Dictator, Democrat: Public Perceptions And Facts

Bengaluru: India has been acknowledged as the biggest democracy in the world since the previous century after the country attained freedom from the clutches of the British. There have been periodic elections regularly but during the emergency considered the black chapter for banning the fundamental rights of the citizens.

Dictator controversy: Maybe after the dubious stint of emergency giving rise to a second struggle for freedom, the controversial decision also paved the way for a new series of accusations against Indira Gandhi. Indira Priyardarshini Gandhi popularly known as Indira Gandhi served the country as the third Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and later from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. Decades later, she continues to be termed as a dictator while at the helm of affairs of the party and country.

Samarendra Kundu's revelation: Samarendra Kundu, a Janata Dal leader had come to Bengaluru when the Janata Pariwar parties were in power during the earlier eighties. He was a former Union Minister of State of Foreign Affairs and was elected to the fourth Lok Sabha in 1967 from Balasore in Orissa. Later, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 and 1989 from the same constituency. He narrated his personal experiences with Indira Gandhi and Moraraji Desai as Prime Ministers to his old party aides in Bengaluru:

Holi celebration with MPs: A group of Parliamentarians belonging to different opposition political parties thought of exchanging festival greetings on the eve of Holi celebrations with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It was an impromptu decision without any formal appointment or approval from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Most of them were not very sure whether they would get an audience with the Iron Lady, as she was dubbed both by her admirers and antagonists.

Holi celebrations with religious fervour: The delegation of opposition parties' MPs reached the prime minister's house without prior intimation. However, they were not discouraged for not following the required protocol to meet the prime minister. They expressed their desire for the available aides to meet and greet the PM on the eve of Holi. Not knowing how to react, someone in the home office secretariat felt like communicating the MP's wish to the Boss.

Feel at home: As the aide reached out to the prime minister, Madam was on her way to have a bath. She didn't find any problem with the opposition MPs and suggested the personal staff to make the MPs feel at home. They were suggested to make themselves comfortable and were treated with a choice of readily available sweets.

PM meets, greets and plays Holi: In a while, the prime minister came out sporting a white saree. She took time to exchange pleasantries, inquire about their well-being and play Holi forgetting herself to be the head of the country. This comradery went on for a few minutes until the opposition MPs happily exited from the PM's home office.

Do they have an appointment: This is one face of the persona being branded as a Dictator. Another incident with the Janata Party Prime Minister Moraraji Desai speaks about the myth of the Democratic personality. Again during the Holi festival day a few ruling party MPs pondered playing Holi with their own party leader and reached the PM's official residence. They informed the staff about their intentions and waited for the response from the prime minister, who was very much inside. Moraraji Desai inquired with the staff whether the MPs had taken any appointments and the reply was negative. He curtly told the staff that he was not going to meet them and turned away the people who had come to wish him on the festival day!

Inputs Courtesy: CV Sreenivas Rao, former colleague in Kannada Prabha