• Capt. Praveen Davar

Smt. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from January 1966 to 31October 1984, the day she was brutally assassinated at her residence, 1 Safdarjung Road, N. Delhi by her own bodyguards who had been posted there to protect her from physical harm. The news of her violent death shook the whole world as it did 36 years earlier when Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, was shot dead by Nathuram Godse.

It was a heart broken and just sworn - in 40-year-old Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who broadcast to the nation: ‘Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister has been assassinated. She was mother not only to me but to the whole nation. She served the Indian people to the last drop of her blood.... You all know how dear to her heart was the dream of a united, peaceful and prosperous India, an India in which all Indians, irrespective of their religion, language or political persuasion, live together as one big family in an atmosphere free from mutual rivalries and prejudices.’ By the time the young PM spoke these words he had received reports of violence against the Sikh community in many parts of Delhi, and outside. He therefore added: ‘This is a moment of profound grief. The foremost need now is to maintain our balance. We can and must face this tragic ordeal with fortitude, courage and wisdom. We should remain calm and exercise the maximum restraint. We should not let our emotions get the better of us, because passion would cloud judgment. Nothing would hurt the soul of our beloved Indira Gandhi more than the occurrence of violence in any part of the country.’ Unfortunately, the next two days saw many incidents of arson, murder and loot that resulted in the killing of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and outside. Contrary to the propaganda that is unleashed in the media and other public platforms, only a handful of leaders belonging to the Grand Old Party were involved. The people who physically attacked the Sikhs were goonda elements, many of them reportedly belonging to right wing parties and organizations whose identity can be found out if proper enquiries are held by impartial and unbiased agencies.

So concerned was the new Prime Minister about the situation that he again went on the air within less than two days, and spoke to the nation on Doordarshan and All-India Radio( AIR) on November 2, 1984 : ‘It is with a heavy heart that I speak to you this evening. While hundreds of millions of Indians are mourning the tragic loss of their beloved leader, some people are casting a slur on her memory by indulging in acts of hatred and violence. Disgraceful incidents of arson, loot and murder have taken place. This must stop forthwith. The Government will ensure the safety of life and property of every citizen irrespective of his caste, creed or religion....Communal madness will destroy us. It will destroy everything India stands for. As Prime Minister of India I cannot and will not allow this.’ Only the next day the cremation of Indira Gandhi was to take place for which hundreds of dignitaries from foreign countries had already arrived. So, he ended his address thus: ‘Tomorrow the mortal remains of Indira Gandhi will be consigned to sacred flames. She had said: “Do not shed blood, shed hatred.” Let this guide us.’ This broadcast was received well, both in India and abroad. The international weekly Newsweek reported: ‘He has the name that has always rallied his fractious country. And he brings to the job his native good sense and dignity, traits that showed in the speech he gave to the seething nation right after taking office.’

By next day, that is November 3, after the Army was called in, the riots were completely controlled by the firm handling of the situation by the Prime Minister. According to Nicholas Nugent, author of a biography of Rajiv Gandhi, ‘The day his mother was to be cremated, Rajiv Gandhi visited some of the worst effected parts of the city. That visit, and the orders he issued to the Chief of Army Staff, seemed to have convinced lesser functionaries that their duty was not to stand by as innocent people were set upon and burnt, and India’s capital city plundered. Later that day, the Army opened fire on looters and began to take control of the city. This is corroborated by former Union Minister, and earlier an official in Rajiv Gandhi’s PMO, in his book Memoirs of a Maverick: ‘Many years later, it was confirmed to me by Law Minister Shiv Shankar that at 2.30 a.m. on 2 November, fed up with the government’s paralysis, the new PM brushed aside security concerns and had himself driven to the worst- affected areas. Thereafter, he took matters into his own hands instead of leaving things to his far more experienced Home Minister and the Lieutenant Governor, who was a senior ICS officer. It was then that the pogrom began to scale down until it was brought under control by the 3rd.’ This means within three days the four-day old Prime Minister, with no experience as a Minister /or in any government position, reversed a deteriorating situation and brought it under control thus saving many more precious lives and property. Aiyar adds; ‘Rajiv Gandhi took into his own hands the responsibility of ending the pogrom- and he succeeded.’ Compare this with the Gujarat genocide of 2002 when riots went on for more than two months.

Unfortunately, over the years, vested interests have managed to attribute ‘When a big tree falls’ speech of the late Prime Minister for being responsible for the origin of the riots. This is nothing but fantastic nonsense. This speech was made by PM Rajiv Gandhi at the boat club lawns of India Gate on Nov 19, the first birth anniversary of Smt. Indira Gandhi after her assassination, a good sixteen days after the killings had completely stopped. As a young Party worker, I happened to be present there and distinctly remember MGR, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, sharing the stage with the Prime Minister. Rajiv Gandhi spoke these words: ‘We must not be moved by anger or anguish... We know the people were very angry and for a few days it seemed that India had been shaken... But, when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it does shake a little. ‘It is this last sentence that is taken out of context, and used to besmirch the image of the Congress at every available opportunity. These words were not spoken by Rajiv Gandhi in his first address to the nation, as is falsely propagated, but, as per authentic official records, on November 19, 1984.

The truth is what has been stated above, and the nation must remain grateful to India’s youngest ever Prime Minister for controlling an out-of-hand situation resolutely and with lightning speed. It was at the cremation of Smt. Indira Gandhi, on November 3, 1984, that many world leaders had their first meeting with Rajiv Gandhi. The dignitaries at the funeral included British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US Vice President George Bush (later President). By all accounts, they all went back highly impressed by the personality and demeanour of the new Prime Minister. ‘Rajiv Gandhi struck us as an upright clearheaded man’, was the assessment of a member of the British delegation which included Princess Anne.

The funeral was televised live and more than fifteen million people were reported to have seen the live coverage. Those moments have been appropriately captured for posterity by Minhaz Merchant in his book Rajiv Gandhi - End of a Dream: ‘It was in those few minutes that the nation fully accepted Rajiv Gandhi as its leader. If his address to the nation on TV a few days earlier had won him India’s affection, his mother’s funeral won him the nation’s respect. The Rajiv Wave, which was to sweep the Congress (I) to victory seven weeks later, began that afternoon.’ In her death Smt. Indira Gandhi was being true to her immortal words: ‘Every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it.’ Rajiv Gandhi not only invigorated and strengthened India but, like his illustrious mother, shed his own blood, for the cause of humanity.

(The writer is a former Secretary AICC and Editor, The Secular Saviour)