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Journalism of Courage
In Pursuit of Democracy: Beyond Party Lines by Najma Heptulla
Published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd
Pages: 256
Price: Rs 695
Former Union Minister Najma Heptullah, who also served as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, has penned her autobiography In Pursuit of Democracy: Beyond Party Lines in which she recounts key incidents and moments from her decades-long political journey, writing about her life “based on truth, real events and people”.
Heptullah who first entered the Upper House of Parliament in 1980 as a Congress MP and later in 2004 was later made a Rajya Sabha MP by the BJP. Heptuallah also served as the Governor of now strife-torn Manipur between 2016 and 2021 and Vice-Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia.
“I never got a chance to discuss the Emergency with her (former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi), but I did get the impression that she regretted it deeply,” Heptullah writes. Quoting Gandhi, Heptullah says: “I was Prime Minister, but I did not know the nuances of running a country.”
In the chapter In Indira’s India, the former MP writes that Gandhi told her how the people she had faith in — from her trusted bureaucrats and advisors to a Bengali politician and friend — tried to control her. “When she began to break free from their shackles, and take her own decisions, they wanted to teach her a lesson. Their politics of patronage tipped her towards her downfall,” says Heptullah.
“She came back, of course, but I always marvelled at how she had changed. This time around, she was tough, shrewd, ruthless and skilled in the use of power,” writes Heptullah.
Heptullah says she had “a very friendly relationship” with Modi. About the 2002 Godhra riots, she writes that “Modi was being criticised by journalists for maintaining a studied silence through the first week of violence”. “I narrated to journalists how Modi had helped the Bohra Muslim community during the communal riots. The Bohras constituted a peaceful business community among Muslims. I had very good relations with them because my husband belonged to that community. The chief of the community had rung me up and told me that there was a large community of Bohras in Gujarat and they never participated in any rioting activity. He asked for help. I rang up Modi and told him about the Bohras: ‘Please protect them.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry. I will.’ And he did. In the 2002 election, the Bohra community supported the BJP and, in particular, Narendra Modi,” she writes.
About Sonia Gandhi, with whom Heptullah had strained relations, Heptullah says Sonia “trusted very few people” and that “she did not trust me”.
“We were dealing with more than just deep mistrust. We were cut off from Sonia Gandhi and could not communicate with her. This was a sharp and serious departure from the earlier Congress culture,” she writes. “Indira Gandhi used to keep an open house. She was accessible to the rank-and-file members.”
“When Sonia decided to take over the leadership of the party from (Sitaram) Kesri, there was significant apprehension within the party. Concerns were raised about her readiness and suitability for the position due to her lack of experience, her Italian heritage, and her limited fluency in Hindi. Ghulam Nabi Azad and I worked tirelessly to convince the party leadership and cadre that she was indeed ready and capable of being an effective leader,” writes Heptullah.
About her departure from the Congress and induction into the BJP, Heptullah says: “So disenchanted was I with the Congress leadership that I started to drift away. Atal ji was always very friendly and sympathetic. One day, when I was feeling particularly sad about something, he said ‘Aa jao. Come and join our party.’”
About the BJP, Heptullah writes that “while Hindutva is a prominent aspect of the BJP’s message, it is not the only one that defines the party”. “The party’s contributions extend beyond this single narrative. Elections are not won solely on messaging; factors like development, job creation, and infrastructure investment are crucial,” she writes.
Heptullah says that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was “not given his due by the Congress”. “I did not work with Manmohan Singh when he was Prime Minister, but I always felt that like Narasimha Rao, he was not given his due by the Congress. A very quiet and decent man, he used to sit next to me as Leader of Opposition between 1998 and 2004,” she writes.
On her uncle Maulana Azad, Heptullah says, “Maulana Azad was against Partition because he believed you cannot divide people who are geographically, economically, linguistically and culturally joined. In the twentieth century, a number of countries were created on the basis of religion and politics, but none of them have been peaceful. The creation of Bangladesh proved him right—shared history and experience of life was greater than religious and political polarisation.”
The former Manipur Governor says she feels “dismayed and sad” about the unrest that has gripped the state today. “My one recommendation would be to first quell the violence and then encourage dialogue and build trust among the different communities. This is not easy but necessary, for violence cannot be the way forward. I fervently hope that the beautiful people of the bejewelled land find their peace soon. And, perhaps, remember my time with them with a smile and a nod,” Heptullah writes.
