Haryana: Memories of the emergency
Haryana has a special connection with the Emergency as Bansi Lal of Haryana was the main member of caucus and opposition leaders were detained in Haryana jails.
MANY PEOPLE in our country are remembering the 35th anniversary of Emergency which was described as darkest period of our democracy. Haryana has deep attachment with the Emergency as prominent opposition leaders including Lal Krishan Adwani, Devilal, Sikhander Bhakat, Ashok Mehta , Rajnarayan, Piloo Modi, Ramdharn, Chandershekher , Saamrguha and Biju Patnayak were detained in Rohtak jail of Haryana.
Lal Krishan Adwani, when he was deputy Prime Minister had visited the Rohtak jail and had spent some time in the same barracks in which he was kept during Emergency. Devi Lal after sometime was shifted to Mohindergarh jail where late Teja Singh, teachers leader of Rohtak came into his contact.
Morarji Desai was detrained at a rest hosue at Tawro which was converted into the Jail. Shyam Khosla and M.L. Kak working as staffers with a leading English daily of northern India were also detained in jail during the Emergency. Bansi Lal of Haryana was the main member of the caucus which ruled or misruled the country during that period .The excesses committed on common men under the name of family planning has made Bansi Lal popular not only in India but abroad also. After lifting of the Emergency a slogan was coined in chaste Hindi 'Nasbandi ke teen dalal- Indira- Sanjay aur Bansilal.
A decade back, when Bansi Lal was heading a regional party, Haryana Vikas Party, he used to share with journalists the background of Emergency. According to Bansi Lal, Madam, meaning thereby then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi informed him on the day of declaration of Emergency in advance to get jails in the state ready.
Perhaps Bansi Lal had the intuition of coming events so as told by him that he directed the Deputy Commissioner, Rohtak to make arrangements at Rohtak jail where prominent leaders were kept. Rest is well known part of history. Several thousand political activists from Haryana were also arrested.
Although Banarsi Dass Gupta was the chief minister at that time, the real power was controlled through remote by Surinder Singh, elder son of Bansi Lal. Later on appearing before the Shah commission appointed by the Morarji DesaI led union government to enquire into the excesses committed during the Emergency, Banarsi Dass Gupta pleaded that he was not responsible for the excesses as he was the chief minister worth the name and the real powers were used by someone else.
Surinder Singh, apart from being the son of Bansi Lal was also close to Sanjay Gandhi. Bansi Lal had won over the confidence of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi by acquiring land through police help for his Maruti car factory at Gurgaon. At that time opposition leaders used to say jokingly, that when Bansi Lal has tamed the calf (Sanjay Gandhi) then where can the cow (Indira Gandhi) go.
Lal Krishan Adwani, when he was deputy Prime Minister had visited the Rohtak jail and had spent some time in the same barracks in which he was kept during Emergency. Devi Lal after sometime was shifted to Mohindergarh jail where late Teja Singh, teachers leader of Rohtak came into his contact.
Shyam Sunder Pasrija, socialist leader who was also detained in Rohtak jail told this scribe about how Piloo Modi kept the leaders in good spirits with his jokes. Often there was a tiff between Balwant Rai Tayal and Devi Lal over the control of mess of the jail. Shyam Khosla, staffer of The Tribune at Rohtak was also arrested. Although there is conflicting versions about the reasons of his arrest as Khosla claims that he was arrested because of his critical reporting others say that since he was closely connected with the RSS. he was arrested.
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