Emergency twist: When Indira's fiercest critic JP was fighting for life in hospital, Gandhi "quietly" did this, and it shocked everyone
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
In a little-known incident from the Emergency period, former prime minister Indira Gandhi quietly sent a donation of Rs 90,000 to help her strongest critic, Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), with his medical treatment. However, JP rejected the money and sent it back.A new book, The Conscience Network: A Chronicle of Resistance to a Dictatorship by Sugata Srinivasaraju, reveals this surprising episode. At the time, JP's health had worsened, and he needed a portable dialysis machine to survive after being diagnosed with kidney failure while in custody.JP was arrested on June 26, 1975, just after the Emergency was declared, and spent five months in jail in Chandigarh. He was granted a 30-day parole in November that year.As JP's supporters tried to raise money for his medical treatment, it was decided that help from the government would not be accepted. Instead, his admirers planned to collect Rs 1 per person from the public. But the fundraising was slow, as many people were afraid of the government.At this time, Indira Gandhi sent a cheque for Rs 90,000 as a contribution. But the donation shocked a group called Indians for Democracy (IFD), formed in the US by Indian citizens to protest the Emergency. They requested that the cheque be returned.Anand Kumar, a member of the IFD, said, 'We were clear that accepting the money would upset JP's supporters. So we asked him to return it, and he did. At that time, money wasn't coming in easily from within India.'The IFD then launched a global campaign to raise Rs 5 lakh, around USD 65,000 at the time, and successfully collected the full amount.In a letter dated June 11, 1976, JP explained why he returned the donation. He wrote, 'I assumed the money was from your personal account and not from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. By the time your cheque arrived, over three lakh rupees had already been collected.'He added, 'I hope you won't misunderstand me. I'm not being ungrateful or rude. I appreciate your concern for my health.'The Conscience Network will be officially released on June 25, marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. It highlights the efforts of Indian activists abroad during the Emergency and how they influenced global opinion.The Emergency, declared by Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, lasted until March 21, 1977. It was announced shortly after the Supreme Court stayed a ruling that had invalidated her election to the Lok Sabha.Inputs from PTI
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
The dragon is tightening its hold: Can India defy it?
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is China waging a low-intensity war on Indian manufacturing? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Company Can China hobble India's rise as a manufacturing power? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In recent months, geopolitical undercurrents have intensified between Asia's two largest economies, India and China. While the military standoff in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in 2020 marked a turning point in bilateral relations, a quieter but far more consequential confrontation is now unfolding. China is trying to undermine India's manufacturing ascent through strategic export denials, regulatory pressure and skilled labour restrictions. Several steps taken by China in the past few months indicate a well-formed strategy to hobble India's rise as a manufacturing power just when many factors align to help India's dependence on Chinese imports in several sectors, China can seriously hamper India's dream of becoming a rival manufacturing power. But in the long run, its obstructive measures will only help India gain economic strategy appears to be increasingly shaped by the need to maintain its dominance as the world's factory, especially as global manufacturers pursue the 'China Plus One' strategy to diversify supply chains. India, with its vast labour force, growing infrastructure and government-backed industrial policies, is emerging as a prime alternative. This transition poses a direct threat to China's central role in global recent actions suggest it is deploying several tools to delay or derail India's industrial ambitions. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that over 300 Chinese engineers employed by Foxconn in India have been recalled to China, reportedly due to regulatory pressure from Beijing. These engineers were supposed to be critical to the upskilling of Indian teams at Foxconn's iPhone assembly lines, a process essential to ramp up production of future models like the iPhone China has either halted or significantly delayed exports of key materials to India, including rare earth magnets (vital for manufacturing electric vehicles), specialty fertilisers (essential for Indian agriculture), and even tunnel boring machines (critical for infrastructure projects like metros and smart cities). These are not isolated trade hiccups but part of a broader strategy to weaponize trade and technology transfers. Beijing is keen to prevent a large-scale migration of Chinese technology and manufacturing expertise to India. By restricting technology and skilled labour exports, China aims to create bottlenecks in India's supply chain just as it begins gaining global could be two key motivations behind China's behaviour. India's post-Galwan measures, such as tightened scrutiny of Chinese FDI, banning hundreds of Chinese apps and blocking Huawei and ZTE from 5G trials in 2021, have significantly curtailed China's economic leverage in India. Denied access to one of the world's largest markets, Beijing may be retaliating economically to assert its relevance and influence. Secondly, China wants to strengthen a pre-emptive control of supply chains. As India's PLI schemes begin to yield tangible results -- Apple boosting iPhone production, semiconductor plans taking off and India becoming a major mobile phone exporter -- China wants to prevent a global narrative shift from 'Make in China' to 'Make in India".India's dependence on China for several intermediate goods, especially in electronics, EVs, chemicals and rare earth elements, is substantial. China controls more than 85% of global rare earth processing, and a large portion of Indian imports for electronics manufacturing still originate from China. In the short term, China's restrictions can cause delays, cost overruns and capacity the long-term picture is more nuanced. The exit of Chinese engineers from Foxconn's Indian operations is deemed to have a "negligible" impact, as per Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He noted that there were not many Chinese employees at the company's India iPhone facilities. Production capabilities at Foxconn's India iPhone facilities were established by the company's Taiwanese employees, like those from FIH's Minsheng plant, not Chinese employees, he said. Even amid US tariff threat over iPhones, Foxconn has not slowed down its ongoing mega expansion in India. This indicates that while Chinese know-how may have played a critical role in the initial