The untold economic chaos that sparked Indira Gandhi's Emergency
On the Emergency's anniversary, this extract from Sugata Srinivasaraju's The Conscience Network reveals how student fury, economic collapse and JP's call for 'total revolution' collided to push Indira Gandhi into authoritarianism, and how global voices helped break the silence
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New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Srinivasaraju's The Conscience Network archives young Indians in US during '70s
NEW DELHI: At a time when the American visa, its acceptance and possible denial, may scotch the 'American Dream' of aspiring Indians, journalist and The New Indian Express columnist Sugata Srinivasaraju's new book, The Conscience Network (Penguin), shows what some young Indians did with their time on American soil and its link with the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in the '70s. PhD students Ravi Chopra and Anand Kumar, and S R Hiremath, a Kannadiga who had become a top-notch corporate in the US, was part of a network that was activating the diaspora , at a time when it was just beginning to be influential, in order to save democracy. This they did through an organisation they founded: Indians for Democracy (IFD). The three were present at the book launch at the IIC on Wednesday. Marching, campaigning, pamphleteering – these young men who had grown up in the first decade of Independence were spreading the word about the dark days at home among US Congressmen and the US media at a time when many Indians back home were silent, defending the Emergency or currying favour with the government.
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Indian Express
The Jana Sangh face, who stood between JP and police
On November 4, 1974, Jayaprakash Narayan was leading a march of protesters, comprising students and Opposition activists, from Gandhi Maidan to the state secretariat in Patna, when police suddenly opened lathicharge. Narayan, popularly known as JP, would have been injured, but for the intervention of a senior leader of the Jana Sangh (the precursor to the BJP) and ex-RSS functionary, Nanaji Deshmukh, who came in between to take the blows on himself. In the process, Nanaji ended up fracturing his hand. He would go on to distinguish himself as one of the most intrepid faces of the JP Movement, against 'corruption and misrule' of the Indira Gandhi government. On June 22, 1975, just three days before the Emergency was imposed, Nanaji drew up an action plan for an all-India Janata Front to press for the resignation of Mrs Gandhi, given that her election to the Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli had been set aside by the Allahabad High Court. 'He (Nanaji) also whittled down JP's aversion to politics, convincing him that political power also has importance,' says former BJP general secretary K N Govindacharya. On June 25, 1975, the leaders of the newly-formed Janata Front met at JP's residence in Delhi to form a coordination body, with Nanaji named general secretary. The same evening, they held a rally at Ramlila Maidan, where JP called Indira's prime ministership unlawful, and asked the police and Army to disobey 'illegal' orders issued by her, Vinay Sitapati writes in his book Jugalbandi – The BJP Before Modi. That night, PM Indira clamped the Emergency, suspending key fundamental rights and ordering arrests of Opposition leaders and dissenters across the country. The Cabinet was informed only the next morning at 6. Nanaji, however, managed to evade arrest. 'Nanaji Deshmukh had escaped after receiving a call… A female voice had told him that he had an hour to get away: 'The police will surround your place around 1 o' clock'… Nanaji made calls to warn others while his assistant packed a couple of shirts and dhotis into a briefcase. While the rest of Delhi slept, he fled to a secret location. He would soon find himself in south Bombay, squirreled away in the home of (industrialist) Nusli Wadia,' writes Sitapati. Close to Nanaji, Nusli and his wife Maureen protected him. Nusli even helped Opposition leaders with funds to survive the Emergency. Nanaji was finally arrested in August 1975, and sent to jail. Once Mrs Gandhi declared elections in early 1977, Nanaji was fielded as the Janata Party candidate from UP's Balrampur Lok Sabha seat. He won, with the Janata Party sweeping the polls. As Morarji Desai became PM, Nanaji was offered the post of Industries Minister in the Janata Party government, but the RSS advised him to keep out, apprehensive that controversies would be stoked about the ties he had developed with industrialists such as Wadia, Mafatlal and Tatas while serving as the Jana Sangh treasurer in the early 1970s. The Sangh trusted him implicitly, which is why he was sent on his own to collect donations. 'His legend was built on relentless pursuit of lucre for the party, including running on foot after a horse-riding prince to entice him to give money,' Sitapati writes. Incidentally, born in Maharashtra in a poor family, Nanaji or 'Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh' as he was formally named, once sold vegetables to pay his tuition fees to study. His rise in the RSS was quick. As in-charge of Sangh affairs in UP, he established the first Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gorakhpur in 1950. He later joined the Jana Sangh, rising to become one of its most prominent leaders. After the Janata Party government formation, Nanaji faded away from politics, and after he turned 60, decided to retire from public life. He first settled in Gonda and then shifted to Chitrakoot, where he founded Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, 'India's first rural university'. He passed away in Chitrakoot in 2010 at the age of 93. In 2019, Nanaji was awarded the Bharat Ratna by the Narendra Modi government.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bihar leaders mark Emergency anniversary with call to uphold democratic values
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) recalled the legacy of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan and the movement against the Emergency, asserting that he, along with many of his colleagues, had actively opposed what he described as a period of dictatorship. 'All of our colleagues were imprisoned for raising our voices against dictatorship. However, the people of the country demonstrated unity and courage. Together, we fought the battle. All of you know that the voice of the people lies at the core of democracy,' Mr. Kumar said in a post on social media. He further added, 'It is our responsibility to protect it in every situation. Bihar has always made the spirit of the Constitution, justice, freedom, and social justice the path of its development. Let our resolve be that we will always remain vigilant and ready to protect the ideals of the Constitution.' Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Samrat Choudhary echoed similar sentiments at a programme organised by the Department of Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs in Patna, marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. Mr. Choudhary said that the youth must know 'who killed democracy,' and described the period as one where fundamental rights were 'snatched away.' The event was titled Samvidhan Hatya Diwas – 2025. 'The Constitution of Dr. Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was murdered after 25 years of its implementation. Emergency was imposed by snatching away the fundamental rights of the people,' he said. He further asserted that the country and the State had emerged from that dark phase and were now developing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 'India has become the fourth largest economy in the world and democracy is flourishing,' he said. Mr. Choudhary also recalled that a young Nitish Kumar had been jailed as a JP movement activist, having been held in the Buxar and Hazaribagh jails during the Emergency. Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, addressing students at a 'Mock Parliament' held at RDK Homeopathic Medical College in Motihari, criticised the Congress for imposing the Emergency. 'Exactly 50 years ago, the repressive policies of the Congress, its lust for power and its dictatorial mindset had put an indelible stain on Indian democracy by imposing Emergency,' the Hamirpur MP said. He alleged that lakhs of innocent people were jailed overnight due to 'the ego of a family and an individual being placed above the interest of the country.' Mr. Thakur further said that while Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav had emerged from the JP movement, he later compromised with the Congress 'to save his chair.' 'Laluji's socialism is built on the foundation of corruption, nepotism and dynasty. The people of Bihar will never forgive Lalu Prasad and his clan, who dream of usurping power in Bihar,' he added.
