Indira Gandhi: Indira Gandhi was elected as prime minister of India in 1966 after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. She soon consolidated her power and was in absolute control of the government as also the congress party from 1967 to 1971. She won the general elections in 1971 on the plank of her popular “Garibi Hatao” compaign and was hailed by the poor, dalits, minorities and other weaker sections of the society for initiatives taken by her for their social and economic uplift. Her popularity was at its peak after the Bangladesh war in December 1971. Thereafter, the slide began. All efforts were made during the following years to arrest the trend, followed by brain strorming sessions at Narora and Rawat Bhata in 1974. The Allahabad judgement of 12 June 1975, setting aside the election of Indira Gandhi to the parliament and subsequent confirmation of the judgement by the supreme court on 24 June 1975 and under the shadow of call for total revolution and civil disobedience from Jai Prakash Narain on 25 June 1975 at Ram Lila Groounds, Indira Gandhi declared internal emergency in the country on 25 June 1975. Emergency bestowed unbridled powers to her. Most of the leading political opponents were imprisoned, freedom of the press was curtailed and the judiciary, as also the legislatures were made pliable. All strikes, demonstrations and agitations were curbed. There was all quiet and subdued silence almost everywhere. 20 point programme for the uplift of the farmers, landless labour, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, women, minorities and other economically weaker sections of the society was launched and vigourously followed. Twenty one months later, on January 18, 1977, Indira Gandhi made a call for fresh elections in March 1977. All political prisoners were released and the emergency was officially lifted after the elections on March 23, 1977.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed: Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born in an Assamese Muslim family on May 13, 1905. After early schooling in UP and Delhi, he studied at St Stephens College, Delhi and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar from Inner Temple of London and commenced legal practice at Lahore High Court in 1928. Subsequently, he also served as advocate general of Assam. He met Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1925 in London and actively participated in the Indian freedom movement. He was arrested during the Quit India movement and remained in jail for three and a half years. During his political career, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha, member of the Assam Legislative Assembly, member of Lok Sabha from Assam and served as minister for food and agriculture, cooperation, education and industrial development in the central cabinet from time to time. He was picked up for the presidency by Indira Gandhi and was sworn in as President of India on August 20, 1974. He proclaimed emergency on 25 June 1975 after a meeting with Indira Gandhi. He died on 11 February 1977.
Condolence meeting of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed : The condolence meeting of the president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was held at Red Fort of Delhi, sometimes in the third week of February 1977. I happened to be at Delhi on that day for routine consultations in the Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs at Shastri Bhavan. During our deliberations, we were told that all officers from different states of the country, who happen to be at Delhi, are expected to attend the condolence meeting of the President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed at Red Fort. General Elections had been announced, although the emergency was still in place. There was a lot of political activity at that time. It was a time of reckoning for all those who had suffered during the emergency and for the members of their families, well wishers and supporters. They had gone through untold hardship and suffering during the emergency. For all of them and for all political parties sitting in the opposition, the forthcoming elections seemed, more like a last ditch battle for survival. Babu Jagjiwan Ram, Irrigation and Agriculture minister, who was a senior member of Indira Gandhi’s cabinet was one of the first persons to leave the sinking ship, soon after the announcement of general elections. Some of the other other senior leaders followed suit, and left almost in a huddle.
The condolence meeting of president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was presided over by the prime minister Indira Gandhi. It was an official meeting and therefore, most of the people attending the meeting were officials of the central government and officials of states, who happened to be at Delhi on that day. Indira Gandhi seemed to be worried and was out of sorts during the meeting. In her closing remarks, after the condolence meeting, Indira Gandhi appealed to Babu Jagjivan Ram and others, who had left the congress, to reconsider their decision and to return to the folds of the congress, in the best interests of the country.
