THE REPUBLICGeneral protest movements against the emergency regime gained
strength. Most prominent among them was that led by Jayaprakash
Narayan, the veteran socialist who had been an associate of Vinobha
Bhave in the Bhoodan movement and who now returned to the political
arena with a vengeance. Indira Gandhi had most opposition leaders
arrested. The old instrument of preventive detention, which permits the
indefinite arrest of people without trial and stipulates only that their names
be placed before the Lok Sabha, was used to a large extent at that time.
The elections should have been held in 1976, but Indira Gandhi did not
dare to face the people in that year and postponed them. Then suddenly at
the end of 1976 she announced that elections would be held early in 1977.
She released the opposition leaders only a few weeks before the polling date,
hoping that they would not be able to organise a proper campaign in this
way. Sanjay, who was confident of the strength of his Youth Congress and
who was obviously keen on getting parliamentary legitimation for his power,
encouraged his mother to take this step. At the last minute a prominent
supporter of Indira Gandhi, the leader of the untouchables in the Lok Sabha,
Jagjivan Ram, broke with her and established his own party—the Congress
for Democracy—which joined the opposition parties in an electoral alliance.
For the first time in Indian history the opposition had learned the lesson of
the prevailing election system and had managed to match every Congress
candidate with only one opponent. In spite of having been given no time for
running a campaign, this did the trick for the opposition: much to everyone’s
surprise Indira Gandhi lost the elections.
The question of settling the issue of national leadership proved to be far
more difficult than winning the elections. Jagjivan Ram thought he ought to
be prime minister, as his last-minute defection had turned the scales in favour
of the opposition. But there was also Morarji Desai, the permanent
candidate for this post ever since Nehru’s death. Charan Singh, a veteran
leader of the Jat peasantry in western Uttar Pradesh, was also convinced of
his merits. Jayaprakesh Narayan, who was soon to die, did his nation a last
service by acting as umpire in this contest: he nominated Morarji Desai.
Charan Singh agreed to serve as deputy prime minister. The Bharatiya Jana
Sangh, a very strong element in the opposition ranks, adopted a low profile
and asked only for two cabinet posts. Atul Bihari Vajpayjee became minister
for external affairs and Lal Advani became information minister.
In due course the Jana Sangh took an even more surprising step when it
agreed to merge its identity in the new Janata (‘People’s’) Party, which all the
parties forming the government now joined. The Jana Sangh cadres were by
far the most disciplined element in the new party and the others, particularly
the Socialists, did not trust the low profile and the accommodating approach
of the Jana Sangh, suspecting that it intended to take over the new Janata
Party in due course. Morarji Desai, who did not have much of a personal
following and had become prime minister only because of his perseverance,