STORY OF AFTER THE DEMISE OF LAL BAHADUR
SHASTRI.
This particular
chapter deals with the happenings after the death of the second prime minister
of our country Lal Bahadur Shastri. After his death yet again India was in a
big trouble that was who will be the next prime minister. There were two names
for being the next prime minister. One name was Morarji Desai and the other one
was Indira Gandhi, she was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru. Before the dead
body of Shastri to reach India, politics has already started in the congress
party regarding who will be the next prime minister? Again Kamraj the chairman
of congress party was centre of the attraction because he was person who
selected Lal Bahadur Shastri as the prime minister. Again he had to choose to
legal hire of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Before Kamraj to act over the issue, the
candidates became more active. At 3.30am of 11th January IK
Guljarilalnanda named as the care taker prime minister of the country. In the
early morning of that day Indira Gandhi called chief minister of Madhya Pradesh
Dwarika Prasad Mishra who was also happening to be the advisor of Indira
Gandhi. Dwarika Prasad Mishra was
amongst those congress chief ministers who were very much active and strong in
the party politics. He was the supporter of Indira Gandhi. DP Mishra has
discussed all these things in his book “The Post Nehru Era”, he also mentioned
in his book that Indira was dreaming to be the prime minister of the nation
from the very beginning of her political career. The caretaker Prime Minister
IK Guljarilalnanda also talked to DP Mishra and Indira Gandhi regarding his
wish that he wants to continue as the prime minister. But Indira Gandhi’s
intention was something different and she was very much active during that
point of time. Even her friend Popul Jayker also talked about that sight of
Indira Gandhi as well. She was amongst one such individual with whom Indira
Gandhi shares her feelings and many things to her political as well as personal
life. In the morning of 11th January she also visited Indira
Gandhi’s house and in that meeting Indira Gandhi mentioned that without her
support no one will became the prime minister, but she has already decided
herself as the next prime minister. In her mind it was not the question that to
whom she will be supporting but the question was that who will be supporting
her and most importantly whether Kamraj will be supporting her or not that was
trickling in her mind. And what was going in the mind of Kamraj that was
unknown to Indira Gnadhi and for that she went to meet Kamraj. Kamraj said Indira
Gandhi that it is needed to take the consent of other congress leaders before
finalising any particular decision over the present issue. Indira Gandhi and
her adviser DP Mishra were not able to know that what will be the next move of
Kamraj. One more thing which was striking the minds of Indira Gandhi and DP
Mishra was whether Kamraj is thinking himself as the next prime minister?
Kamraj was one of the most experienced congress leaders of that time and he was
highly appreciated in all forums for his selection of Lal Bahadur Shastri as
the legal hire of Nehru. He was also known for leader of syndicate as well. And
avoiding the members of the syndicate in the major decision of the congress
party was simply impossible at that point. Most of the members of the syndicate
were putting pressure on Kamraj to became the next prime minister, but nowhere
not for a single time Kamraj didn’t mention about his candidature for the post
of Prime Minister. On 13th January night one meeting held within the
syndicate members and they were putting pressure on Kamraj to become the prime
minister, it was the time for Kamraj to take the big decision and he decided
along with other syndicate members that he will not be the prime minister. Next
day the meeting of Congress working party was supposed to be held and everyone
was expecting that what will be next step of Kamraj, whether he wants himself
to be the king or the king maker. Under the influences of DP Mishra most of the
congress chief ministers of the nation were interested to support Indira Gandhi
if Kamraj wants himself to be the king maker. In the meeting of congress
working committee it was decided that open concession of the congress leader
will be taken to decide the candidate that who will be the next prime minister?
