New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) - "Every nail driven deeper into the coffin of Indian democracy is like a nail driven into my heart," penned the fiery socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) in his diary while detained as a political prisoner during the tumultuous days of the Emergency imposed 50 years ago on this very date.
Close to the stroke of midnight on June 25, 1975, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of Emergency under the pretext of "internal disturbance." On this pivotal day, Narayan, widely known as JP and a relentless critic of the then Indira Gandhi administration, addressed a massive gathering at Delhi's iconic Ramlila Maidan.
It was here that he famously proclaimed, 'Sinhasan Khali Karo ki Janta Aati Hai'—a powerful excerpt from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s poem 'Jantantra ka Janm', urging the government to step aside for the people's will.
At 72, Narayan, along with influential figures like Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and L K Advani, were swiftly detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
A few days subsequent, JP was moved to PGI-Chandigarh, confined as a political detainee monitored by police from July 1, remaining out of the public eye for several months.
Narayan's 'Prison Diary', first published amid the Emergency, begins with a heartfelt entry from July 21, 1975, crafted during his confinement.
"My world lies in shambles all around me. I am afraid I shall not see it put together in my lifetime," he lamented.
The introduction to the inaugural edition of JP's 'Prison Diary' describes it as "more than the musings of a Prometheus in chains."
In his July 25, 1975 entry, he wrote poignantly about his sentiments concerning a nation under Emergency, expressing deep sorrow—"Did not feel like writing the last two days. Every nail driven deeper into the coffin of Indian democracy is like a nail driven into my heart. I have searched my heart and can truly say that even if I were to die now, I would not mind it."
In S K Jindal’s 2015 book, 'Medical Encounters: True Stories of Patients – Memoirs of a Physician', JP’s confinement is also explored. "I had the honour of looking after JP as a medical officer during the days of his political internment and subsequent hospitalisation at our Institute at Chandigarh," Jindal recounts in the chapter 'JP - The Quintessential Leader of 1975'.
JP’s enthralling speech at Ramlila Maidan on June 25, 1975, now a staple in Indian political archives, was delivered mere hours before Emergency powers were instituted.
Simultaneously, Prime Minister Gandhi’s broadcast via All India Radio on the early morning of June 26, stating, "The President has proclaimed Emergency. There is nothing to panic about," is etched in history.
This pivotal event, marked as a dark phase in India’s records, was initiated by a series of adverse events in the early 1970s spanning Gujarat to Bihar.
According to official archives, the student upheaval against Gujarat CM Chimanbhai Patel fueled Narayan’s 'Bihar Movement' in the volatile 70s, a precursor to the Emergency.
In the dynamic youth of Gujarat, JP identified vitality and motivation for a revolution that would eventually sweep across the nation.
A speech by then Home Minister Brahmananda Reddi on July 21, 1975, in Rajya Sabha, highlighted the connection between Gujarat and Bihar, and how JP’s vision found encouragement from the "student movement" in the western state.
Reddi quoted JP from 'Everyman’s Weekly' on August 3, 1974, wherein the socialist leader shared, "For years I was groping to find a way out. In fact, while my objectives have never changed, I have been searching for the right way to achieve them. I wasted two years trying to bring about a politics of consensus. It came to nothing."
"Then I saw students in Gujarat bring about a political change with the backing of the people... And knew that this was the way out," he added.
These discourses, alongside other reports, are retained in Emergency-era documents within the National Archives of India.
One significant document, a seven-chapter report dated July 11, 1975, bearing the Intelligence Bureau's insignia, outlines Gujarat's agitation, its implications for Bihar’s movement, and how it heralded the Emergency.
Guided by the fervent JP, the agitation in Bihar evolved into a 'Total Revolution' or 'Sampoorna Kranti'. The initial demand for the then Ghafoor ministry’s resignation transformed into a broader call for the dismissal of Indira Gandhi's government.
Todays public landscapes in Patna and other areas in Bihar commemorate JP with statues, his legacy celebrated by proteges and socialist successors.
Numerous institutions and landmarks from Patna to Delhi bear his name, a testament to the lifted 21-month Emergency as of March 21, 1977.
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
