On June 25, 1975, Sarvodaya leader Jayaprakash Narayan held a massive rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Square, intensifying his campaign against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and urging Chief Justice Anne Ray not to hear her appeal against the Allahabad High Court ruling that found her guilty of electoral malpractice.
He added: “We do not question his abilities as a judge nor do we doubt his integrity. We have not abandoned our confidence in him. But the fact remains that he was appointed chief justice after three senior judges were superseded by him. Therefore, his judgment in Mrs. Gandhi’s case must be questionable.”
Narayan, who missed the Janata Morcha rally on Sunday, spoke to a crowd of roughly equal size. It was important that the attendance was so large given that the rally was called on such short notice and without any efforts to mobilize people.
The Sarvodaya leader, who spoke calmly for about 90 minutes, raised his voice angrily only once while referring to the persecution of the Harijans. The prevailing theme was the urgent need for Mrs Gandhi’s resignation. He examined yesterday’s Supreme Court order on her appeal of the absolute stay, spoke briefly about the Supreme Court ruling, criticized the Congress Party’s “subservience” and took issue with Mrs Gandhi’s statements about improvements in people’s lives.
Narayan quoted Mr. Ivor Jennings, a well-known constitutional lawyer, as saying, “The basic qualifications of a minister are to be honest and to remain incorruptible. It is also necessary that he possess this qualification, but he must also appear to possess it.”
He continued: “The honesty and incorruptibility of Mrs. Gandhi has now come under serious question. The Supreme Court not only found her guilty of corrupt practices but also questioned at 27 places the oral and written evidence she gave. In plain language, what Justice Sinha said was that Mrs. Gandhi had told lies on a number of occasions.”
He said the latter order detracts from her right to vote in Parliament. “Is it right then to continue?” Mr. Narayan asked. The audience responded spontaneously: “No, no.”
Mr. Narayan spoke warmly of the courage of the Young Turks in taking a different course in the critical situation of the moment. He urged other members of Congress to follow suit in large numbers. “You should not fear that you will not get a seat to contest the next election or a cabinet post if you oppose Mrs Gandhi. You can no longer be sure of winning on Mrs Gandhi’s ticket. In fact, you will never win another election. You have struck the final nail in the party’s coffin.”
Narayan also called on the army, police and government employees not to obey any order they consider illegal. “I am not trying to provoke the police, I am just trying to state the facts. After the police strike in Delhi, the Khosla Committee was set up to study their grievances. It made its recommendations in 1968, but they are not implemented yet.”
After he addressed his appeal to the army, police and government employees. Mr. Narayan challenged Home Minister P Reddy to stand trial for treason. He said: “I am ready to stand trial for treason. But you can accuse me of being a traitor. I have not asked for anything for myself from the country.” He also urged students to prepare to walk out of the classroom and go to jail if Mrs Gandhi continues in office after a month. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Yes,” came the resounding reply.
He added: “We must also be prepared not to cooperate with the government and refuse to pay taxes. The consequences could be dire, and we must be prepared for them.”
He warned of the “threat of criticism posed by Mrs. Gandhi’s conduct” and expressed his fear that Mrs. Gandhi might not convene the monsoon session of Parliament because she was afraid to face the House.
Narayan said that if Mrs. Gandhi violated this agreement by refusing to hold the monsoon session, it would be tantamount to her taking the fascist path, step by step. “Only an awakened public opinion can save the country from this threat,” he said, adding, “Mrs Gandhi must realize that India is neither Bangladesh nor Pakistan, where such developments can be tolerated.”
People called on Information Minister Girao IK Gujral to allow All India Radio to do “personal propaganda” for Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He said that AIR was run with public money and it should stop propaganda for the ruling party.
