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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat students ‘showed the light', then it became a beacon
A year before the country witnessed the imposition of the Emergency and the fight against it under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan (universally known as JP), Morarji Desai and others, Gujarat witnessed a massive student-led movement – the Navnirman Andolan – against inflation and corruption in 1973-74. The movement, which eventually resulted in the resignation of then Congress Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel and the dissolution of the Gujarat Assembly, proved an inspiration for the JP Movement and his call of 'Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution)'. Like the JP Movement did in Bihar, the Navnirman Andolan also saw the emergence of a new generation of leaders in Gujarat. Manishi Jani, a student leader who became one the prominent faces of the movement, recalls how price rise and scarcity of essential commodities had left the general public angry. 'Amidst this, in December 1973, the authorities increased the monthly mess fare of students at government colleges from Rs 70 to Rs 90. Students of Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering in Ahmedabad objected. On December 20, they set the canteen on fire. A newspaper article highlighted how many students were eating only once a day to save money. Many ran into debt.' Ten days after the canteen was attacked at the Ahmedabad college, Jani says, 'There was a similar incident in Morbi (at Lukhdhirji Engineering College), where students protesting against poor food quality and price rise vandalised a laboratory.' Despite the protests, however, the authorities further hiked the mess charges. This led to a call by students of the Ahmedabad engineering college for a massive protest on January 2, 1974, where they clashed with police. 'Police entered the hostel and lathicharged them. About 200-225 students were taken into custody.' An informal forum of students called the Yuvak Lagni Samiti met at Gujarat University to plan what to do next. 'We decided to hold a big march to the Navrangpura Police Station, where the students were held. Eventually, they were released,' Jani says, adding that this was when the agitation began building up as a protest against the state government. 'We held various protests under the banner of the Yuvak Lagni Samiti. Our point was: The inflation was not natural, but manmade, the result of a nexus between traders, hoarders and big farmers.' Students accosted ministers in public, held gheraos of political leaders, gave shutdown calls for colleges and schools. Trade unions joined them, followed by non-Congress parties. A bandh held in Ahmedabad on January 10, 1974, proved so successful, Jani says, that 'even newspapers were not distributed' that day. CM Patel bore the brunt of the ire because of his own financial interests in the education sector and involvement in university politics. The influential Adhyapak Mandal, a university-level association of professors, also came out against the government. Soon, the agitation had spread across the state, getting spontaneous support from the public. The leaders of the agitation then decided that it was time to give it a formal structure, to ensure better coordination of events planned. This led to the formation of the Navnirman Yuvak Samiti, with office-bearers. The name 'Navnirman' was reportedly given by a journalist. Jani was named president of the Samiti's Executive Committee. Among the innovative protests rolled out by the Navnirman Samiti was the call for 'sarkar no mrutyughant (the death knell of the government)'. 'The idea was given by one of our supporters and leader of the Adhyapak Mandal, K S Shastri. We demanded that the Chimanbhai Patel government be removed and the Assembly be dissolved. We asked people to clank rolling pins on steel plates at night,' Jani says. Just over a year after that canteen protest over fare hike, the Navnirman Yuvak Samiti called for a Gujarat Bandh on January 25, 1974. Days to go, the Congress government began arresting the leaders and supporters of the movement en masse under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), among other provisions. Jani says this was another miscalculation by the Patel government. 'After that, the agitation got out of the government's control… On January 25, all of Gujarat remained shut except for Bhuj and some villages of Kutch. People formed Navnirman Samitis in every district on their own. We started the agitation, but now it became a 'lok andolan (people's movement)'.' Narhari Amin, one of the office-bearers of the Navnirman Yuvak Samiti and now a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, says that by early 1974, 'students had started holding meetings at the district level'. 