Forty years ago, on October 31, 1984, India saw a sudden change of guard—Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister within four-and-a-half hours of the official announcement of the assassination of Indira Gandhi. In 1964 and 1966, when the premiership changed following the death of a predecessor, new incumbents were sworn in after a 13-day mourning period. But things were different in 1984. Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri had died due to natural causes; Indira Gandhi had fallen to the bullets of assassins, her own bodyguards.

The planners of the assassination had chosen a perfect day: President Zail Singh was on a visit abroad; Cabinet Secretary Krishnaswamy Raosahib and the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, P.C.Alexander, were in Bombay for a meeting of the Atomic Energy Commission; Pranab Mukherjee, the designated number-two in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, was in West Bengal, accompanying All India Congress Committee general secretary Rajiv Gandhi on a tour of rural areas; Home Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao was visiting coastal Andhra; the Congress Working President, Kamlapati Tripathi, was touring Uttar Pradesh; Defence Minister Shankarrao Chavan was in Moscow, leading a delegation of Army and Air Force top brass; Naval chief Admiral Dawson was in Vishakhapatnam; and top intelligence advisor, Ram Nath Kao, was abroad.

Dark Days

Thanks to the resilience of India’s democracy, chaos was avoided and a smooth transition of power ensued, though it was blotted by the bloodshed of anti-Sikh riots, for which ultra-enthusiasts of the ruling party were blamed (some are facing trial to date). It was a macabre period—apparently, voters’ lists and ration card addresses had been used to identify Sikh homes for the pogrom. Indira Gandhi’s assassination was an aftermath of Operation Bluestar, in which the Army flushed out terrorists by attacking Amritsar’s Golden Temple complex. She was killed by Sikh bodyguards in her home, 1 Safdarjung Road.

Both norm and form were bypassed on that fateful day. It set in motion a departure from the observance of custom and ushered in an era of ad hoc, off-the-cuff decision-making in the Congress, in which the long shadow of bureaucracy and advisors (read: family, friends) over seasoned political leadership was all too evident. Palace intrigues were not new to the Grand Old Party. But in 1984, it was endorsed and institutionalised. Pigmies began dwarfing stalwarts.

Constitution And ‘Acting PM’

In 1964 and 1967, the charge of interim Prime Minister fell on the shoulders of Home Minister Gulzari Lal Nanda. India has no Constitutional provision for having an ‘acting Prime Minister’. Yet, Nanda was sworn in, ultimately demitting office after the next Prime Minister was formally chosen by the Congress Party in Parliament (CPP). Party president K. Kamraj orchestrated the candidatures of Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Indira Gandhi in 1966. On both occasions, conservative right-wing leader Morarji Desai lost out—he would become the Janata Party Prime Minister in 1977.

In 1984, Indira Gandhi herself was Congress President. She had appointed Kamlapati Tripathi as the Working President. On the day of her assassination, he was on tour. Thus, unlike in 1964 and 1966, there was no “Kamraj” available in New Delhi. On both of those previous occasions, President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to mentor and monitor succession. In 1984, Gyani Zail Singh was on a visit to Yemen (he rushed back upon hearing the news).

The Announcement Of Gandhi’s Death

As Indira Gandhi’s bullet-ridden body lay at the All-India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS), a conference room was opened up for ministers and senior bureaucrats. Indira Gandhi’s longtime aide, R.K. Dhawan, was also there, but the eclipsing of his status was all too evident. The advisor in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Vijay Shankar Tripathi, a retired IAS officer, acting in tandem with Rajiv Gandhi’s buddies, called the shots. He advised Principal Information Officer U.C. Tiwari to ensure that the news was not officially announced by Akashvani till 6 pm, though doctors had announced her death at 2.20 pm. Information minister H.K.L. Bhagat was kept out of the loop too.

The news had been broadcast by BBC London around 11 am, soon after the Indira Gandhi family’s yoga teacher, Dhirendra Brahmachari, came out of the eighth-floor operation theatre, where Gandhi’s body lay, and said with a strange wave of the hand “ab sab Bhagwan ke haath mein hai” (now it’s in the hands of the Almighty).

