One of Indira Gandhi’s closest political aides reminisces about her daily ‘open durbar’ that helped her keep abreast of what was happening around her
This daily darshan, call it ‘Indira Durbar’, was a kind of gathering
where the Prime Minister would receive petitioners. People would come to her with problems ranging from mistreatment of sacred cows to cases of police brutality. She picked up this direct contact concept from her father. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used to meet the public at eight in the morning every weekday. There were no security checks during those days.
She started meeting people this way when she became the information & broadcasting minister. Her doors used to be open for everyone; anyone was allowed to meet her and place their grievances before her. Partymen too would come to seek suggestions regarding political issues.
She didn’t have much say in the government then, so she used to forward most petitions to the departments concerned. But when she became Prime Minister, she started this practice of going to 1 Akbar Road at 8 am sharp from Monday to Friday. She would spend almost two hours there.
Some people would turn up only to meet her and get clicked with her. Some used to come with petitions. MLAs and MPs would meet her to share their views regarding party matters. Everybody’s problem was handled in a very systematic manner. There was one person in charge of petitions. He was called the private secretary (public) and his office used to be in the public section in Rail Bhavan.
In the morning the private secretary used to be present there and all the petitions were given to him. The political petitions were my domain and I used to follow up with the ministers and chief ministers concerned. Political work was done by me. Every evening we used to give her the report about what has been done on the petitions. She used to get first-hand knowledge of the situation around her and within her party.
Indiraji woke up at 5.30 am everyday, did yoga for an hour and had her breakfast by 7.45 am. The same routine was followed even when she was out of power from 1977 to 1980. Only MPs and MLAs would visit her during this phase. The public petitioners stayed away because they knew that she was not in a position to solve their problems. Initially, for the first six to eight months after she was voted out of power, everyone stopped coming. Only a handful of close friends visited her.
This was also the time when she discovered her real supporters because a lot of people she trusted betrayed her during this phase of her life. People who used to be in her Cabinet were the first to go and report before the Shah Commission. She was hurt not because people had deserted here but because some her own former Cabinet colleagues were making all sorts of wrong submissions to the Shah Commission.
The first person who appeared before the Commission and deposed against her was her law minister HR Gokhale, who used to be very close to her. Other ministers from her Cabinet like C. Subramaniam and DP Chattopadhayay followed him. They all joined her back when she returned to power. She had a big heart. Virendra Patil contested against her in Chickmaglur in 1978 and she still inducted him in her cabinet. She was not vengeful.
Siddhartha Shankar Ray, who had been pressing her to declare Emergency, actively deposed before the Shah Commission. One day, when she entered the Shah Commission he told her very sarcastically: “You are looking fit.” She replied: “You are doing everything possible to keep me fit.”
On one occasion, during this low phase of her political career, she bought a lottery ticket from a vendor. The prize money was to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. She told me that she would donate the money to the All India Congress Committee if she won.
This daily darshan, call it ‘Indira Durbar’, was a kind of gathering
where the Prime Minister would receive petitioners. People would come to her with problems ranging from mistreatment of sacred cows to cases of police brutality. She picked up this direct contact concept from her father. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used to meet the public at eight in the morning every weekday. There were no security checks during those days.She started meeting people this way when she became the information & broadcasting minister. Her doors used to be open for everyone; anyone was allowed to meet her and place their grievances before her. Partymen too would come to seek suggestions regarding political issues.
She didn’t have much say in the government then, so she used to forward most petitions to the departments concerned. But when she became Prime Minister, she started this practice of going to 1 Akbar Road at 8 am sharp from Monday to Friday. She would spend almost two hours there.
Some people would turn up only to meet her and get clicked with her. Some used to come with petitions. MLAs and MPs would meet her to share their views regarding party matters. Everybody’s problem was handled in a very systematic manner. There was one person in charge of petitions. He was called the private secretary (public) and his office used to be in the public section in Rail Bhavan.
In the morning the private secretary used to be present there and all the petitions were given to him. The political petitions were my domain and I used to follow up with the ministers and chief ministers concerned. Political work was done by me. Every evening we used to give her the report about what has been done on the petitions. She used to get first-hand knowledge of the situation around her and within her party.
Indiraji woke up at 5.30 am everyday, did yoga for an hour and had her breakfast by 7.45 am. The same routine was followed even when she was out of power from 1977 to 1980. Only MPs and MLAs would visit her during this phase. The public petitioners stayed away because they knew that she was not in a position to solve their problems. Initially, for the first six to eight months after she was voted out of power, everyone stopped coming. Only a handful of close friends visited her.
This was also the time when she discovered her real supporters because a lot of people she trusted betrayed her during this phase of her life. People who used to be in her Cabinet were the first to go and report before the Shah Commission. She was hurt not because people had deserted here but because some her own former Cabinet colleagues were making all sorts of wrong submissions to the Shah Commission.
The first person who appeared before the Commission and deposed against her was her law minister HR Gokhale, who used to be very close to her. Other ministers from her Cabinet like C. Subramaniam and DP Chattopadhayay followed him. They all joined her back when she returned to power. She had a big heart. Virendra Patil contested against her in Chickmaglur in 1978 and she still inducted him in her cabinet. She was not vengeful.
Siddhartha Shankar Ray, who had been pressing her to declare Emergency, actively deposed before the Shah Commission. One day, when she entered the Shah Commission he told her very sarcastically: “You are looking fit.” She replied: “You are doing everything possible to keep me fit.”
On one occasion, during this low phase of her political career, she bought a lottery ticket from a vendor. The prize money was to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. She told me that she would donate the money to the All India Congress Committee if she won.
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