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India Gazette
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury slams EAM Jaishankar's remarks on Emergency:
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday criticised External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for the latter's remarks on the Emergency, saying that multiple times Congress party has repeatedly expressed regret for it such that an election was called by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi knowing well that she might be defeated. 'His predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee, regretted the issue of the imposition of Emergency in public in 2008. Once the Emergency was lifted, Indira Gandhi herself admitted that it was a mistake. On several occasions, Congress repeatedly expressed regrets, but now the ruling party is trying to tarnish Congress,' the Congress leader told ANI here. He said that all those things are known by the EAM; however, he is being subservient to the 'diktats' of the Centre to keep on continuing his ministerial tenure. 'Mr Jaishankar knows everything, but to continue his ministerial tenure, he needs to be subservient to the dictates of the present government... What was the role of RSS during the Independence movement, Quit India, partition, and after independence?' he said. Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also slammed the EAM, saying he should focus on dealing with the 'collapse of Indian diplomacy' rather than talk about the Emergency. 'EAM would be well advised to deal with the complete collapse of Indian diplomacy. Indian diplomacy has taken huge hits in the last couple of weeks. He should be worried about repairing the damage to Indian diplomacy rather than getting into the history of what happened 50 years ago,' the Congress leader told ANI. Earlier today, Jaishankar aimed at the Congress party, stating that one family's interests were placed above the nation, while he remembered the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. 'All this happened because of one family... There's a movie titled 'Kissa Kursi Ka', and these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like the Emergency take place,' Jaishankar said. The EAM was addressing the inaugural session of a mock parliament, which was organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He recalled that during the Emergency, the opposition side of the parliament was empty as leaders were jailed. He stated that during that time he was a 20-year-old student at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He further said that the biggest lesson from the Emergency was to never take one's freedom for granted. (ANI)
The Wire
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
A Parliamentarian Before and After Independence, M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Left His Mark
A scholar of distinction, seasoned lawyer, freedom fighter and skilful parliamentarian, Madabhooshi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was a member of the Central Legislative Assembly in the year 1934 and unanimously elected first as Deputy Speaker of the First Lok Sabha and the Speaker twice in 1956 and 1957. Ayyangar was born on February 4, 1891 at Tiruchanur near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh in an orthodox Vaishnava Brahmin family. His father, Venkata Varadacharya, was a Sanskrit scholar and the family, though poor, was respected for its scholarly traditions. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. Having completed his initial education in the Devasthanam High School, Tirupati, Ayyangar got his BA degree from the Pachaiyappa's College, Madras. He then obtained his law degree from Madras Law College in 1913. He married Choodamnlal in 1919. He had to suspend his legal practice for about a year during 1921-22 due to his participation in the national movement, after which he joined the bar again at the Madras high court. Ayyangar did not treat the profession only as a means to earn his livelihood. He was also deeply interested in the building judicial system of the country to suit the needs and aspirations of the masses. He strongly advocated for independence of the judiciary and urged the government to raise the status of the Federal Court to that of a Supreme Court. He was very concerned about the humiliation as also the hardships faced by masses due to the vesting of ultimate authority of the judicial system in the hands of the Privy Council in England. His concern in this area is clearly evident in the following statement made by him on December 11, 1947 in the Constituent Assembly: 'I hope very soon we will have a Supreme Court established in this country and do away with the Privy Council. We ought not to be satisfied with this and prolong the agony of going to a foreign court. They may not understand many cases where religious matters are involved and what the kind of mart is put on an idol. Muslim Waqf cases go there. They do not know any of our cases. They want to hold supreme authority over us, and it is for that reason that, though the Judges there may be impartial, they do not feel one with the Community here.' As a freedom fighter Ayyangar started taking active part in the activities of the Indian National Congress which was spearheading the national movement for the liberation of the country from the clutches of British colonialism. He took part in the non-cooperation movement of 1921-22. Ayyangar enlisted himself in the individual satyagraha campaign started by M.K. Gandhi in 1940 and was immediately jailed for eight months. Later he joined the "Quit India" agitation launched in August 1942 and suffered imprisonment till December 4, 1944. Apart from taking active part in the fight for liberation of the country, Ayyangar was also a staunch follower of Gandhi's constructive programme for fighting social evils like untouchability which were prevalent at that time and were destroying our social fabric. He always advocated the upliftment of Dalits, particularly their right to temple entry. As a parliamentarian Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty Ayyangar's career as a parliamentarian started long before independence when he took a seat in the Central Legislative Assembly in the year 1934. Ayyangar was elected to the House with an overwhelming majority. He took his seat along with stalwarts like Govind Ballabh Pant, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Bhulabhai Desai and Satyamurti, whose objective was to fight the government from within. He proved to be one of its indefatigable members with a vast treasure of knowledge