Following the BBC broadcast, most Indian missions abroad had lowered the national flag to half-mast. US President Ronald Reagan’s condolences reached New Delhi at 2 pm (even before the medical bulletin). However, as per Tripathi’s diktat, Indira Gandhi was ‘officially alive’ till 6 pm. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in at 6.55 pm.

Rajiv Gandhi had heard the news put out by BBC that forenoon on a transistor radio in a village in Midnapore district. Pranab Mukherjee was by his side. He decided to rush back to Delhi. A special Indian Airlines flight was arranged from Calcutta. Mukherjee and another minister, A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhary, accompanied him. He reached AIIMS at 3.40 pm.

How Rajiv Gandhi Became PM

Rajiv Gandhi was of the opinion that a senior minister should hold the fort till things were finalised by the CPP. But this was not to be, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Buta Singh, AICC treasurer Sitaram Kesari, Arun Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi’s school friend and aide, Arun Singh, were on the same page as V.S. Tripathi; a signature campaign endorsing Rajiv Gandhi was already on. The Youth Congress had announced that if anyone else was sworn in, “there would be trouble”.

President Zail Singh arrived at AIIMS at 5 pm. His motorcade had been pelted with stones as he drove from the Palam airport (anti-Sikh riots had engulfed the nation). During a conversation he had with this writer in August 1985, Singh recalled the day’s events thus: on learning that Indira Gandhi had been shot, he decided to return from Yemen. He asked his Secretary, IAS officer A.C. Bandopadhyay, to get a copy of the Constitution from the local Embassy. On board the IAF special aircraft, the President enquired about Rajiv Gandhi’s whereabouts. IAF security advised that as the flight was traversing airspace adjacent to Pakistan, only radio traffic related to flight logistics was advisable; the President’s mind should not be disclosed.

Honouring Indira Gandhi’s ‘Wish’

“After studying the Constitution, I realised that though the President is bound by aid and advice of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister, he has one independent, unfettered power: to choose who ought to be the Prime Minister and swear him in,” Singh added. He said he owed his position to Indira Gandhi and wished to fulfil her wish that her son should be her successor. On reaching AIIMS, he put his arm around Rajiv Gandhi’s shoulders and invited him to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The selection of Rajiv Gandhi was done during a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Board (CPB),  an organisational apex body, and not by CPP, the parliamentary wing. Of the five-member CPB, only two people—Pranab Mukherjee and P.V. Narasimha Rao—attended. Kamlapati Tripathi and Margatham Chandrashekhar were not in Delhi. The decision of the CPB was conveyed to the President in a handwritten note signed by the AICC General Secretary (Organisation), G.Karuppiah Moopanar (as a protégé of Kamraj, Moopanar had witnessed 1964 and 1966 successions from the sidelines).

As Rajiv Gandhi was being sworn in at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar Hall, a meeting of the CPP was being held in Parliament’s Central Hall. It was presided by its deputy leader, Prof. N.G. Ranga, who was oblivious to the developments in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thirty members attended. A condolence resolution was adopted. The CPP’s endorsement was post facto: on November 2, a resolution was passed with 497 out of 505 votes (eight MPs were absent) ‘electing’ the new Prime Minister.

Thus, a new era began. Endorsement of leadership, and not election, became the norm. Rajiv Gandhi won the ensuing General Election by a record score, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. 
Five years later, beginning 1989, Congress stopped getting a Lok Sabha majority on its own. The Bharatiya Janata Party, born on April 6, 1980, contested its first election on the lotus symbol in 1984, winning a mere two seats. Decades later, in 2014, it would emerge as India’s party of governance with a clear mandate. 

(Shubhabrata Bhattacharya is a retired editor and a public affairs commentator)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

The Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges between the treasury benches and the opposition during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. The claims, counterclaims, and interjections all point towards a confrontational atmosphere in the 18th Lok Sabha, perhaps shaped by changes in its composition.

