Remembering Indira

 

 

“She put Nixon in his place”

The man who served in the Prime Minister’s secretariat during Indira Gandhi’s early years at India's helm assesses her achievements and enduring legacy

I am committing the ultimate act of immodesty by quoting from one of my books: “So often Indira Gandhi is depicted as solemn and serious. Seldom is it mentioned that this graceful, sparkling, engaging human being was a caring humanist, a voracious reader, with wide-ranging non-political interest, that she was endowed with charm, elegance, good taste, that she enjoyed the company of artists, authors, poets, painters and the talented, that she had a sense of humour…” When she was assassinated on October 31, 1984, the spring went out of my life.

I had the great opportunity to work in her secretariat (not PMO at the time) from 1966 to 1971. I was the first member of the IFS to be personally chosen by her to be a member of her staff. At the time Prime Minister’s secretariat was a small, well-knit unit. Esprit de corps was much in evidence. One interacted with the Prime Minister almost on a daily basis. She was in many ways a liberating force. She approved of candour, humour, loyalty, discretion. She had no time for the pompous, the cautious, the calculating and the pretentious. The pompous were deflated by one severe look that reduced the man/woman to (metaphorically) asking for blood transfusion. The collapse was instant.

How do we assess her achievement after a quarter century? Her great father laid the foundations of a democratic, secular, pluralistic India. His daughter strengthened the foundations and carried his idea of India further. During the seventeen years of Nehru’s term in office only once the green lights turned red – 1962. For her, the angels stopped fluttering in 1975 – Emergency – and 1984 – Operation Bluestar. Indira Gandhi used to say, “my father was a saint. I am not.” To Jawaharlal Nehru realpolitik had a bad odour. Not for her. He really had an easy political ride from 1947 to 1962. Not Indira Gandhi. She had to fight and fight hard before she obtained supremacy. I remember so well the atmosphere at 1 Safardarjung Road when the results of the 1967 Lok Sabha elections started pouring in. There was no comfort, no cheer. The outcome was dismal. She presided over a government, which depended on the tacit support of the Left. With great courage and sagacity she navigated the Indian political craft in rough waters with a steady hand. As far as I know, she very seldom was subject to a common phenomenon called cold feet. When necessary, she would dig in her heels and not budge come what may.

In my five years in the Prime Minister’s secretariat, I travelled around the world with her. What a presence she had! Among all the Kings and Captains of the world she stood out, beautiful, confident, regal and yet immensely human. Even her common touch had something of the aristocratic swing of her father.

I asked her after she had met Margret Thatcher, “Madam, what did you make of the Iron Lady?” Her answer: “What Iron Lady? I saw a nervous women sitting on the edge of the sofa.” Her father was loved. She was loved and feared. He was a world leader of his epoch, she of hers.

She grew in her job. She infused inspiration. She invited loyalty and she received it in plenty. But there is the other side of the coin. Until she demolished the odious Syndicate, removed Morarji Desai as Finance Minister, she needed strong nerves to meet the political challenge and came out on top.

I have just put her letters to me in my forthcoming book, Yours Sincerely. She enjoyed receiving and replying to letters. They made her intellectually relaxed. The real epistolary treat that one gets from Sonia Gandhi’s Two Alone, Two Together is quite something. She has edited the book, which contains a huge number of letters father and daughter wrote to each other, with amazing frequency. Open the book on any page and you will not be disappointed.

Her great triumph was the creation of Bangladesh. She displayed patience, grit, intuitive foresight and statesmanship of the highest order. She got Europe and Russia on her side, also the international media and liberal America. Mr. Nixon and the too clever by half Henry Kissinger were isolated.

Foreign policy was her forte. She wrote an article for Foreign Affairs in October 1972. She spelt out hardcore India’s foreign policy. “India’s foreign policy is a projection of the values which we have cherished through the centuries as well as our current concerns. We are not tied to the traditional concepts of a foreign policy designed to safeguard overseas possessions, investments, the carving out of spheres of influence and erection of cordons sanitaires. We are not interested in exporting ideologies.” The credit of the formation of Bangladesh goes to the people of East Pakistan, who fought and suffered to create a nation. India under Indira Gandhi’s guidance helped them in their fight for freedom. It is an adamantine fact of life that people create nations. This the people did on December 15, 1971, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

On December 15, 1972, she wrote to President Nixon (who had used obscene language against her). I shall quote the final paragraph of that memorable letter: “….. Be that as it may, it is my earnest and sincere hope that with all the knowledge and deep understanding of human affairs, you, as President of the United States and reflecting the will, the aspirations and idealism of the great American people, will at least let me know where precisely we have gone wrong before representatives or spokesmen deal with us with such harshness of language.” Richard Nixon did not reply.

