The print issue of this magazine just recently carried a package analyzing two years of the Modi government. One of the stories in that package told the fascinating tale of how prime ministers since Indira Gandhi have been hit by massive controversies, protests and even scandals two years into their tenure. This has happened with Indira, Rajiv Gandhi, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. Even Morarji Desai, who couldn't complete his term, was so badly hit by this “two year itch” that his Janata Party government simply collapsed.
But this time, let's take a look at how Indira Gandhi was transformed from the status of a heroine and a goddess in 1971 to a disliked and even hated figure by the end of 1973. By 1971, Indira was the unchallenged leader of her faction of the Congress party dominated by “socialists”. The old Congress guard led by the likes of Morarji Desai and K. Kamraj had split and fought elections against the Congress led by Indira.
In the 1971 elections, the Indian voter delivered a decisive verdict in favor of Indira Gandhi. Her slogan “
Garibi Hatao” became as popular and talked about as the slogan “
Achhe Din” coined by Narendra Modi in 2014! And by the end of 1971, Indira had acquired a goddess like status in the eyes of millions of Indians. She had led India to a decisive military victory against Pakistan that led to the creation of an independent country called Bangladesh. Opposition leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee ( who faced his own two year itch almost three decades later as prime minister) praised her effusively. It seemed Indira was not just invincible, but also some one who could do no wrong.
And yet, by the end of 1973, India was facing unrest and protests and Indira Gandhi had started becoming deeply unpopular amongst many Indians. The reasons for this could be traced to simple psychology and economics. The psychology first. Just like Narendra Modi in 2014, Indira had raised huge expectations in 1971. She promised to sweep away the old order and usher in a new era of prosperity for Indians. Tens of millions of Indian voters genuinely believed in her
Garibi Hatao slogan. Then came economics. By nationalizing private banks and abolishing privy purses for princely states in 1969, Indira had joined the global bandwagon of socialism. Back then,mint was fashionable to mock at markets and berate capitalism as a tool of Imperialism.
But the expectations from her were so unrealistic that they simply could not be met. Something similar to what is happening with Modi two years after his historic victory. The Indian economy then was virtually in shambles. It was her bad luck that the monsoon gods failed India and it faced crippling shortages of food grains. By then, a small aspirational middle class had emerged and it despaired at having to wait in long queues for everything. Despite her promises, there seemed to be no end in sight to corruption everywhere. And then the OPEC announced a massive increase in oil prices in 1973. The already poorly performing Indian economy was virtually crippled with inflation soaring to unheard of levels.
It was in 1973 that Indians started paying more attention to her authoritarian and dynastic streak. Sanjay Gandhi started becoming a much talked about figure. And supporters of Indira delighted in encouraging the perception that she was “the only man in the cabinet”. Their expectation belied and their dreams of economic well being in ruins, many Indian voters who supported her in 1971 started regretting their actions. By the end of 1973, the ground was ready for massive agitations and protests. We all know what happened after that. First came the Total Revolution call from the Gandhian Jayaprakash Narayan. Then came the Emergency. The rest is history!
In the next piece in this series, we will take a quick look at the short lived Morarji Desai tenure before analyzing a third two year itch faced by Indira in a subsequent piece. In case you are wondering at the use of the word “third”, Indira led her party to victory in Lok Sabha elections in 1967, 1971 and 1979.
