THE DRAMATIC DECADES : THE INDIRA GANDHI YEARS

The Dramatic Decade focuses on
one of the most fascinating periods in the life of this nation, the decade of
the 1970s. This was when Indira found herself engaging with the true meaning
of democracy. The nation displayed her commitment to liberty by extending
full support to East Pakistan’s struggle for independence. Later, between
1975 and 1977, during the Emergency, she found herself grappling with the
limits of personal expression. Finally, in 1977, India saw the emergence of
the politics of coalition, with the Janata Party an amalgam of Indian parties
opposed to the Emergency, comprising the Congress (O), the Bharatiya Lok Dal,
the Jana Sangh and the Socialists, coming to power. This was a turning point
in the history of the Indian legislature. This was the decade when Pranab
Mukherjee committed himself to the role of a political activist. As one of
the keenest observers of and participants in this dramatic decade, Pranab
Mukherjee’s insights are invaluable. Indeed, he nudges our impressions of the
1970s. For instance, recounting the urgent appeal for Indira Gandhi’s midterm
resignation, he asks which democracy in the world would permit a change of a
popularly and freely elected government through means other than a popular
election. Can parties beaten at the hosting replace a popularly elected
government by sheer agitation? Was it not prudent for those who were
determined to change the government to wait till the elections which were but
round the corner? Does the rule of law mean that the remedies available to
the common man are to be denied to someone holding an elected office? How
could anybody replace her when the overwhelming majority of Congress MPs with
a two thirds majority in the Lok Sabha resolved that Indira Gandhi should
continue as the party’s leader in Parliament and thereby as the Prime
Minister of India? Drawing from personal diary extracts, conversations with
key players of the 1970s, and vital secondary literature, Pranab Mukherjee
presents an exceptional portrait of a complex nation.