In any survey of the best Prime Minister, she is in most cases named number one. Indira Gandhi was named the woman of the millennium. Was she infallible? No, she was not. She very much regretted the imposing of the Emergency. She permitted her younger son to cloud her judgment. The credit goes to her for lifting the Emergency and calling for elections, in which she and her younger son lost their seats. She was back in the saddle in less than three years.

Operation Bluestar was a grave blunder. It cost Indira Gandhi her life. In fairness, one must record that her specific instructions were flouted. “No damaging the Golden Temple” is what she had said. Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility was hers. She apologised unequivocally but the damage had been done.

Speaking personally, Indira Gandhi inspired in me a lasting affection and respect verging on veneration. I owe her much more than I can put in adequate words. Probably more than I shall ever know. “Indira Gandhi had a big heart”

By R.K. Dhawan

One of Indira Gandhi’s closest political aides reminisces about her daily ‘open durbar’ that helped her keep abreast of what was happening around her

This daily darshan, call it ‘Indira Durbar’, was a kind of gathering where the Prime Minister would receive petitioners. People would come to her with problems ranging from mistreatment of sacred cows to cases of police brutality. She picked up this direct contact concept from her father. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used to meet the public at eight in the morning every weekday. There were no security checks during those days.

She started meeting people this way when she became the information & broadcasting minister. Her doors used to be open for everyone; anyone was allowed to meet her and place their grievances before her. Partymen too would come to seek suggestions regarding political issues.

She didn’t have much say in the government then, so she used to forward most petitions to the departments concerned. But when she became Prime Minister, she started this practice of going to 1 Akbar Road at 8 am sharp from Monday to Friday. She would spend almost two hours there.

Some people would turn up only to meet her and get clicked with her. Some used to come with petitions. MLAs and MPs would meet her to share their views regarding party matters. Everybody’s problem was handled in a very systematic manner. There was one person in charge of petitions. He was called the private secretary (public) and his office used to be in the public section in Rail Bhavan.

In the morning the private secretary used to be present there and all the petitions were given to him. The political petitions were my domain and I used to follow up with the ministers and chief ministers concerned. Political work was done by me. Every evening we used to give her the report about what has been done on the petitions. She used to get first-hand knowledge of the situation around her and within her party.

Indiraji woke up at 5.30 am everyday, did yoga for an hour and had her breakfast by 7.45 am. The same routine was followed even when she was out of power from 1977 to 1980. Only MPs and MLAs would visit her during this phase. The public petitioners stayed away because they knew that she was not in a position to solve their problems. Initially, for the first six to eight months after she was voted out of power, everyone stopped coming. Only a handful of close friends visited her.

This was also the time when she discovered her real supporters because a lot of people she trusted betrayed her during this phase of her life. People who used to be in her Cabinet were the first to go and report before the Shah Commission. She was hurt not because people had deserted here but because some her own former Cabinet colleagues were making all sorts of wrong submissions to the Shah Commission.

The first person who appeared before the Commission and deposed against her was her law minister HR Gokhale, who used to be very close to her. Other ministers from her Cabinet like C. Subramaniam and DP Chattopadhayay followed him. They all joined her back when she returned to power. She had a big heart. Virendra Patil contested against her in Chickmaglur in 1978 and she still inducted him in her cabinet. She was not vengeful.

Siddhartha Shankar Ray, who had been pressing her to declare Emergency, actively deposed before the Shah Commission. One day, when she entered the Shah Commission he told her very sarcastically: “You are looking fit.” She replied: “You are doing everything possible to keep me fit.”

On one occasion, during this low phase of her political career, she bought a lottery ticket from a vendor. The prize money was to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. She told me that she would donate the money to the All India Congress Committee if she won