In his compelling, honest style, Vinod Mehta sifts facts from rumours, and gets to the core of Sanjay’s dramatic emergence after the declaration of Emergency. Containing a new introduction by the author, this book allows readers to look with the benefit of hindsight at the rise and fall of one of independent India’s most controversial figures.
Vinod Mehta
HarperCollins, India
Pages: 272;
Price: Rs 499 |
Though today everybody is doing it, back in 1960s and 1970s, only Congress party was blamed for it. Pandit Nehru hatched ‘Kamraj Plan’ to pave the way for daughter Indira Gandhi. And when Indira Gandhi started pushing for late Sanjay Gandhi, the cries had touched the sky about dynastic politics. In 21st century one finds yesterday’s critics have turned today’s moot supporters, be it late Balasaheb Thackeray who ensured that his son and not nephew Raj, Uddhav Thackeray gets the gaddi of Shivsena or Mulayamsingh who saw to it that the throne goes to his son Akhilesh Yadav. There is nothing illegal about it, but when others do it, it becomes natural and when Nehrus and Gandhis do it, it becomes promoting dynasty rule. Double standards?
Back to 1980s when Sanjay Gandhi was the most controversial figure and a symbol of dynasty rule in India. Sanjay Gandhi [1946-1980] had a short stint in politics. He created enough enemies within short time. Those days everything could easily blamed on the young lad and it would be lapped up. Vinod Mehta, senior journalist and editor-in-chief of Outlook, had penned biography ‘The Sanjay Story’ published in January 1978, good two years before Sanjay died in a plane crash on 23 June 1980 near New Delhi. The same title has been now reissued by HarperCollins India with a short introduction by Vinod Mehta. For years Congress was not willing to admit the blame for Internal Emergency [June 1975-March 1977] when many things horribly went bad. Mehta notes,’ only in 2010 Congress party published official history edited by Dr Pranab Mukherjee. For the first time the party at once acknowledged and censured Sanjay for his controversial role in the Emergency.’
Mehta begins this biography by going back to Anand Bhavan, Allahabad to inform the readers the background and family politics in Nehru family. How Mrs Kamala Jawaharlal Nehru was lonely figure and how the other ladies of Nehru clan lost time in mentally harassing the poor girl. The loneliness transferred Indira Gandhi a perfect fighter and when she came into her own, she called the shot never mind she had to sacrifice her family life with Feroz Gandhi. Though both Feroz and Indira everything to salvage their marriage, it was destined to fail. Few things are meant not to last.
Mehta creates the backdrop properly and shows how Sanjay was born on 14th December 1946 during turbulent freedom struggle. Sanjay was an average boy in his school and never went to college. Mehta has met quite few of his batch-mates and masters during his Doon School days to highlight this aspect. Then he went to Rolls-Royce plant in Crawe, UK in September 1964. After two years he left apprenticeship which was meant for three years. And the young lad was ready to achieve his dream of small for Indians. Mehta shows how every rule was either broken or bypassed for Sanjay to get land, machinery and loans so that he could roll out Maruti, his dream car. The Opposition parties had a field day in the Parliament asking all embarrassing questions about Maruti. The Opposition never got proper answers.
Soon Sanjay realized that he should look elsewhere for his fortunes and politics was the most ideal vocation. Slowly he started looking into Youth Congress by then practically a dead body. But for Priyaranjan Das Munshi of West Bengal, Sanjay encountered no opposition in taking over Youth Congress. The Youth Congress quickly took over from mother party so much so that Mrs Indira Gandhi went on record at Gauhati Congress session held in November 1976 ‘you have stolen our thunders and it should be that way’ [p 128]. This is clear admission that she wanted her son to take over from her. This was emergency era when everything [press, opposition parties, and Judiciary] was made silent.
No doubt Sanjay was a doer albeit in a non-democratic ways. Mehta details how he was after beautifying Delhi city and how he had cleared slums at Turkman Gate in Old Delhi through trusted bureaucrats like Jagmohan, Bhullar, etc. But he was looking for a big programme which will give him nation-wide name. Family Planning programme came handy. Actually this was an old government programme in which Sanjay and his goons brought compulsion. Mehta takes a sensible stand the programme was terribly good but because its implementation, it got a bad name. Meha wrote a complete chapter detailing the excesses [‘Indiri Bachao’ means ‘save your penis’].
The Internal Emergency was lifted and general elections were called in March 1977 where Congress suffered humiliating defeats including Indira Gandhi from Raieberally and Sanjay from Amethi constituencies. Thanks to fighting in the Janata Party, the Congress and Indira/Sanjay were back in power in January 1980. Before Sanjay could taste the power in real sense he was snatched away by death on 23 June 1980.
Since Mehta’s biography was published in January 1978 there is no discussion on Sanjay’s death on Indian politics. Mehta never met Sanjay for this biography. In other words, this is not an official biography. This is perhaps why it is an honest account. Though published in 1978, it still has freshness of style and is a mine of information especially to young reporters and students of national politics.
AVINASH KOLHE
