Sarvodaya leader Jayaprakash Narayan on June 25, 1975, held a massive rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, intensifying his campaign against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and urging Supreme Court Chief Justice AN Ray not to hear her appeal against the Allahabad high court verdict convicting her of electoral malpractice.
“We do not question his abilities as a judge nor doubt his impartiality. We have not given up our faith in him. But the fact remains that he was appointed Chief Justice after three judges senior to him were superseded. His judgment, therefore, in Mrs Gandhi’s case is bound to be doubted,” he said.
Mr Narayan, who missed the Janata Morcha rally on Sunday, spoke to a crowd almost equal in size. It was significant that the attendance was so huge considering the rally was called at such a short notice and without any efforts to mobilise people.
The Sarvodaya leader, who spoke calmly for about 90 minutes, raised his voice in anger only once while referring to the oppression of Harijans. The predominant theme was the urgent need for Mrs Gandhi to resign. He examined yesterday’s Supreme Court order on her appeal for an absolute stay, spoke briefly about the High Court judgment, lambasted the “servility” of the Congress party, and contested Mrs Gandhi’s statements about improvements in the life of the people.
Mr Narayan quoted Mr Ivor Jennings, the reputed constitutional lawyer, who has written that the “most elementary qualification of a minister is that he should be honest and stay incorruptible. It is also necessary for him to possess this qualification, but he must also appear to possess it.”
{{/usCountry}}Mr Narayan quoted Mr Ivor Jennings, the reputed constitutional lawyer, who has written that the “most elementary qualification of a minister is that he should be honest and stay incorruptible. It is also necessary for him to possess this qualification, but he must also appear to possess it.”
{{/usCountry}}He continued: “Mrs Gandhi’s honesty and incorruptibility are now seriously in question. The high court has not only held her guilty of corrupt practices, but at 27 places has doubted her oral and written evidence. In plain language what Justice Sinha has said is that Mrs Gandhi has told lies on a number of occasions.”
He said that the latest order even abridges her right to vote in Parliament. “Is it, therefore, right for her to continue?” Mr Narayan asked. The crowd spontaneously responded, “No, No.”
Mr Narayan spoke warmly about the courage of the “Young Turks” to strike out a different path in the critical situation at the moment. He urged other Congressmen to follow their example in large numbers. “You should not fear that you will not get a seat to contest the next elections or a ministership if you oppose Mrs Gandhi. You cannot anymore be sure of winning on Mrs Gandhi’s ticket. In fact, she will never win another election. She has hit the final nail in the party coffin.”
Mr Narayan also called upon the army, police and government employees not to obey any order they consider illegal. “I am not trying to arouse the police but merely stating facts. After the police strike in Delhi, the Khosla Commission was set-up to examine their grievances. It submitted its recommendations in 1968, but they have yet to be implemented.”
After making his call to the army, police and government employees. Mr Narayan challenged home minister B Reddy to try him for committing treason. “I am prepared for a treason trial. But you can accuse me of being a traitor. I have never sought anything for myself from the country,” he said. He also urged students to be prepared to walk out of classes and go to jail if Mrs Gandhi continues in office after a month. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Yes,” came the thundering reply.
“We must also be prepared not to co-operate with the government and refuse to pay tax. The consequences may be serious, and you must be prepared for it,” he said.
Warning against the “threat of criticism posed by Mrs Gandhi’s action”, he feared that Mrs Gandhi might not convene the monsoon session of Parliament as she was afraid of facing the House.
Mr Narayan said if Mrs Gandhi broke this convention by refusing to convene the monsoon session, it would amount to her going the fascist way, step by step. “Only an awakened public opinion can save the country from this threat,” he said and added, “Mrs Gandhi must realise India is neither Bangladesh nor Pakistan, where such developments would be tolerated.”
He called upon the people to gherao information minister IK Gujral for allowing All India Radio to do “personal propaganda” for Mrs Indira Gandhi. He said AIR was being run with public money and it must stop propaganda for the ruling party.