November 8, 1977, Forty Years Ago; Rajasthan Excesses

Indian Express Front Page November 8, 1977

Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Harideo Joshi, and state chief secretary, Mohan Mukherjee, told the Shah Commission that even a telephone call from R.K. Dhawan was considered as having the sanction of the prime minister and the might of the Union government behind it. Justice Shah, who grilled and Mukherjee for long time could hardly contain his amazement that the two of them could have equated “the august Mr Dhawan”, with the PM and Union government. The Commission heard how Joshi and Mukherjee after receiving such telephonic directions from Dhawan had acted with amazing expedition to order the detention of a Jaipur advocate under MISA, the termination of his wife’s services from a state government school and the institution of an inquiry against a police officer who had inquired into the charge that the two of them had burnt secret Anand Marg documents. On Dhawan’s instructions, they also asked a senior IAS officer, Mangal Behari, to proceed on leave.

Emergency Ditty

A former minister of Rajasthan, Mohan Changani, summed up the situation during the Emergency in his state thus: Desh Ki Neta?Indira Gandhi/ Youth Ke Neta ? Sanjay Gandhi/ Mahilaon Ki Neta Maneka Gandhi,/ Bacchon Ke Neta?Rahul Gandhi,/ Bhar Men Jaye?Mahatma Gandhi. (Nation’s leader?Indira Gandhi/ Youth’s leader?Sanjay Gandhi/ Women’s leader?Maneka Gandhi/ Children’s leader? Rahul Gandhi/ To hell with Mahatma Gandhi).

Urs In Trouble

Congress sources confirmed the report that the Urs issue has been referred to the disciplinary action committee of the AICC. A show cause notice is being issued to Karnataka Chief Minister Devraj Urs for setting up a parallel party executive. A delegation of Karnataka legislators will visit New Delhi to press for permission to choose a new leader oft the state legislature party.