Revealed: Sanjay’s crash tested Indira’s faith; Rajiv-RSS talks; Sonia’s Shah Bano red flag; Rao’s temple wish

How Prime Ministers Decide, by Neerja Chowdhury, is scheduled to be published by Aleph next week

Sanjay’s crash, Indira’s tryst with Devi

Indira was to go to the Chamunda Devi temple in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh on June 22, 1980, but her programme was cancelled last minute. Arrangements had been made by Anil Bali, the nephew of Kapil Mohan of the Mohan Meakin group, and one of Indira’s trusted “informal” aides who had direct access to her.

“The entire government of Himachal Pradesh, including Chief Minister Ram Lal, had been camping…When the priest heard she was not coming, he reacted sharply. ‘You tell Indira Gandhi, this is Chamunda. Ma will forgive if an ordinary mortal is not able to come. But the Devi (goddess) will not forgive if the ruler shows disrespect. Devi ki avamanana nahin kar sakte (The ruler cannot insult the goddess.)” the book says.

The next day, Sanjay Gandhi was killed in a plane crash. Bali rushed to Delhi and when he reached Indira’s residence at 2.30 am, she was sitting next to Sanjay’s body. “Does this have something to do with my not going to Chamunda?’’ she asked Bali, the book says.

On December 13 that year, Indira went to Chamunda. As she performed the puja, the Pandit’s hands shook. “I am a diehard Hindu…. And the way she read the mantras for Purnahooti, and when she went to do her mathathekna (bowing the head) in the sanctum sanctorum, or (when) she was performing the mudras for Kali ki puja, she did it to perfection. And she wept. She just wept and wept and wept.”

Indira ensured that a ghat was constructed in Chamunda in Sanjay’s name. “It cost (Rs) 80 lakh which was borne by Congress leader Sukh Ram, later to become a Union Minister,” Bali said.

Body of Sanjay Gandhi arrives at PM’s residence from the hospital. (Express archive photo by S Paul)

Indira gets Rajiv to reach out to RSS

Although RSS had reached out to Indira, she refused to meet its leaders during the Emergency or in its immediate aftermath. But in 1982, halfway into her term, the book says, she asked Rajiv to meet Bhaurao Deoras, the brother of RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras, and open a dialogue with him. The meetings were fixed by Kapil Mohan. Bhaurao was then looking after the political wing of the RSS.

“Rajiv met Bhaurao thrice between 1982-84, when Indira Gandhi was still PM, and once in early 1991, when he was out of power. The first meeting was held in September 1982 at the 46, Pusa Road residence of Kapil Mohan. Mohan’s friendship with Bhaurao went back many years. The second meeting also took place at Pusa Road, the third one was held at Anil Bali’s residence in Friends Colony. The fourth meeting was held at 10, Janpath,” the book says.

The nodal person facilitating these meetings, according to Bali, was Indira’s political secretary, M L Fotedar. “If there was one person who was a Hinduising influence on Rajiv Gandhi between 1985-87 (after Indira Gandhi’s death and when Rajiv was PM), it was Fotedarji….Fotedar revealed during the course of a conversation, ‘Tell Rajiv not to talk of this (his talks with the RSS) at the dining table’. (Indira) knew that Sonia was dead against the RSS.’”

“After he became prime minister, Rajiv did not meet Bhaurao. But they remained in touch. Halfway into his term, the RSS had made a request to Rajiv to facilitate the telecasting of the Ramayana serial by Ramanand Sagar on Doordarshan—it had run into hurdles. Congress leader H K L Bhagat, later to become minister for Information and Broadcasting, was alarmed when Rajiv mentioned the RSS request to him; he warned Rajiv that it would open a Pandora’s box—and generate a climate in favour of the BJP-VHP-RSS-led Ram Janmabhoomi movement…..Rajiv did not pay heed to Bhagat’s apprehensions.”

The nodal person facilitating these meetings, according to Bali, was Indira’s political secretary, M L Fotedar. (Photo: Express Archive)

Sonia’s Shah Bano question to Rajiv, Bofors ‘leak’ by friend

While the book reveals several previously unknown details about what transpired behind the scenes that led to the Rajiv Gandhi government’s decision to bring a Bill to negate the Supreme Court’s order in the Shah Bano case, one anecdote stands out.

“‘Rajiv, if you can’t convince me about this Muslim Women’s Bill, how are you going to convince the country?’” Sonia had told Rajiv, according to D P Tripathi, the late NCP leader who was then a member of Rajiv’s inner circle. “You must stand by the Supreme Court judgment,’ she told him. “This Sonia said in my presence,” the book quotes Tripathi as saying.

It was the Bofors scandal which finally led to Rajiv’s undoing. The influence his cousin Arun Nehru wielded on him is known and well documented. The two fell apart. Arun held Sonia responsible for the break-up. In October 1986, Rajiv dropped Arun as a Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle.

“After the swearing-in, a restive Rajiv again asked Fotedar to accompany him back to Race Course Road. “Rajivji was tense,” Fotedar said afterwards. As the car reached Race Course Road, they saw Sonia Gandhi and Gandhi family loyalist Captain Satish Sharma waiting in the portico. Sonia had a wide smile on her face. ‘I understood then why Arun Nehru had been dropped,’ Fotedar said later,” the book says.

