assembled to hear her. I remember one election – there were milling crowds, garlands, slogans and all. "We have won this election ma'am", I said. "No we have not - the people are there but they are not with us – I can tell by looking at their faces", she said. Sure enough, we lost! Accompanying her on campaigns was a most challenging job. She had enormous energy and could go on from 6 am to well past midnight. I once, hesitantly asked for a break after days of touring. "I am tired ma'am - my eyes are burning and my head is aching", I said. "The trouble with you young people is that you eat and sleep too much" she replied and let me go.
Just when she was savouring the victory and return to power, Sanjay, her pillar of strength in those difficult years, died in a plane crash behind her residence. Though stoic and composed in her grief, she was never the same again. She missed him - that void could not be filled. Rajiv reluctantly stepped in to help.
With violence spreading in Punjab, Operation Blue Star became inevitable. The Golden Temple, where Bhindranwale and his men had taken refuge, was stormed with heavy causalities on both sides. I remember a meeting at her residence, when Party leaders began to congratulate her on her bold decision and the victory of the operation. "This is not the time to rejoice – this is the time for healing…" she said firmly, and ended the meeting
Then came the final blow, she was assassinated by her own Sikh body guards in her garden, bringing the curtains down on the life and times of Indira Gandhi – a dynamic, bold yet sensitive woman, who behind her stern public image was a humane, loving and caring person. She worked to bring social justice and economic prosperity to her people, adding 'Socialist' and 'Secular' to the preamble of the constitution.
My last meeting with her was when I was summoned late one evening in late October to her residence. She was in a house coat with a towel wrapped around her head. She congratulated me on the success of the Mahila Congress Convention at Bangalore held a week earlier, and then asked me to put a 3 member delegation together and leave for Mauritius immediately, to join the President Zail Singh's delegation. I went to Mauritius and flew back on the morning of October 31 to the shocking news of her assassination.
I watched flames engulf her bullet ridden body, her family standing by the pyre against the setting sun. The crowds wept, world leaders bowed their heads in homage, while "Indira Gandhi amar rahe" rent the air in a last farewell. I was heart broken and wept with millions around the world. Indira Gandhi was gone - she now belonged to the pages.
The writer is the former Governor of Rajasthan.