and experience. Apart from his ability and popularity, Ayyangar possessed an abundant fund of humour which stood him in very good stead and helped challenge the heated atmosphere of the House from time to time into something bracing and tolerable. As a dedicated parliamentarian, he always took keen interest in the business of the House. In recognition of his long parliamentary experience, Ayyangar was unanimously elected Deputy Speaker in 1948. His unopposed election on May 30, 1952 as the Deputy Speaker of the First Lok Sabha was a signal tribute to his ability and popularity. While thanking the members for electing him, Ayyangar said: 'Whatever the position may be, I still feel that it is not the position that makes it so important as the unanimous verdict of the House, the confidence of my Leader whose opinion I value very much, yourself Sir (Speaker) and the Members of the House. young and old repose in me. I hope that that confidence that they have reposed in me will make me strong and healthy and I shall try to do whatever work I am asked to do. The Deputy Speaker's position is somewhat difficult and delicate.' After the demise of P.G. Mavalankar, Ayyangar was elected Speaker of Lok Sabha on March 8, 1956 and again in May 1957 when the Second Lok Sabha met after the general elections. As Speaker, Ayyangar was quite aware of the heavy responsibility that a presiding officer had to shoulder. As he said: "Under a dictatorship or an absolute monarchy there can be no guarantee of life or liberty to the citizens. The goodness of the dictator is the only guarantee. A democracy may also degenerate into a communal or linguistic dictatorship and begin to show favours to the members of its own community and oppress the tendencies have to be checked ruthlessly. The only person in such circumstances that can safeguard the interest of the minorities and prevent oppression is the Presiding Officer." In 1952 Ayyangar attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at Ottawa as a delegate. He led the Parliamentary delegations to China in 1956 and to the East European countries (Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland) in 1959. In December 1957, Ayyangar resigned from the membership of the Congress Parliamentary Party. In the 1962 general elections, he was again elected to the Lok Sabha but resigned its membership on his appointment as Governor of Bihar in the same year. After his tenure as governor, Ayyanagar retired from politics and moved back to Tirupati. He passed away on March 19, 1978 at the age of 87. Qurban Ali is a trilingual journalist who has covered some of modern India's major political, social and economic developments. He has a keen interest in India's freedom struggle and is now documenting the history of the socialist movement in the country.
The Wire
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Godey Murahari Was a Spirited Parliamentarian
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now history Godey Murahari Was a Spirited Parliamentarian Qurban Ali 9 minutes ago He had been deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha and also deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha. Murahari was also the first parliamentarian to be suspended and expelled physically from the Rajya Sabha. Godey Murahari (May 20, 1926-August 5, 1982). Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now This article is part of a series by The Wire titled ' The Early Parliamentarians ', exploring the lives and work of post-independence MPs who have largely been forgotten. The series looks at the institutions they helped create, the enduring ideas they left behind and the contributions they made to nation building. Godey Murahari was a veteran freedom fighter who participated in the 'Quit India' Movement and suffered imprisonment. He was a socialist leader and parliamentarian who had been deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha and also, deputy speaker of Lok Sabha. He also earned the reputation of being the first parliamentarian to be suspended and expelled physically from the Rajya Sabha by the Marshal of the House. Godey Murahari was born to G. Gangaraju on May 20, 1926, in Jamshedpur, Bihar (now Jharkhand). He belonged to the Perike (Puragiri Kshatriya), a backward caste in Andhra Pradesh. He was educated at Banaras Hindu University and Pachiappa's College, Madras. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. Murahari was a member of the Congress party during 1941-47 and was also in the Socialist Group of the party till it separated from the Congress in 1948. He was jailed in 1943 in connection with the 'Quit India' movement and turned out from the Banaras district for over two years till the establishment of the interim government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. He underwent jail terms thrice for activities connected with the Socialist Party in independent India. Murahari was a socialist and close to Rammanohar Lohia. He was secretary of the All India Samajwadi Yuvak Sabha from 1957-58, general secretary of the All India Socialist Party from 1958-59, and member of its national executive and secretary of the Socialist Party's Central Parliamentary Board from 1961-63. Being a resident of Uttar Pradesh, Murahari was first elected Member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as a Socialist Party nominee in 1962. He was re-elected to Rajya Sabha as Socialist Party candidate in 1968. Later, he joined the Congress and was elected as Congress MP to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh from 1968 to 1977 and was deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha from 1972 to 1977. He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 1966 to 68 and a member of the Committee on Public Undertakings from 1968 to was also member of the Institute of Social Culture and Jana Manch Madras from 1950 to 57, vice-president of the Constitution Club of India, and member of the National Shipping Board from 1970 to 71. He led the Indian delegation to the Congress of the International Union of Socialist Youth at Copenhagen and to the Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany at Berlin in 1954. Murahari was known for his unruly behaviour when he was a member of opposition. He was suspended on September 3, 1962, for the remainder of the session over this. He refused to walk out and had to be physically removed by the Marshal of the House. Murahari was suspended for unruly conduct again on July 25, 1966. This time, he was suspended along with fellow MP Raj Narain from the Rajya Sabha for one week by two separate motions moved by leader of the House M.C. Chagla and adopted by the House. Both refused to walk out and were removed by Marshals. The next day, the Rajya Sabha chairperson expressed his concern over the incident and leaders of the parties expressed regret. In 1977, he resigned from Rajya Sabha and was elected to the Lok Sabha as Congress party candidate from Vijayawada. Being a member of the main opposition party Congress, he was elected deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha on April 1, 1977. