Wish June 25, 1975 was never there in History
By Amba Charan Vashishth

June 25, 1975 - the day that should never have been in the annals of Indian history. It is indeed a black spot on the face of our country, our democracy and our traditions. It should best be ignored and forgotten. In thirty years we should have erased it from our memorary as an aberration. But we could not. Not because we did not wish to forget it. But because the rulers who survived the ordeal let it not be a bygone era. But we cannot. With their words and actions our leaders every now and then continue to hammer on our heads not to let us forget it.

Even after a once most powerful and popular prime minister in the person of Mrs Indira Gandhi had been worst humbled by the people and a sitting prime minister for the first time not only lost majority in the elections but also herself faced the ignominy of being defeated, she did not have the guts to repent or apologise.

The present ruling dynasty continues to exhibit the same dynastic traits of arrogance, ego, lack of respect for law, constitution and democratic traditions. For it all these are not to be respected but to be used to promote its narrow political designs. They have failed to infuse a sense of faith in the masses that the same autocratic, dictatorial tendencies cannot - and will not - even in a milder form surface in the country any time.

It is, therefore, necessary, to make the new generation of our young men aware of the horrendous times the country was made to pass through during those times

In the aftermath of country's victory over Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh in 1971 the Congress won a landslide victory in elections to Parliament and States. India's victory was the result of a collective effort of all - the then leadership and the valour and determination of our armed forces strengthened by the resolve of a nation to teach its enemy a lesson for life. But the victory seemed to have gone into the head of Mrs Indira Gandhi who seemed to have taken it as a personal victory ignoring the great sacrifices made by our valiant and patriotic soldiers with the unstinted support of people from all walks of life, including the opposition. It inflated her ego and turned a democrat in her into a diehard autocrat dictator.

The Indira Government failed to come to terms with the social, political and economic situation that emerged in the aftermath of a war. The economy was shattered. Price rise and inflation witnessed the worst of times. Shortages of essential commodities rendered the life of the common man miserable. Corruption was rampant and uncontrolled. Worsening economic situation and uncontrolled corruption gave rise to social discontentment and strife. Mrs Indira Gandhi's infamous "gharibi hatao" slogan turned out to be a nightmare for people who had pinned great hopes in her.

The Indira government indulged in a policy of repression and suppression. It became intolerant of the other point of view. For Indira Gandhi opposition became irrelevant, insignificant and an unnecessary evil. Those who raised their voice against the government were dubbed as anti-nationals, enemies of the people, CIA agents and what not. The sycophants in the Congress leadership gave the slogan: "India is Indira and Indira is India".
People became restless and discontented. Students and social organisations raised a banner of revolt. It was at this juncture that the Sarvodaya leader Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan who had so far kept himself aloof from the humbug of power politics could no longer ignore the call of his conscience. He gave a clarion call to the youth and every section of Indian people having love of the country uppermost in their heart to come out to realise the goal of total revolution - sampooran kranti.

It was for the first time that student power under JP's leadership showed its mettle. It became so strong that it led to a fall of the government in Gujarat and violently shook the foundations of government in Bihar.

As a counter the Indira government let loose a reign of terror and suppression. Hundreds of people were put behind bars. The then dreaded Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was used against political leaders in violation of the solemn assurance not to use against political opponents.

The response to the JP crusade against oppression, corruption and dictatorial regime of Congress at the Centre and the States was so massive that it soon converted itself into an all-India movement

Bhartiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present Bhartiya Janata Party, extended its whole-hearted support to the JP movement. The then Socialist Party, Swatantra Party and many other State and national political outfits also jumped into the fray.

The turning point came in June 1975 when the Allahabad High Court set aside the election of Mrs Indira Gandhi to Parliament on the ground of corrupt practices. Intoxicated by the political power, Mrs Indira Gandhi refused to yield and respect the verdict of the court or listen to any saner advice of reason.

The Congress party has never respected the verdict of the courts. Had Mrs Gandhi bowed before the law of the land, the country would have been saved of the sufferings of Emergency and atrocities people faced.

Only a few months back the High Court had set aside the election of Congress MP A. N. Chawla on the same grounds. No eyebrows were raised then. It was only when the law pricked her own self that Mrs Gandhi made a hue and cry about it.

Like all dictators, Mrs Indira Gandhi could countenance no opposition, no advice that militated against her lust for power and desire to stick to office. She became suspicious of her own top confidants and supporters. Her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, though propped up into active politics to succeed her, was too young and inexperienced to take the place of his mother. Rajiv was then an Indian Airlines pilot. She turned down the sane advice of her well-wishers to step down handing over the reigns of office to one of her top confidants till her appeal in the Supreme Court was decided.

In the middle of June 1975 JP organised a massive rally at Delhi in which people from all over the country converged demanding Mrs Gandhi's resignation. She staged a counter-rally in Delhi using the official machinery of the Congress State governments in the country to display her strength.