'The government used excessive force in reply, resorting to lathicharge and police firing… More than 100 people died and public properties were set on fire. Thousands of people blocked railway tracks. The Army was called in to control the situation.' Alarmed at the rumblings in Gujarat which were already echoing across the country in Bihar – JP was called to address the protesters in Gujarat – the Congress high command sent then Union Law Minister H R Gokhale to hold discussions with the protesters. Eventually, Patel resigned as CM on February 9, 1974, following which President's Rule was imposed in Gujarat. However, the Navnirman Yuvak Samiti continued its agitation, maintaining their original demand that the Assembly be dissolved. On March 16, 1974, the Indira Gandhi government at the Centre finally agreed to the same, and fresh elections were announced in June that year. A coalition Janata Morcha government came to power after the polls, with Morarji Desai playing a crucial role in this. Amin says that, notwithstanding the role of national leaders like Desai and JP, the Navnirman Movement remained essentially an agitation of students and 'not about Desai or Narayan'. 'They strengthened us by giving (moral) support… Desai once sat on an indefinite hunger strike in support of student demands.' The meeting JP addressed as part of the Navnirman Andolan was at H L Commerce College in Ahmedabad, says Ashok Panjabi, who headed the CPI's Gujarat student wing then and was part of the agitation. 'JP also held a meeting with agitating students at the Senate Hall of Gujarat University,' Panjabi says, adding that JP did not return after that as he wanted the Gujarat agitation to remain essentially a student protest. Now a Gujarat Congress vice-president, Panjabi says: 'JP took inspiration from Navnirman Andolan and gave a call for dissolution of the Bihar Assembly when he launched the Bihar andolan.' That agitation would build into a nation-wide protest, leading to the declaration of the Emergency by the Indira Gandhi government that saw itself as besieged. Jani recalls JP once saying: 'Gujarat ke chhatron ne mujhe prakash dikhaya (the students of Gujarat showed me the light).'
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Banerjee stepped over JP's car bonnet", accuses Sukanta Majumdar questions Bengal CM's credibility to observe Emergency anniversary
South Dinajpur (West Bengal) [India], June 25 (ANI): Marking the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency in India, Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar questioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's credibility of observing the Emergency anniversary and accused her of supporting Emergency citing a reference from Jayaprakash Narayan's visit to Kolkata. 'How can CM Mamata Banerjee observe the day of the Emergency?' he asked. 'When Jayaprakash Narayan came to Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee (as a form of protest) stood on the bonnet of his car. Mamata Banerjee was a supporter of the Emergency, and today, she has even imposed an informal Emergency in West Bengal.' The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. India was placed under a state of Emergency from June 25, 1975, to March 21 1977, following the implementation of Article 352 of the constitution. Mamata Banerjee has strongly objected over the term 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas' and accused BJP of dismantling Constitution on daily basis. 'I strongly object to the term 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'. The Constitution is the foundation of our democracy, our rights, our motherland. But @bjp4india is dismantling it every single day. People's rights are being crushed, state governments bulldozed, yet they have the audacity to speak of 'more power to democracy',' said CM Banerjee in a statement. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet today observed a two-minute silence in memory of those who lost their constitutionally guaranteed rights and faced 'unimaginable horrors' during the Emergency. The cabinet paid tribute to their 'exemplary courage and valiant resistance' to the Emergency's excesses. Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a resolution was passed to mark 50 years since the Proclamation of Emergency. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution stated, 'The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas - an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted, the Republic and democratic spirit of India was attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty and dignity were suspended.' It added that the Emergency was an attempt 'at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution,' which began in 1974 with efforts to crush movements like the Navnirman Andolan and the Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan. The resolution reaffirmed that the people of India continue to have unshakable faith in the Constitution and the country's democratic values. 'It is as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies and stood firm to defend our Constitution and its democratic fabric,' it said. (ANI)
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Rajat Sharma recalls
