Thread by @sheshapatangi1

Long Read..

On his death anniversary, I wanted to write something good about #SanjayGandhi, dropped that idea within few minutes... Life had other plans for dynasty, Nehru eliminated Dr S P Mookherjee and on the same date 27 years later, KARMA hit back.

Sanjay, who virtually

ran the country along with mother Indira was a SCHOOL DROP-OUT.

"My son is a delicate young man, and with whatever money & energy he has, he has modelled a car, not a posh one, but one fairly comfortable, suitable to Indian conditions... My son has shown enterprise and I just

could not say no to him... if he is not encouraged, how can I ask other young men to take risks"?
Indira Gandhi at a Press conference, September 1970.

By giving up her power to her beloved son Sanjay, Indira first institutionalised dynasty politics within Indian democracy,

a practice which, until then, was relatively rare.

An “extra-constitutional” centre of power, Sanjay had a say in postings, policy decisions, granting public contracts, without once holding an elected seat. By the 1970s, he had emerged as the de facto successor of Indira & was

already making and executing decisions on behalf of his mother and the Congress.
Corruption became even more rampant than it had previously been, since the whole decision-making process was in the hands of the mother-son duo and based on personal relationships.
Significantly, in

1975, Indira Gandhi was charged with election fraud, bribery and misuse of government machinery. According to Business Insider, in 1976, “a $200-million contract was awarded to the Hong Kong-based Kuo Oil Co to take future deliveries at current prices. The govt lost Rs 13 crore.

It was reported that indirectly, money went to Indira and Sanjay.”

Sanjay studied at Welham Boys’ School, later at the Doon. He was a mediocre student, with some reports even terming him a ‘loner’, ‘friendless’ ‘uncommunicative’.
Unable to complete, he dropped out, decided to

directly pursue an apprenticeship at Rolls Royce in 1964.
Without completing, he returned back in 1966 with a dream to build a low-price care, a “people’s car”. The same year, he began making a prototype with the help of a few men. In a small workshop he made the base frame of

the car himself, sourced a few parts from Jama Masjid, and used a motorcycle engine to propel the car. He made three more prototypes in the next 2 years.
Since Sanjay had Indira’s ear, circa 1970, her cabinet proposed the production of a “people’s car” which would be cheap,

efficient and indigenous.
A company called Maruti Motors Limited was incorporated on 4 June 1971 & he became its first MD.
Reportedly neither the company members nor Sanjay had any prior experience in building a car, no design proposals or portfolios, no working prototypes.

Yet, the Congress govt awarded Maruti the contract and an exclusive production licence to manufacture 50,000 low-priced cars per year, indigenously. This, without calling for any tenders or conducting impartial studies.
Then CM Bansi Lal, offered Sanjay 290 acres of land in

Gurgaon, govt loan to buy that land.
Corruption reached its peak at this point in the 70s. Banks were arm-twisted into giving loans, business groups, traders were pressurised to extend funds. Anyone who opposed Sanjay’s Maruti dream was either threatened or terminated by Indira

She even dismissed her principal secretary, PN Haskar, when he expressed his concerns about the project.

When the first Maruti prototype was unveiled in Nov1972, it was widely criticised by the public, even then, Sanjay contacted Volkswagen AG to produce the Beetle in India,

dismissing the criterion for the car to be indigenous.

The Maruti project was put on the back burner until it was shut down in 1977 when the Janata Alliance came to power. A series of enquiries against the Gandhi family for excesses during the Emergency & Maruti ensued under

the Shah Commission.

Sanjay had always been against ending the Emergency and wanted the parliament to be replaced by a constituent assembly that would eventually become a presidential system. Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh passed resolutions to this effect in 1980.

Just before & soon after the Emergency in 1975, Sanjay Gandhi rose in importance as Indira’s principal adviser & began directing cabinet ministers, bureaucrats & party members.
After a few people resigned – significantly, prominent politician IK Gujral, in protest because Sanjay

had no official elected position to issue directions – he replaced them with yes men.
Thus, his influence with his mother & within the Congress increased drastically. Indira not only encouraged it, she grew to need Sanjay’s counsel in executing her role as PM.

If Indira was

the Emergency’s presiding deity, Sanjay was its high priest.
Sanjay was only 28 years old then, was particularly known for being the driving force behind the mass demolition of slums, the forced sterilisation policy. 100s of poor communities, especially Muslims, were displaced

to cleanse Delhi and countless men were forced to undergo vasectomies.

The bloodiest consequence of Sanjay’s orders to clear out all slums happened at Turkman Gate in Delhi, a Muslim-majority area. Its residents refused to move and staged protests during demolitions.

On 18 April 1976, the police gunned down several people during a protest. Riots ensued. Since the press had been censored, people found out about the incident through international media.

In 1980, when Indira Gandhi won the elections again, she nationalised Maruti and offered

Suzuki a chance at a partnership.

With Indira Gandhi back on top and Sanjay getting elected from Amethi, all reports by the Shah Commission – which found the ruling government guilty of imposing an unjustified Emergency and committing several atrocities and malpractices –

were dismissed and copies were recalled or simply ‘lost’.
Life had other plans for dynasty,
Nehru eliminated Dr S P Mookherjee and on the same date 27 years later, KARMA hit back.
thequint.com/explainers/san…
#VANDEMATARAM

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