Janata Party: With the announcement of the general elections on 18 January 1977, Janata Party was hurriedly constituted on 23 January 1977 as a ragtag amalgam of congress ( O ), which was led by Morarji Desai, Bhartiya Lok Dal, which was led by Charan Singh, Bhartiya Jan Sangh, which was led by Atal Behari Bajpai and Lal Krishna Advani, Swatantra party, Socialist party, defectors from ruling congress and a number of other national and regional parties, which had suffered during the emergency. Morarji Desai was elected as the first chairman of the newly formed Janata Party.
General Elections held in March 1977: Elections are expected to choose people’s representatives, who ultimately form the government. All along, the people are considered as supreme and everything is supposed to be done in their name. They are placed on a high pedestal. They are depicted as repositories of all power. Adult franchise symbolizes this notion. However, in the modern state, there is a lot of pressure and diversity of interests based on caste, creed, language and religion and social, economic, political and regional affiliations. And, then there are personal egos, family and fraternal loyalties and so many other factors which vitiate free and unfettered elections. Naturally, the political parties are major players in the elections. The pull and mesmerizing smell of power that flows from the elections, has stimulated the growth of all types of national, regional and denominational parties, trumping their ideologies, agendas and manifestos. Janata party was no exception. It was full of ambitious people with strong egos and widely conflicting interests and ideologies. Their sufferings during the emergency and their common struggle against Indira Gandhi had brought them together, under the banner of Janata Party.
General Elections to the Lok Sabha were held in March 1977, at the fag end of the emergency. Emergency had overshadowed all other issues during the election. For members of the newly formed Janata Party, the general elections were like a battle for survival. Leaders of the Janata party and members of all those parties, who had suffered during the emergency, highlighted the abuses and atrocities committed during the emergency and revived memories of the sufferings of the common people during the freedom struggle in the British period. Media, which was under censorship during the emergency, joined the chorus and as the days rolled on, the people were left to choose, between democracy and dictatorship. The votes were polled from 16 March to 19 March 1977 and the results were declared on 23 March 1977. . Janata party alliance won 345 seats for the Lok Sabha with a vote share of 52%, whereas the Congress party alliance won 189 seats with a vote share of 41%. Indira Gandhi as also her son Sanjay Gandhi lost their seats from their strongholds of Rae Bareilly and Amethi. Soon after the announcement of the results of the election, Indira Gandhi resigned and emergency was lifted.
Janata Government: Cracks had started developing in Janata Party even before the formation of the Janata Government on the choice of the leader. However, after the intervention of senior leaders, formal contest for leadership was avoided and Morarji Desai was chosen as the leader of the Janata Parliamentary Party and was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 24 March 1977. Chowdhary Charan Singh became Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister and Babu Jag Jeewan Ram became Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister. Other prominent leaders to be sworn in were Jan Sangh leaders Atal Bihari Bajpai and Lal Krishna Advani. Soon after assuming office, the Janata Government put pressure on all congress ruled states to resign, on the plea that the general elections held in March 1977 represented total rejection of the congress by the people. Consequently, fresh elections were held in the states in June 1977 bringing fresh governments. Congress government led by Chief Minister Hari Dev Joshi in Rajasthan resigned on 29 April 1977 and was replaced by Janata Government led by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on 22 June 1977. With Janata party enjoying majority support in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, Neelam Sanjeev Reddy, who was defeated by VV Giri in the presidential election in 1969 was elected as the President of India on 25 July 1977
Fall of Janata Government: Gradually, due to ideological and political contradictions and worsening economic conditions, the support for Morarji Desai declined considerably and he resigned on 28 July 1979 making way for Chowdhary Charan Singh to be sworn in as Prime Minister of India. Charan Singh headed a minority government and as he was not able to muster sufficient support for a vote confidence, he resigned after three weeks in office. Lok Sabha was dissolved by the President and fresh elections for Lok Ssabha were held in January 1980. I happened to be at Calcutta in the middle of December 1979. During a function of Rajasthani community at Calcutta, there were strong rumours and whispers that the madam is coming back. That was the time, when normally nobody thought about it. However, a few weeks later, the elections held in January 1980, saw Indira Gandhi rebounding back to power, with all the gusto.