From 2019 to 2024, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and friendly parties held a significant lead of around 300 MPs over the INDIA bloc and opposition. However, this session saw the margin narrowing to just 60 MPs. The verbal sparring between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi turned acrimonious and personal, reflecting the recently concluded election campaign dynamics and entrenched positions.

Both Congress And BJP Remain Steadfast

While the Congress aims to sustain momentum, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains resolute not to concede further ground. The shift in strength, allocation of time for parties, and the calibre of speakers on both sides will significantly influence proceedings over the next five years. During the recent Motion of Thanks debate, Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, spoke for nearly an hour and 40 minutes out of the allotted 16 hours – roughly 15% of the total time allotted to the opposition.

Time allocations are based on Lok Sabha strength. During the No Confidence Motion of August 2023, the BJP received around 45% of the time, while the Congress’ share was just 18% With the BJP’s friendly parties (the Biju Janata Dal, the YSR Congress Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party) losing ground in recent elections, their allocation has shifted notably to opposition parties.

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Some prominent speakers from the treasury benches, such as Smriti Irani, were notably absent. Conversely, the presence of parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP) has bolstered the opposition, particularly with effective speakers in fluent Hindi. Akhilesh Yadav’s speech, noted for its sarcasm without overt anger, followed Rahul’s assertive tone.

Rahul’s Performance As LoP

During Monday’s session, Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, highlighting issues including inflation, unemployment, NEET, Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, the Agniveer scheme, and Hindutva, aiming to put the government on the defensive. Top ministers, including the Prime Minister, intervened during Rahul’s speech.

While Rahul addressed critical issues, some noted the absence of specific data and figures in his speech. There is already an ongoing debate over Rahul’s performance in his role as Leader of the Opposition, with supporters arguing his assertiveness marks a significant political presence that cannot be ignored.

Not new to controversy, Rahul made a reference to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating, that those who called themselves Hindu only talked about violence, hatred, and untruth. PM Modi rebutted instantly.

Also Read | “Every MP’s Right”: Rahul Gandhi Questions Expunging Of Parts Of Speech

References in Rahul’s speech to to Hinduism and violence, two prominent industrialists, the Agnipath scheme, and NEET, were expunged. The LoP subsequently wrote to the Speaker questioning the decision and demanding the restoration of his remarks in parliamentary records.

Modi’s Address

On Tuesday, PM Modi delivered the concluding remarks on the Motion of Thanks in the Lok Sabha. His speech, lasting around 2.5 hours, was a scathing attack on the Congress and Rahul. Throughout his address, the opposition shouted slogans, prompting Modi to use headphones to counter the noise. Despite the interruptions, Modi’s speech, though not entirely audible, gave enough hints of the things to come in the next five years.

Modi criticised the opposition’s maturity level, noting that while the treasury benches listened to Rahul’s speech with interjections rather than shouting slogans, the opposition did not afford the same respect to the Prime Minister. Expressing displeasure at the sloganeering, Modi referred to Rahul as “balak buddhi” (childish) and mocked how a party celebrating 99 out of 543 seats was acting as if it had won 99 out of 100. He criticised the Congress party’s promise of transferring Rs. 1 lakh to women’s bank accounts, highlighting the public’s scepticism about similar promises made earlier.

Modi accused Rahul of resorting to drama to garner sympathy, pointing out his bail status in alleged financial misconduct.

Overall, the debate was disappointing for both the opposition and the ruling party. BJP leaders neglected discussion around their agenda for the next five years, while the opposition failed to engage in constructive criticism and effectively address issues like NEET. Both sides instead resorted to mudslinging, seemingly forgetting that the elections were over.

The session’s outcome suggests the potential for more disruptions and chaos in Parliament. Both sides must reconcile with the electoral mandate and strive for a fresh start in the upcoming Budget session.

(Amitabh Tiwari is a political strategist and commentator. In his earlier avatar, he was a corporate and investment banker.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

New York:

Diwali is a reminder for all to push away darkness and usher in light, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said, calling on people to embrace the spirit of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, and Mahatma Gandhi and be better human beings.