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty On his unopposed election, then Speaker Neelam Sanjiva Reddy had said: 'I am happy to join honourable Members in felicitating Shri Godey Murahari on his election as the Deputy Speaker of this august congratulations to Murahari comes to this House with a rich experience of parliamentary life in the other House. To me personally, it is a matter of satisfaction to have an experienced colleague like Shri Murahari to share the responsibilities of the Chair. In parliamentary democracy, Presiding officers are naturally expected to maintain high standards of impartiality and integrity' in the performance of their duties so as to inspire confidence among all sections of the House and among all members irrespective of their party affiliations. While ensuring the orderly conduct of the business and its timely completion, we have to take particular care to see that all sections cf the House have adequate opportunity to put forward their view-points and have no legitimate cause to grievance on that count. I again heartily congratulate Shri Murahari and wish him well.' In his thanksgiving speech Murahari had said: 'Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am deeply grateful to all the colleagues who have just spoken as well to you. I know that as the Deputy Speaker of this House I will have to exercise the utmost impartiality that is expected of a Presiding Officer and I shall endeavour to do so as I did in the other House. Let me assure everybody in this House-whether they are sitting on the other side or this side-that as far as I am concerned, henceforward I belong to all sections of the House and not to any particular section. As far as you are concerned, I have had some association with you while being in Parliamentary delegations or otherwise and all my experiences has been very pleasant. I know that in the conduct of my duties here as Deputy Speaker you will be guiding me as an elder brother and giving me the utmost affection that I can get from anybody, especially in view of the earlier association that we have had while you were Speaker of this House. We have just passed through one of the greatest experiments in democracy (after emergency) and come out as one of the biggest democracies that have experimental in the general election in a free and fair manner. 'I am sure the will of the people as reflected in this House will be respected by all sections of political opinion. I am sure, in the conduct of business in this House, we as Presiding Officers have a very onerous task because we have to keep a very delicate balance between what goes on in the House and the aspirations of the people outside. I am very conscious that even while serving as Presiding Officer, I must be conscious of the people's aspirations and try to see that this House reflects the aspirations of the people outside. And, therefore, I can assure you with whatever little capacity I may be serving here I shall endeavour to keep these ideals in view and try to make the experiment of parliamentary democracy in this country as successful as it should be and I expect all sections of the House would give me their cooperation because I know many people sitting on the other side are friends and colleagues with whom I have worked even outside this House. As a matter of fact, with many of them I had started my politics, and, therefore, I am very confident that in the conduct of my duties as Deputy Speaker, I shall not only get the cooperation from the Treasury Benches but the side to which I belong now. 'At the same time I am conscious of the fact that it is not always the Opposition that needs protection from the Chair, sometimes it is the Treasury Benches —I think, many times it is the Treasury Benches that require protection from the Chair, because when the Opposition forms the Ministry it is often times the Chair which has to protect the Treasury Benches. I am conscious of all these factors while I take up the duties of the Deputy Speaker. I Once again thank everyone who has spoken as well as you for felicitations.' Godey Murahari passed away at New Delhi on August 5, 1982 at the age of 56. Paying rich tributes to him, then speaker of the Lok Sabha Balram Jakhar said on August 6, 1982: 'I have to inform the House of the sad demise of Shri Godey Murahari, a Member of 6th Lok Sabha and a former Deputy Speaker. Shri Godey Murahari was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha from the Vijayawada constituency of Andhra Pradesh. He was a Member of the National Shipping Board in 1970-71 and was associated with several national and international Organisations viz. Inter-Parliamentary Union, Commission on National Legislatures, World Constitution and Parliamentary Association, Indian Parliamentary Group, etc. A veteran and keen Parliamentarian, he made a mark as an able Presiding Officer. He passed away at New Delhi on 5 August, 1982 at the age of 56 years. We deeply mourn the loss of this friend and I am sure the House will join me in conveying our Condolences to the bereaved family.' Godey Murahari was also vice-president of the Indian Parliamentary Group, member of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva, and was also chairman of the Commission on National Legislatures, World Constitution and Parliamentary Association. Besides being a veteran parliamentarian he has interests in journalism, youth and cultural activities. He edited the weekly Young World from 1956 to 1957, and was publisher of the monthlies Mankind and Jan. The latter was edited by Lohia. Qurban Ali is a trilingual journalist who has covered some of modern India's major political, social and economic developments. He has a keen interest in India's freedom struggle and is now documenting the history of the socialist movement in the country. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Minoo Masani Was the Quintessential Dissenter S.A. Dange Was a Towering Figure – Not Just in India's Communist Movement But also in Parliament Madhu Limaye's Pivotal Role in Modern India Must Be Remembered H.N. 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