Often, JP did not miss Indira even speaking in strong words, many times there were reports of corruption of her leaders, then directly reached Indira.
Jayaprakash Narayan was like Indira Gandhi’s uncle. This great hero of the Quit India Movement of 1942, got away from active politics after independence. But from time to time, he used to warn the leaders to avoid corruption. When Indira Gandhi assumed power, JP came to meet her and handed over all the letters her mother had written to her dear friend and JP’s wife Prabhavati on different occasions.
In those letters, Indira’s mother Kamla Nehru was filled with heartache, all the anger that she had on Indira’s father, all the consternation that arose out of loneliness, all the philosophy that arose from her sorrow, all of them were in those letters. Apparently, they could not be hand over to Nehruji, so JP thought it better to hand over to Indira.
Distances kept growing
Often, JP did not miss Indira even in strong words, many times the news of corruption of her leaders, then went directly to Indira, but she slowly began to feel that Indira does not listen to her words. . One day, on 1 April 1974, Indira Gandhi gave a speech in Bhubaneshwar that those who raise money of big capitalists have no right to talk about corruption. JP felt that it was targeted at him. So the distance between the two went on increasing.
‘What have I thought besides the country?’
In such a situation, when the Navnirman movement took place in Gujarat, the agitators appealed to JP to come and lead. JP was also aware of the difficulties face by the people due to Indira’s dictatorship and increasing corruption in Congress, he was gladly ready. At the age of 72, he was eating sticks in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Student leaders like Lalu, Nitish, Paswan, Sushil Modi joined him in Bihar, the slogan of the completed revolution was give. In such a situation, Indira once called JP to her residence for a settlement, but Indira remained silent and kept talking about Babu Jagjivan Ram. JP was speechless, Indira always met him alone.
Indira speak very little and he was pierc. Indira said, ‘Just think about the country …’, Surprised JP simply said, ‘Indu … what have I thought other than the country?’ He felt that now the competition will be beyond. In this meeting, he handed over the letters of his mother to Indira.
Emergency Declaration
Gradually, he was join by people from all anti-Congress parties and anti-Indira Congress factions, leaders of all opposing parties like Atal, Advani, Jordan Fernandes, Subramaniam Swamy, Chandrashekhar, and young leaders of the time like Jaitley, Modi. On June 25, his rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan was forgot, there was a crowd of millions, Indira Gandhi got Rishi Kapoor’s film ‘Bobby’ on Doordarshan to stop the crowd at home, yet people reached the rally. In that rally, JP also asked a line of police and army personnel to join the fight against the system.
Indira got the chance and declared the emergency in the night and says in her speech that – ‘one person is provoking the army for rebellion’.
JP also cried and Indira also cried
Everyone knows the story of the Emergency, Indira Gandhi loses in the post-Emergency elections. The dream of the great JP is fulfill. Those who make JP a leader, their mustache blossoms, once again the same evening a victory rally is hold there. JP should have been there with all the leaders as per the rules, but he does not go. He goes to 1, Safdarjung Road ie Indira Gandhi’s house, this was his first night after the defeat, in that house.
The entire story of this meeting is written by famous journalist Prabhas Joshi in his book ‘Lutyens’ mound of geography’, how In…