In his remarks at the annual Diwali celebration hosted at his New York residence, Gracie Mansion, on Tuesday, Adams asked people to embrace the endeavor to remove the darkness engulfing the world, which is witnessing the loss of innocent lives.

“Diwali is more than just a holiday. It is a reminder to all of us that we must push away the darkness wherever we see it and bring light. That is what the Festival of Lights is about,” Adams said.

At the annual celebration attended by hundreds of prominent members of the Indian-American and South Asian communities, as well as diaspora from other nationalities and government officials, Adams said that Diwali is more than lighting a candle or oil but about “lighting up our lives”.

We’re gearing up for the Festival of Lights! Join us LIVE at Gracie Mansion for our annual Diwali celebration with our Hindu New Yorkers: https://t.co/y6NnRxIDOM

— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) October 17, 2023

“There is so much darkness that we are seeing every day. So if we truly believe in the life of Ramayana, if we truly believe in the life of Sita, if we truly believe in the life of Gandhi, then we must continue Gandhi’s steps. We cannot only be worshippers; we must be practitioners,” he said.

Adams said that at a time when there is darkness all across the globe and the world is witnessing the loss of innocent lives, “we cannot continue to watch this engulf our future and engulf humanity.”

“Let’s be better human beings. Let’s live in the spirit of Diwali. Let’s live in the spirit of Gandhi. Let’s live in the spirit of Sita. Let’s live in the spirit of Ram, and then we will live up to the expectations of what this holiday really means,” he said.

New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, who led efforts to make Diwali a school holiday in New York City, said that the Indian-American community has never been as powerful as it is now.

“We are unstoppable, and we have arrived at the table of power in this state,” she said.

She added that with everything going on in the world, in the Middle East, where there is terrible violence, and amid the hatred and bigotry against different groups, “we are the ones that can lead the way to peace.

“Ours is the culture of Martin Luther King Jr, who was famously inspired by Gandhi,” Rajkumar said.

“We feel equally at home in a synagogue, in a mosque, or in a church because, as Hindus, we don’t just tolerate people that are different from us; we go one step further and actively love people that are different from us,” she said.

“So now it’s time to spread our beautiful Dharmic light across the city, the nation, the Middle East, and the entire world,” she added.

Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, urged people to spread love and peace in their communities and worldwide, emphasising that hate has no place in New York City or anywhere else.

Chauhan recalled the hard work and efforts of Indian-American community members and city and state officials over the last 20 years to make Diwali a public holiday in NYC schools.

He said that as Brooklyn Borough President, Adams had promised that when he became NYC Mayor, he would ensure that the sons and daughters of the Indian-American and Hindu communities do not have to go to school on the festival of Diwali.

“He has fulfilled his promise,” Chauhan said.

Rajkumar, too, underscored the support extended by Adams to ensure that Diwali is made a school holiday in the city from this year onwards and said, “He is the Ram of New York City. Like Ram, he leads when others do not, and he leads our city in confronting the evils” of poverty, hatred, antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and indifference.

“For all that he has done for our community, we all call him the Hindu mayor,” she said.

Adams said that Lord Ram was the power and force against evil, and he pushed to rid the entire globe of darkness.

He added that another significant part of the story of the Ramayana is Goddess Sita, a woman of strength and integrity.

“So as we move forward in a particularly male-dominated society, let’s not forget that we will never be able to defeat darkness if we do not acknowledge all the Sitas that are in the universe fighting on behalf of and side by side with us,” he said.

The mayor also recalled his trip to India, his visit to the home of Gandhi, and seeing the Mahatma’s steps permanently etched there.

“It is symbolic that a bullet took his life, but it is up to us to continue the journey,” Adams said.

On the occasion, the Mayor also honoured prominent members of the Indian-American and diaspora community for their achievements and exceptional contributions to the community.

The honourees were Grammy-nominated musician and renowned business leader Chandrika Tandon; geriatric psychiatrist and Executive Director of India Home, a centre for senior care, Dr Vasundhara Kalasapudi; Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Chairman Nirmal Mattoo; Dr Hari Shukla; and musician Ustad Kamal Sabri.