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 25 (ANI): Senior journalist Rajat Sharma, who was jailed for 10 months during the Emergency, recalled the 'dark night' when it was imposed and senior political leaders arrested, the struggles he endured and his attempts to keep up the flame of democracy and flow of information by bringing out a 'cyclostyled newspaper' that was then delivered to homes of people. In an interview with ANI, Rajat Sharma recalled being part of Jayaprakash Narayan's student protest. The senior journalist, who is Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of INDIA TV, recounted facing police sticks after arrest but not having fear in his mind. 'I still remember that particular dark night almost 50 years ago when Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency to save her chair. We were all a part of Jayaprakash Narayan's student protest. We got to know that all big leaders of the country, including Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prakash Singh Badal, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Raj Narayan, LK Advani, all of them were arrested and sent to different places in the country, like Ambala, Rohtak, Bengaluru,' Rajat Sharma said. 'Our leader at the University was Arun Jaitley. He was the president of DUSU. When police reached his residence, his father helped him escape. I was just 17 years old and was a student of 1st year at the University. When Arun ji reached the University, he was unaware that the police were after him and that he shouldn't go to the university. We took out a procession in the University and raised slogans of 'Tanashahi Murdabad', 'hamare netaao ko riha karo'. Our university had a coffee house, and Arunji was giving us a speech by climbing on a table. We saw the police approaching us to arrest us,' he added. Rajat Sharma said the Station House Officer (SHO) was a friend 'to us all and whispered to us to leave the place'. 'We all left the place, but Arun Jaitley was arrested as the person on whose scooter he was to go, had left. He was sent to a jail in Ambala. Vijay Goyal and I were together and late in the night we got to know that we would not receive newspapers tomorrow because censorship had been imposed, and there was no freedom of expression. Doordarshan and All India Radio were under the government. We had no resources for the news. We got to know through the BBC that Emergency had been imposed in the country. Later, Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency on All India Radio,' he added. Sharma recalled how he and his friend Vijay Goyal, a BJP leader, brought out the cyclostyled newspaper named 'Mashaal' 'For two days, we kept moving, sleeping at shops and houses. The police were searching for us at our homes. Because of censorship, people were unaware of the events in the country. I and Vijay Goel decided that we would release a cyclostyled newspaper and named it 'Mashaal'. I used to write news with my hands. We used to write that our leaders are in jail and about strikes and put this cyclostyled paper in the houses of the people,' he said. Rajat Sharma said he was caught after the police raided the place from where they brought out the cyclostyled newspaper. 'Vijay Goyal ran away, but I was caught and was sent to jail. The police handcuffed me. The police tied me and beat me. They beat me up with sticks.... I was bleeding. They were also questioning me and asking me about the whereabouts of Vijay Goyal,' he said. 'The police told me 'You have no legal rights' and we can shoot you right here''. But there was no fear in my mind because we had been in protests earlier...' 'The next day, I was sent to a Magistrate, who did not listen to my plea. The only thing I was sad about was that outside the Tis Hazari Court, my father was present among the people outside. Even though he wanted to come and meet me, the police wouldn't allow that,' Rajat Sharma recalled. He said when he was brought to Tihar jail, he was sent to the teenager ward, known as 'Munda Khana', instead of the political ward, as he was 17. 'It could accommodate four but there were 12 people there. Some of them, I learnt, were there because of theft or murder days later, I was sent to the political ward. Those two days were very painful. I thought it was my end. I used to hear all sorts of things that frightened me, I used to feel scared but but I did not lose hope,' said Sharma. He said criminals used to say things like all the people in the prison would be taken to the Siberian desert through an aircraft and would be left there and that Indira Gandhi would make all the prisoners taken to the middle of the ocean in a ship and drown them. The Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975, by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, lasted for 21 months and is remembered for severe restrictions on civil liberties, censorship of the press, and the arrest of political opponents. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to 'unimaginable horrors' during the Emergency. The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency's excesses. Briefing reporters after a meeting of Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a resolution was adopted on 50 years of Proclamation of Emergency. The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'The meeting of the Union Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Union Cabinet resolved to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt 'at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution, a subversion which began in 1974 with a heavy-handed attempt at crushing the Navnirman Andolan and Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan'. 'The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas - an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted, the Republic and democratic spirit of India was attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty and dignity were suspended,' the resolution said. (ANI)
