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First Person Exclusive to Organiser BJP in coalitions PRACTICE AND PROBLEMS This column is about state and political stagecraft. Leaders who shape the social environment by their grassroot personal touch discuss their experience. By Bishwabhusan Harichandan The Congress had been the single largest party having absolute majority since Independence. It formed governments with absolute majority at the Centre and in different states and was the unchallenged political force in the country. In 1967 alone, in some states coalition governments were formed by the opposition parties including Bharatiya Jana Sangh. But that could not survive for long. Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which subsequently transformed into the BJP, worked hard with its disciplined organisation, and was able to challenge the Congress. In 1974, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made an attempt to throttle democracy and to have family dictatorship. In the first instance she targeted the judiciary and tried to curb its independence. She superseded three brilliant judges of the Supreme Court. The entire attempt was to strike at the independence of the judiciary and to make it subordinate the executive. There was a countrywide agitation by the advocates for upholding the dignity, prestige and independence of judiciary for the greater interest of the country and its democracy. In the High Court Bar Association of Orissa, an action committee was formed and I was elected as the chairman of the committee. We challenged this dictatorial action of Smt Indira Gandhi and had a historic march of the advocates with robes?from Orissa High Court to Revenshaw College, through the lanes of the historic Cuttack town?to arouse public opinion against the attack on the judiciary. There was a state-level lawyers? convention in which these actions had been challenged. Loknayak Jaya Prakash Narayan had started total revolution in the country and had given a clarion call to the people for restoring democracy and liberty of the citizens. Bharatiya Jana Sangh had given its whole-hearted support to this agitation and was in the forefront. Thereafter the historic judgment of Allahabad High Court was pronounced declaring Smt Gandhi to be guilty of corrupt practice in elections and prohibited her from contesting any elections for six years. There was a demand that Smt Gandhi should step down and somebody else should become the Prime Minister. Smt Gandhi was convinced that she would not continue as Prime Minister and had to step down on moral ground. But it was unfortunate that she wanted to continue as Prime Minister and promulgated Emergency in the whole country. Democracy had been throttled; liberty of the citizen such as Right to Freedom of Speech, Equality of Life and Liberty had been infringed. The entire country had been converted into a jail. On June 25, 1975, in the dead hour of night Jaya Prakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Atal Behari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, George Fernandes, Biju Patnaik and others had been arrested and sent to jail. Thereafter national-level and state-level political leaders and Sarvodaya activists had been detained in jail under MISA. I had been arrested on July 3, 1975 under MISA and detained in Cuttack Jail along with other leaders. People all over the country had lost their liberty during the dark days of Emergency and there was little hope that democracy would be restored. Pubic mind all over the country had been agitated against the dictatorial regime of Smt Gandhi and the opposition political parties faced this dictatorship with a brave face. After 19 long months of this dark period, Emergency had been lifted because Smt Gandhi thought to have become the unchallenged leader of the country and would sweep the election. With the blessings of Jaya Prakash Narayan Janata Party was formed with Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Congress Organisation, Socialist Party, CFD and a breakaway group of Congress headed by Shri Chandrasekhar. In the election to the Lok Sabha, Janata Party won with a thumping majority and both Smt Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi were defeated. Constitution was amended by the government headed by Morarji Desai so that no government could impose Emergency unless there is a state of war. There was restoration of democracy and all the rights, provided under the Constitution. That was a great revolution in the country, which was called the Second Struggle of Independence. Though that was a single party government under the blessings of Jaya Prakashjee, virtually that was a coalition government as four to five parties had joined hands and formed the Janata Party. From that day I have been fighting out this menace of the Congress party. Opposition parties formed coalitions on different occasions. The coalition government was also formed under the leadership of Shri V. P. Singh who became the PM, though the BJP was the single largest party. Thereafter, NDA was formed and the Congress with all its allies had been defeated and Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister. That was a 24-party coalition government and due to his extraordinary leadership, Shri Vajpayee was able to run the government very smoothly and provided the country the best sort of administration. All the democratic norms and values had been restored. The prestige of the country became sky high in the international field. Historic atomic test at Pokaran defied all the pressures of the big powers of the world like USA, Germany, England etc. and India became an atomic power. To his great statesmanship and diplomacy, Shri Vajpayee became almost an unchallenged hero in the international field. Inside the country several developmental measures and poverty-alleviation schemes had been taken up and India was marching towards a developed country status. A coalition government in Orissa was formed in 2000 with BJP and BJD and BJD having the majority Naveen Patnaik became the Chief Minister. People of Orissa who had been tortured by the Congress regime were fed up of its rampant corruption and they threw away the Congress in the election. This coalition government has given people of Orissa a clean, responsive and popular administration. There is almost a revolution in the field of industry as 60 MoUs have been signed with different industries. In the steel sector alone, 43 MoUs have been signed and big players of the world like Mittal and POSCO have signed their MoUs with government of Orissa. In 16 steel industries, production has also been started. The government was very much concerned about the displacement of the people in industrial areas and therefore had formulated the best rehabilitation policy of the country. Infrastructure development of the state is going on a very first pace. Road connectivity under different scheme like Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana is going on with all effectiveness. In another two-three years all the major villages of the state would be connected with good roads. A significant progress has also been made providing safe drinking water to the people and this year the government has planned to provide drinking water project to at least 1500 villages. Law and order situation is under control in spite of the Naxalite menace in eight districts of the state. There is marked development in the field of agriculture and irrigation. I am discussing all these matters to place before the House that we have been able to keep the Congress regime at bay and made this unique development in the state under this coalition government. The Congress is always posing threats to the liberty of the people and also development of the state. Through this coalition government, not only have we been able to have all sorts of development in Orissa, we have also protected the people from the corrupt regime of the Congress. Since this is a coalition government there is problems and on some occasions the workers of the party get frustrated. But keeping the greater interest of the people of Orissa we should work hard and find out ways to face problems and serve the people in the best possible manner. If you have determination, nobody can deprive you of your rights and privileges and wherever necessary the matter will be taken up in the co-ordination committee of both the parties on the highest level. In the interest of the state and the people of Orissa, we should have this coalition government, which has provided the best sort of administration to the people. (The writer is Industry and Law Minister, Orissa.)

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