“Arun Nehru…was biding his time. He struck only when he was ready—and that was a year later in 1987. Swedish Radio did a programme…based on the testimony of a former employee of Bofors—that Bofors had paid bribes to Indian politicians. ‘It was Arun Nehru who leaked the Bofors story to the Swedish Radio,’ H. R. Bhardwaj told me (the author). ‘We knew it.’” the book says.

In October 1986, Rajiv dropped Arun Nehru as a Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle. (Photo: Express Archive)

After Babri demolition, Rao’s Ayodhya temple wish

The book captures, in vivid detail, the sequence of events that led to demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

The book mentions a meeting journalist Nikhil Chakravartty had with Rao days after the demolition. The two had been friends.

“‘I heard you were doing puja after twelve o’clock on 6 December,’” Chakravartty teased Rao. “A stung Rao shot back at Chakravartty, ‘Dada, you think I don’t know politics. I was born in rajniti (politics) and I have only been doing politics till today. Jo hua voh theek hua…. (What happened, happened for good.) Maine is liye hone diya...ki Bharatiya Janata Party ki mandir ki rajniti hamesha ke liye khatam ho jaaye (I allowed it to happen because I wanted the BJP’s temple politics to finish forever).’”

The book quotes former CISF DIG and IPS officer Kishore Kunal, who worked with Naresh Chandra who was heading the Ayodhya cell, as having said that Rao wanted to build a temple where the idols of Ram Lalla were kept.

“‘Aisi baat hai,’ police officer Kishore Kunal told me, ‘Narasimha Raoji jahaan Ram Lallaji virajman hai, wahin mandir banaana chahte the (The fact is that Narasimha Rao himself wanted to build the temple where the idols were kept).’ Rao instructed his media advisor, P. V. R. K. Prasad, to create a trust which could build a temple where the mosque had once stood.”

“On the Sunday after the demolition (13 December 1992), Prasad had gone to see Rao. He had found the PM alone and in a reflective mood. ‘We can fight the BJP, but how can we fight Lord Ram?’ he asked Prasad pensively. ‘When we say that the Congress is a secular party, it does not mean we are atheists,’ he went on. ‘How far are they (BJP) justified in hoodwinking people by monopolizing Lord Ram under the pretext of constructing a temple in Ayodhya?’

The book captures, in vivid detail, the sequence of events that led to demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. (Photo: Express Archive)

In 1979, Vajpayee opposed nuclear tests

In May 1998, India successfully conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran, a crowning glory of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s premiership. But way back in 1979, when he was External Affairs Minister in the Morarji Desai cabinet, Vajpayee had opposed testing.

In April 1979, Desai had a meeting with his top four ministers Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram, Finance Minister Charan Singh, Home Minister H M Patel and Vajpayee. Desai informed them that Pakistan was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons and wanted to discuss with them what the government should do about its nuclear programme.

A secret report submitted to Desai by K. Subrahmanyam, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, had alarmed Desai. Subrahmanyam had stated that Pakistan ‘was only a screwdriver away from a bomb’. Besides the ministers, there were only two officials present at the CCPA meeting Atomic Energy Commission chairman Homi Sethna and Cabinet Secretary Nirmal Mukherji.

While the top ministers resolved that India should proceed with its nuclear efforts, the decision was not unanimous. “Subrahmanyam confirmed to me later that ‘Morarji and Vajpayee were opposed to going ahead. H. M. Patel, Jagjivan Ram, and Charan Singh were for it.” the book says.

“A day after the CCPA meeting, Subrahmanyam confronted Vajpayee. ‘How could you oppose it?’ he asked Vajpayee. ‘You have been for it all along.’ ‘No, no, now the most important thing is to stop Pakistan from making the bomb,’ Vajpayee replied defensively. ‘And we should not provoke them.’” it says.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee congratulated the Indian Scientists and engineer at a Press conference in New Delhi soon after India successfully conducted three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran range. IAS Shakti Sinha also seeen in the picture. (Express archive photo on 11.05.1998)

No to PM: Rahul drew the line for Sonia

The book reveals details about a meeting which was held at 10, Janpath in the afternoon on May 17, 2004. According to K Natwar Singh, Sonia, Priyanka Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were present in the room when he reached.

“She (Sonia) was sitting there on the sofa…. Manmohan Singh and Priyanka (were there as well)… Sonia Gandhi was looking distraught…Then Rahul came in and said in front of all of us, ‘I will not let you become prime minister. My father was assassinated, my Dadi was assassinated. In six months, you will be killed.

“Rahul threatened to take an extreme step if Sonia did not listen to him. ‘This was no ordinary threat,’ recalled Natwar Singh, ‘Rahul is a strong-willed person. He gave Sonia 24 hours to decide…”

Sonia was in tears after Rahul said he was prepared to “take any possible step to prevent his mother” from taking up the PMship.

The book says that after she was elected CPP leader, Sonia and Vajpayee spoke. “Vajpayee congratulated her and said, ‘You have my ashirwad in abundance.’ And then he added, ‘Don’t take the prize. You will divide the country and could end up straining the loyalty of the civil services.’”