Deccan Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Nail driven deeper in coffin of Indian democracy: JP's 'Prison Diary' poignant account of Emergency
Jayaprakash Narayan, then 72-years-old, Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, and other opposition leaders were soon arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
The Emergency, 50 years on: Those dark days of 1975 when government and police jailed anyone, anywhere, anytime
Written by Satya Pal Jain It has been 50 years since the Emergency was imposed on the country, but I still remember the day I was arrested from Panjab University. At the height of Jayaprakash Narayan's movement, the Allahabad High Court on June 12, 1975, set aside Indira Gandhi's 1971 Lok Sabha election. As calls for her resignation grew, she declared Emergency late on the night of June 25. By the next morning, key opposition leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, and Devi Lal were jailed under MISA. Authoritarianism puts self-interest above all else. Indira Gandhi not only imprisoned opposition leaders but also senior Congress figures such as Chandra Shekhar and Krishan Kant. Thousands of innocents were jailed, livelihoods destroyed, and families left desperate. Yet across the country, people stood firm and resisted the Emergency. I was only 23 years old at the time and served as the general secretary of the Punjab University Students' Council and the president of the Punjab and Chandigarh Students' Committee, part of the movement led by the late Jayaprakash Narayan. On July 13, 1975, when I went to seek admission to the Law Department of Punjab University, I was denied admission despite being on the merit list. As I came out of the interview room, I was arrested. A false case was registered against me, alleging that I had organised a massive student rally outside the Law Department and declared that we would overthrow the Indira Gandhi government. In December, the then Judicial Magistrate Hans Raj Nagara discharged me from the case and ordered my release. Later, on 27 January 1976, I offered satyagraha at the Punjab University and presented myself for arrest. I was taken into custody, and at night, was taken to the police lines in Sector 29, where I was tortured. Thin copper wires were tied to my right-hand fingers, and electric shocks were administered. For a moment, I felt it could be the last night of my life. But with God's grace, I survived. During the Emergency, all fundamental rights were suspended. Courts were shifted to jails, with judges ordered to conduct hearings inside prison walls. The police and government functioned with complete impunity, jailing anyone, anywhere, anytime on false charges. Bail for political prisoners was legally banned. Around six months after the imposition of the Emergency, the RSS, Jan Sangh, opposition parties, and other non-Congress organisations launched a movement against it. Thousands of people defied the dictatorship of the Prime Minister by offering themselves for arrest. Those days were indeed very dark. Relatives and friends were afraid to meet us. Fear and terror hung heavy in the air. With radio broadcasts censored, people secretly listened to BBC news for information. The entire country resembled an open prison — a landscape dominated by cruelty, dictatorship, and fear. People lived in dread of the police. At times, we doubted whether we would ever come out of the jail alive. When Indira Gandhi convened Parliament to pass the Emergency Bill, it marked the first and only instance in Indian parliamentary history when all opposition benches were empty. Only MPs from parties supporting the Emergency attended. It was also perhaps the first time that a Prime Minister recommended Emergency to the President without Cabinet approval. The then President, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, accepted the unconstitutional recommendation. The Cabinet was informed only the next morning. Drunk on power, Indira Gandhi believed that no political party or leader could challenge her. In January 1977, under pressure from foreign countries and the growing opposition movement, she suddenly announced elections, hoping to deal another blow to her critics. But the people's patience had worn thin. They rose in open defiance. The slogan coined by Jayaprakash Narayan — 'Every vote cast for Congress will prove to be a handcuff and a shackle for your feet' — resonated powerfully. Indira Gandhi and the Congress party suffered a crushing defeat. Emergency was lifted only after this electoral loss. When Indira Gandhi went to the then President B D Jatti to submit her resignation, he advised her to first withdraw the Emergency. Otherwise, the new government could use the laws enacted during the Emergency against her. Acting on this advice, she recommended lifting the Emergency before leaving office. Even today, the mind trembles at the memory of those days. But the people of India possess immense resilience, and Indian democracy is strong enough to withstand even the gravest crisis. Today is a day for the entire country to take a solemn vow: governments may come and go, but no dictator shall ever again dare to trample upon our Constitution or our democracy. The writer is former MP of Chandigarh, and presently Additional Solicitor General of India