The dictator in Mrs Gandhi surfaced when to crush opposition with an iron hand, on June 25, 1975 she imposed a state of Emergency, imprisoned thousands of opposition leaders and workers, media persons, and all those who had at one time or the other raised their voice against the dictatorial tendencies of the Congress. Fundamental rights were trampled down the feet of the rulers. Complete censorship was imposed on the media. Nobody could dare to speak or write against the Congress or its government even by implication. Freedom of thought, speech and expression were snatched from the people. And above all, numerous atrocities were perpetrated on the people. Perhaps India had not gone through this type of ordeal of a dictatorship and brutalities even at the hands of foreign aggressors and invaders during the last about 1200 years under foreign domination. On that dark night, India lost all she had won on August 15, 1947 by throwing out the alien rule.

With the opposition in jails, a pliant President too eager to sign on the dotted lines, a docile bureaucracy and a judiciary handicapped by suspension of fundamental rights and other laws, Mrs Indira Gandhi let loose a reign of terror for 18 months till she announced elections in January 1977. Innumerable atrocities were committed on the people. Forcible sterilisation operations were conducted even on the aged and unmarried men and women. Police then became an instrument of terror and harassment. Nobody's life and honour was safe.

PRESENT TIMES NO DIFFERENT

Congress preaches others to respect the court verdicts. But it has never practised what it preached. To appease the minority community it enacted a law to fructify the court verdict in the famous Shah Bano case.

Congress has never got itself attuned to listening to a voice of dissent. It cannot tolerate a government that is not either of its own party or pliable to its dictates. More than 150 times has it imposed President's rule in non-Congress States only to weaken the opposition and stifle its voice. Mrs Indira Gandhi even went to the extent of imposing President's rule in UP on the basis of a command report from the then Governor to get rid of an inconvenient Congress chief minister Shri Hemvati Nanand Bahuguna although the Congress party enjoyed an overwhelming majority.

The same story is getting repeated today. We still continue to witness the same authoritative, autocratic, fascist, dictatorial tendencies manifesting in the Congress leadership today. The instances are numerous to quote.

The first manifestation was the removal of NDA appointed governors. The opposition apprehensions were further strengthened when it appointed hard core Congressmen as Governors in BJP-ruled States. With the active connivance of this coterie of Governors faithfully obedient to Congress it succeeded first in destabilising BJP government in Goa. Later, ignoring the claim of NDA that had majority from day one, it imposed a Shiboo Soren government in Jharkhand although it never enjoyed majority. In Bihar it misused the office of Governor to defy the verdict of the people and impose President's rule just to prevent the NDA from forming a popular government there.

It was for the first time in the history of the country that a 'decent' prime minister is sharing ministerial berths with persons who have been charge-sheeted or are facing charges of heinous crimes, like murder, rape, dacoity, extortion, abduction, mafia connections, corruption, living beyond known sources of income and other crimes in various courts.

The present Congress rulers continue to behave like autocratic feudal rulers who thought their word was the ultimate word of god and law. On the one hand, Congress is protecting leaders with criminal records and withdrawing criminal cases involving corruption charges against its own leaders, like Capt. Satish Sharma, and indulging in "judicial burial" of corruption cases, like the too well known Bofors case, and is sitting tight over the Nanavati Commission report on anti-Sikh riots because, according to reports, it has commented adversely against certain important political leaders. On the other hand, out of sheer vindictiveness it is trying to engineer criminal cases against former NDA ministers. It has rejected the Phukan Commission report exonerating the former Defence Minister George Fernandes and ordered registration of a CBI inquiry against him, because it did not serve the political objectives of Congress.

Although a judicial inquiry is already on into the whole gamut of what happened in Godhra and subsequent riots in Gujarat, UPA has appointed a parallel committee to inquire into these incidents with ulterior political motives.

During the last one year, because of the stubborn and intransigent attitude of Congress-led UPA government, Parliament has not been able to function smoothly. It was for the first time that Budget had to be passed without participation of the Opposition. It is the duty of the ruling party to manage the House and create conditions conducive to its functioning smoothly. In a healthy democracy it is incumbent on a ruling party to take the opposition along. During the NDA rule many a times such situations did arise when business of the house could not be transacted because of disruption or boycott by opposition. But each time without standing on prestige and by adopting a healthy attitude of give-and-take NDA was able to break the ice and make the opposition play its constitutional role.

Parliament has not been able to function smoothly because of arrogance of power displayed by UPA, an attitude which has no place in a democracy. It is the duty of the Opposition to oppose the ruling party but it is not the duty of the ruling party to oppose the opposition, as the UPA has been doing. Opposition may be an inconvenient roadblock in a ruling party's autocratic designs, yet in a democracy it continues to be as important as the ruling party itself. Opposition certainly is not an enemy to any one, not even to the ruling party. When senior NDA leaders, like even Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, were prevented from speaking in the House, the opposition was left with no alternative but to boycott the house. It could certainly not afford to put up with humiliation to elected representatives, as much representative of the people as is the ruling party. From the behaviour of the ruling alliance, it looked as if it was not at all interested in ensuring the presence of the opposition in Parliament and wanted to run the house unilaterally.

Even if we wish to forget the Emergency era, forgive it, the present Congress leadership leading the UPA seems hell-bent not to allow us to do so. It continues to remind the country that Emergency may have been withdrawn after the people gave a crushing defeat to the then Congress under Shrimati Indira Gandhi but the situation has changed for the better for them. They keep on hammering out the message: Never forget June 25.