After the meeting DP Mishra along with other three chief ministers of
Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Bihar went to meet Kamraj and they asked him to be
the candidate for the next prime minister but Kamraj refused to accept the
proposal and according to the plan DP Mishra asked Kamraj that whether he will
be supporting Indira Gandhi as the next prime minister or not? And finally
Kamraj agreed to support Indira Gandhi, because he did not want Morarji Desai
to be the prime minister. But the question was that whether all other chief
ministers of the congress party will support Indira Gandhi. And that was a big
turning point in the Indian politics. It was very much needed for the Indira
Gandhi during that point of time to get the support of the other congress chief
ministers. At that point of time there were only 14 states in the country, so
the influences of chief ministers were huge in the party politics. And DP Mishra was successful in bringing the
support of all other chief ministers to Indira Gandhi’s side. Then he went to
Kamraj to make him aware about support of all other chief ministers to Indira
Gandhi. At that time the political acumen of Indira Gandhi was far less in
comparison to Morarji Desai but still due to the support of king maker Kamraj
and majority of the chief minister she could able to become the prime minister
because the chief ministers were very much active over their MP’s. There are
few other reasons behind the success story of Indira Gandhi likewise she has
done well as the minister of information and broadcasting another reason was as she was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru
and the most important reason was Morarji Desai was not a popular leader during
that time. On 19th January all the member of the parliament of
congress party was assembled at the central hall of the Parliament, there were
to elect their next leader out of two candidates. There was a huge crowd
outside the parliament house as well. And after the voting the crowd roared
that whether it’s a girl or boy, then one word came from the parliament house
and that was a girl. And this is how the democratic and republic of India got
its first ever female Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Out the total vote Indira
Gandhi got 355 votes and rest 159 votes were given for Morarji Desai. Indira
Gandhi became the first lady prime minister of India and second in the world.
0n 24th January Indira Gandhi took the oath in as the third prime
minister of India. After that the question was whether she was politically
ready for the responsibility of prime minister. The biggest problem before
Indira Gandhi was the shortage of food and during that time food zone system
was on force and according to that system one state couldn’t able to export its
surplus food to other states. It was about to decide at the All India Congress Committee
meeting at Jaipur February 1966. It was the first occasion where she was about
to speak as the prime minister, she was totally nervous which was clearly
visible to others and after that people were talking about her potentialities
as the prime minister of the country. At that point of time popular journalist
of all time BG Varghese was the press advisor to Indira Gandhi and according
him at that time Indira was inexperience as an administrator but it is true
that she had visited many places and she had talked to many dignitaries along
with her father. She had overcome two big issues of her; one was to raise her
voice and to find solution to the existing food problem of that time. The country
was dependent on America for wheat because for regular two years 1965 and 66
the country was fully affected by drought. Suddenly president of US Lindon
Johnson invited Indira Gandhi to his state and it was the way before Indira
Gandhi to ask for help. And she got high and warm welcome and hospitality from
US and the president of US also gave the hope that US will be sending the wheat
full ships to India and US will appeal to other country to help India. But US
asked for a deal to Indira Gandhi. That was to devalue the rupee and not to raise
voice against the destruction in Vietnam by US. She was under a huge state of
confusion, and she had to take big political decision. And finally on 6th
June 1966 she declared the devaluation of rupee against dollar. Till then
government was deciding the value of dollar and it was for the first time after
1948 that government changed the value. Prior to devaluation one dollar was
equal to ₹4.39 paisa and after the devaluation one dollar was equal to ₹7.57
paisa. Then most of congress leader including Kamraj was against of that
devaluation of rupee. People were criticising Indira Gandhi’s move on
devaluation. So after six days of her decision on devaluation she gave a
justifying message to the nation through All India Radio. But the opposition
and a major crunch of the congress party was totally against of that move of
Indira Gandhi. And it was for the first after Nehru a separated congress was
going for general election throughout the country. People were asking question
over the leadership of Indira Gandhi as the prime minister of India. It was
just four months to her as the prime minister of the country and she was in
deep trouble. It was the month of June, 1966, when she roared before the
congress party in a meeting that she will do everything possible according to
the situations and circumstances; it was for the first time that when she
raised her voice. Congress party member and the syndicate got stunned with this
attitude of Indira Gandhi but they were eying for the election and Indira was the
face of the election campaign of the congress party. But no one was listening
to Indira Gandhi in congress party at that time. And people were opposing
Indira and its evidence in the happenings of Bhubaneswar, where she was injured
by the stone throwing of from the masses. The result of the election was also
impacted by the people’s behaviour because congress won the election but the
party had to loose seventy-eight seats in comparison to previous election. In
1962 election congress backed 361 seats but this time they backed 283 seats and
congress loosed majority in eight states. And the syndicate has to pay the
price for it and Kamraj himself lost the election. This is how the story of Post-
Nehru & Shastri Hindustan went on.
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