ramp-up, Indian talent and local engineering capabilities are set to mature global firms are increasingly bullish on India. Apple's contract manufacturers, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron (now owned by Tata), continue to expand their Indian footprints. With supply chain diversification being a geopolitical imperative for Western companies, India remains a central part of this new global manufacturing has recognized the vulnerabilities arising from over-reliance on China and has responded with a mix of policy, investment and diplomatic initiatives. India is offering financial incentives across 14 sectors -- including semiconductors, electronics, EVs and pharmaceuticals -- to attract investment and scale up manufacturing. The PLI scheme has already contributed to India becoming the second-largest mobile phone producer in the in a direct response to China's rare earth squeeze, India is preparing a Rs 3,500–5,000 crore PLI scheme to boost the local manufacturing of rare earth magnets. Under this scheme, Sona Comstar, a major importer of these magnets, has announced plans to produce them domestically, signaling industry alignment with national goals. India is actively exploring alternate sources for specialty fertilisers and critical minerals, including deals with countries like Australia, Vietnam, and African nations. This aims to insulate agriculture and green energy sectors from Chinese pressure. India is investing heavily in upskilling its labour force and creating engineering talent pipelines to reduce dependency on Chinese programmes and partnerships with industry are part of this push. India is negotiating trade agreements with the US and EU while it has already signed an FTA with the UK. These deals will open up new export markets and attract investment, helping India position itself as a global manufacturing hub outside China's manufacturing ecosystem is still young, but it is evolving rapidly, powered by a combination of global realignment, domestic ambition and geopolitical support from the West. China's export denials and covert trade obstructionism are signs of concern but they also reflect a realization that India is no longer just a large market -- it is a serious manufacturing contender .Ultimately, China's restrictions may serve as an accelerator rather than an obstacle. They are pushing India to build domestic capabilities, diversify partnerships, and focus on resilience. If India continues on its current trajectory - with strategic clarity, global cooperation, and internal reforms - it has the potential not just to withstand China's pressure, but to emerge stronger from it.
Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Opposition alleges Maharashtra govt purchased cancer diagnostic vans at inflated price, Speaker Rahul Narvekar orders inquiry
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar Thursday directed the public health department to conduct an inquiry into the purchase of eight cancer diagnostic vans and submit its findings before the end of the Monsoon Session after the Opposition's allegations. Opposition MLAs questioned the price at which each of the vans was purchased. 'As per the information I have, the price of each van was Rs 99 lakh, while a similar van of the Tata company can be purchased at Rs 45 lakh only. The entire purchase process looks managed and there can be no denying this,' said Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav. Meghana Sakore-Bordikar, Minister of State for Public Health, stated that the purchase of eight cancer diagnostic vans was made through the government's GeM portal via a turnkey process. The rates at which purchases were made were 0.94 per cent less than the estimated rates. There was a competitive tender for the same. It involves the vehicle, medical equipment, furniture and customisation. There has been no corruption in the purchase,' said the minister. She said three companies had participated in the tender process. 'At present, an inquiry is ongoing based on complaints from the legislators,' she said. 'The government has purchased eight cancer diagnostic vans. The price of a van cannot exceed Rs 40 lakh. The equipment in this van is not more than Rs 12 lakhs. However, the vehicles have been purchased at a higher price,' said Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar. Wadettiwar said these vans are related to a life-threatening disease like cancer, and some of the equipment has even broken down. 'There should be an investigation into whether there has been corruption in this purchase. The report must come out if the investigation is ongoing,' he said. The Congress MLA asked the Speaker to ensure that the report is tabled before the house, before the end of the session. 'The inquiry must be conducted at the earliest and the report should be tabled before the House before the end of the session,' said Speaker Narvekar.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
COAS Dwivedi briefed on Indian Military Training Team's role in strengthening India-Bhutan military cooperation
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi , visited the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), wherein he was briefed about the vital role played by it, the ADGPI said in a post on X on Thursday. The ADGPI noted that IMTRAT further strengthened the military cooperation between India and the Royal Bhutanese Army . It also informed that the COAS interacted with all ranks of Indian and Bhutanese Army at IMTRAT and appreciated them for their focused joint training initiatives and leadership development. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo The ADGPI highlighted in its post that as India's oldest overseas mission, the IMTRAT reflects the strength and depth of India and Bhutan's Defence Cooperation. ADGPI wrote on X, "#GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS visited the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), #Bhutan, wherein he was briefed on the vital role of IMTRAT in furthering the close military cooperation between India and the Royal Bhutan Army. #COAS interacted with All Ranks of Indian Army & Royal Bhutan Army at IMTRAT and lauded them for their focused joint training initiatives and leadership development. As India's oldest overseas mission, IMTRAT reflects the strength and depth of Indo-Bhutan #DefenceCooperation." Live Events — adgpi (@adgpi) Previously, the Indian Army noted that the COAS also visited the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military Hospital and later engaged with instructors and students at the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military School, acknowledging the importance of capacity-building and military education in the bilateral relationship, said an official statement from the Indian Army. During the visit, the COAS also visited Jamtsholing Gyaltsen Academy at Tashichhoeling in Samtse, where he was apprised of Bhutan's Gyalsung National Service programme . He interacted with the instructors and received a detailed briefing on the academy's training framework, infrastructure, and other key functional aspects. Indian Army said that the visit underscores the enduring friendship between India and Bhutan, reaffirming India's steadfast support for a close and trusted neighbour.
