Emergency started … I did not get caught for one and a half months, while staying underground raided newspapers, distributed posters against Emergency.
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As soon as he surrendered, he was put in jail… In the cold cold, a blanket was found to be covered and a laying, he used to sit and take out all night. When we rebelled by burning a blanket in jail, the administration woke up.
If the handcuffs fell short, we used to tie us to the court with ropes … Our family had more punishment than us, I had two small girls. There was no milk to feed them.
Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh Gulabchand Kataria shared many such experiences of his jail visit during the Emergency in a conversation with Dainik Bhaskar.
Kataria, originally from Udaipur, has been active in the politics of Rajasthan for a long time. Read the special parts of the conversation with them …
Bhaskar: Where were you on the day the Emergency started? What was the atmosphere then? Kataria: As soon as the Emergency was announced on 25 June 1975, we had already realized that the police would arrest, because we were actively working in the Sangh. I was working in the Vidyarthi Parishad. In 1974, elections were held in the college and university of Udaipur division, Vidyarthi Parishad won 70 percent of them. I was established as an Identified leader. So the police was looking for me. Four companions were caught in the first day’s arrest. He had told our colleagues that if we change the place, then we survived the arrest. Those who were left at homes were picked up from there.
Bhaskar: At that time you stayed underground and distributed anti -government pamphlets, newspapers, then how were the arrest? Kataria: I worked underground for about two months. We used to take out a newspaper in the name of ‘Chingari’. At that time there was no duplicate copy extract machine. We used to prepare newspapers by taking out a copy from the cyclostal machine (that time newspaper printing method). Used to pack it in buses. Could not stay in one place for more than two-three days. In Bargaon, there was someone’s farm near the crematorium. If there was a room in it, then I stayed there. Used to call his colleagues there. During the day we used to take out prints. Send them through a messenger. Meanwhile, the police would go to my house at 2:00 pm, sometimes raiding my village Delwara. But I could not find.
I went home on Rakshabandhan. As soon as I met the family members, I saw that a CID, a CID studied with me, is behind me. I ran my bicycle and went far away from the city to a friend’s house. The friend’s wife was about to be delivered. He was admitted to the hospital. I stayed at his house. But the police caught my friend. Seeing the situation, I surrendered.
I was kept at the police station. The SHO was near my village, so he did not assault. In the morning, he took me out of the lockup and made me sit on the bench outside the police station. At that time Tiwari was under training SP. He came to the police station. As soon as he came, he said to the Thanedar- This is your Kakaji who has kept it sitting outside. Do it inside. After that, presented in court and sent me to jail. I was arrested in late August after staying under ground for one and a half months.
Bhaskar: There were excesses with many people in jail, what kind of problems were there, what were the difficult moments of the prison journey? Kataria: There was a lot of poor treatment in the early days. The police used to beat many of our companions and beat them a lot. Shantilal Chaplot, who was our senior leader and speaker, came out of the movement. He was beaten badly by the then Additional SP Bhartia of the time. I did not fight.
There was a big problem in the winter in jail. There they used to give a blanket laying and a blanket to cover. We used to feel very cold throughout the winter days. One day we decided that in this way, the work will not work every day. How many days will you sit and sleep. One day all the blankets were set on fire. All blankets were burnt. PN Bhandari was then Udaipur Collector. He was a fiery and strict officer.
There was a stir in the entire jail, the collector brought the entire force and started threatening in the barrack. We said that you are threatening, it is a good thing, but Collector Sir, I say you sleep down in a blanket one night and tell me. The collector understood. At the same time, he ordered to fix all the arrangements. After that there was no problem of wearing and eating and drinking.
We were in jail, but our family was suffering outside. I had two young girls. There was no money for them to bring milk. Someone used to come and give it. Later I had both younger brothers. One got a job in the school and the other’s market. He used to earn something by selling coconut throughout the day, it used to work. My wife encouraged me a lot. He never lost courage. Never expressed his grief when he came to jail.
Bhaskar: You were a political prisoner, how did the situation change after the first strictness? Kataria: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed in Bangladesh. This incident gave Indira Gandhi a lesson. He understood that excesses are not good. After that he started providing facilities.
When we were locked in DIR, we used to take us on court appearance. The handcuffs were less. In such a situation, two prisoners were tied and taken in a long line. Seeing all this, no one liked to join hands with us. School children used to shout thieves and shouting us. It seemed bad. Later we started shouting slogans against Indira Gandhi and Emergency during the arrival of the appearance. This new problem was caused by the administration. After this, the court shifted to jail and started the system of muscle.
Indira Gandhi’s government announced an emergency in the country on 25 June 1975. It lasted until March 1977.
Bhaskar: How did you take out the spark newspaper at that time, why was the government following it? Kataria: The spark newspaper used to take out the newspaper daily from the room on Pannalal Sharma’s farm on the banks of a crematorium in Badgaon near Udaipur. In the newspaper, we used to write against Emergency and the government. What is the problem of the common man, how they are behaving, how the police bother by entering the houses, all those tortures were mentioned prominently in the news. Our newspaper used to reach every village. When the administration came to know and saw that the people of the village had a newspaper named Chingari, they should be caught. Democracy was abolished at that time. No news could be printed in the newspaper. The page of many big newspapers used to come to blank. If a newspaper wrote, there was an arrest against him. For this reason we were on target.
Bhaskar: How much role did the emergency visit the prison journey play in your political life, you emerged as a leader in Mewar area, how was the first election? Kataria: As soon as the Emergency was over, we had held an honor ceremony as soon as we got out of jail. Seeing the crowd that gathered in that ceremony, there was an anti -emergency current among the public. One of our calls was filled with the field. There was anger among the people from the arrests of innocent people in the Emergency.
At that time, when he used to go to give the ticket of the MP, many leaders refused that my health is not good. In such a situation, Sangh workers filled my form. For the first time, the form was filled, who would promote? Who will work, where will the money come from? We called a public meeting. There will be such a crowd in the Gandhi Ground in Udaipur, I did not imagine.
BJP candidate Gulabchand Kataria on stage at a meeting of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Udaipur during 1980. (File photo)
Only put the mic and stood on the stage. Then I said- ask for the sheet. We will appeal by spreading a sheet among the public. Whatever is in the pocket, cooperate so that you can fight the fight of democracy firmly. The way people withdraw money from the pocket of people that day, then I was convinced that we would win the war. The atmosphere became such that the public itself contested the election. In the Lok Sabha, 24 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan came from Janata Party. Later, when I fought in the assembly elections, I did not get so much emphasis, because then the government was formed at the Center. The atmosphere was changed.
Bhaskar: What punishment did those who commit torture during the Emergency? Why did your governments not take action? Kataria: After the formation of the government in 1977, the Janata Party was shattered in a way for the post and power. This led to the defeat in the election. In 1980, Indira Gandhi came back to Prime Minister. The period came out in which he could not retain what he received. Our government changed in two-and-a-half years. Generally: Nobody got the furnishment. When our government came in 1977, he transferred some officers from here to there, but did not punish anyone. The police beat up our workers, young agitators. There was a lot of fighting with most of the youth.
Bhaskar: Many leaders say that even after 50 years, I have not learned a lesson from the Emergency, whether the danger of emergency is still intact, can a leader do this? Kataria: It all depends on who is on the throne? If someone’s mind becomes more interest than the country, then there can be a mistake at any time. However, governments came after the 1977 election. But there has never been a situation that the order of the Supreme Court should be disregarded. The President should be lifted at night and declared emergency, arrests should be made overnight. Every government suppresses big movements according to its own. But there was a culmination of Daman during the Emergency. At that time there was neither a newspaper, no one could speak, nor could he give speeches.
Bhaskar: What lesson did BJP and RSS have learned from the Emergency? Kataria: The Janata Party government was formed in 1977. After this, BJP became from Jana Sangh. When we raised the question of our dual membership in the Janata Party, we caught a different path. Our party was almost over in the 1985 election. Only 2 MPs won. Because sympathy arose after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Due to this, Congress got 400 seats. Due to this, the Congress was very proud that their rule would never go. In this arrogance, Congress leaders used to take out a victory procession by putting the uniform of the Sangh in the wood. Nekariya used to raise slogans of Hi-Hi. We used to burn blood after seeing all this. But could not do anything.
Gulabchand Kataria said- Sangh and BJP together formed a strong network.
For this reason, we have decided in the mind that if the body has power, then their pie-pie has to be avenged. After the 1985 election, the way our working started, the way you have seen in the whole country, you must have seen it, after that the party never looked back. Scandal like Bofors went out and due to this, leaders like VP Singh were taken out of the Congress. The Sangh and the BJP created a strong network till the bottom. In a way, we started getting support in the whole country.
Bhaskar: People say that now your leaders have no dedication of struggle on ground issues? Kataria: My life experience says that till 1990 we used to work for the country and for the party. After 90 we did progress, but after that our personal interest gradually became stronger. In a way, simplicity and purity were the greatest earnings of our life. The way we should have maintained it, we gradually declined. This type of decline continued in all the political parties of the country.
As much as the diligence was earlier, it is not today. We were ready to jump into the fire for the party. If the party used to say anything, there was no need to ask the family members, it was a commitment. When we used to go to the villages, people used to throw garbage, throw stones, run away from the village. But we never gave up. Because we believed that our thinking is right. We have composed this party for the country. Not to sit on the throne. For this, we always move forward with the enthusiasm and hard work of our dedicated workers. We would have lost the election, but our respect in the public was not reduced. People used to get love. He used to meet due to our character and dedication.
