As PM, Rajiv Gandhi was a man with a mission
Former Haryana Chief Minister
He would have been 77 years today (August 20). The accidental, reluctant and young Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, piloted the destiny of this country during the tumultuous years of the 1980s and shaped a new world order. His beginning was traumatic and his end tragic. He showed equanimity and dignity and infused a new confidence in this nation.
I was fortunate to have watched and worked with him closely. It may not be construed as extravagance to describe his disarming personality as a ‘knight sans peur et sans reproche’ (the knight without fear and beyond reproach) who had glamour, youth, energy, power, charm, courage, easy confidence, style, wit, fortitude, dignity and decency. In essence, he was charismatic as Kennedy and an idealist like Nehru. He was keen to be perceived as a break from the past. He symbolised a change in the arena of politics, economy and morality in public life, through consent and conciliation, participation and persuasion. He was a determined peacemaker and worked hard to put an end to agitations in Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Kashmir. Ironically, he fell victim to the violence, which he fought throughout his life like the Mahatma.
He spelt out his vision with the fervour that “India is an old country but a young nation; and like the young everywhere, we are impatient. I am impatient, and I too have a dream. I dream of an India —strong, independent, self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world in the service of mankind.” He exhorted the nation that “our task today is to bring India to the threshold of the 21st century, free of the burden of poverty which is the legacy of our colonial past and capable of meeting the rising inspirations of our people. This will require sustained efforts on our part.” He pursued his dream incessantly, undeterred and vigorously, He was the child of history and also a maker of history.
He firmly believed that “India would not hold together without democracy”. He did everything to save, strengthen and spread democratic systems, symbols and values in national life as a patriot and democrat. I vividly recollect the early nineties, when during the Meham byelection (infamously known as Mayhem of Meham), democracy was being trampled through brazen rigging, violence, blatant terror and intimidation by the then Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala who was seeking election to the Vidhan Sabha to retain his chief ministership. Rajiv Gandhi, along with young Rahul, visited the house of Anand Singh Dangi, an independent candidate, where three people were killed in police firing. I was with him throughout his visit. He stood solidly with the struggling people and dared the might of an arrogant tyrant. Consequent to his visit, Chautala had to resign on May 22, 1990. It is an irony of history that Rajiv Gandhi visited Meham on May 20, 1990, to fight violence exactly a year before his assassination on May 21, 1991.
I feel particularly privileged and grateful that Rajiv Gandhi chose me as a candidate in the Tenth Lok Sabha elections from Rohtak parliamentary constituency (Meham is one of its nine segments ) to oppose Devi Lal, the then Deputy Prime Minister, who was trounced not once but thrice in three consecutive elections. But alas! He was no more to see the results of the elections after which the Congress party formed the government in Haryana and at the Centre.
Rajiv Gandhi was convinced that peace and political stability are a sine qua non for progress and prosperity. Therefore, to check the malaise of political horse-trading (popularly known as Aaya Ram Gaya Ram) and to curb corruption and political opportunism, he got the 52nd Constitution Amendment Act, 1985 (commonly known as Anti-Defection Act) passed soon after taking over as prime minister. It provided for disqualification of an elected member of legislature on the grounds of defection to another political party. It was amended subsequently through the 91st Constitution Amendment Act, 2003. Though attempts are being made to circumvent the provisions of this law, yet the measure has succeeded to a large extent.
Rajiv Gandhi, through the 61st Constitution Amendment Act, reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years to encourage the participation of youth in the election process. Moved by the abject poverty in the rural areas of Kalahandi, Rajiv Gandhi famously said that of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reaches the intended beneficiary. He realised that the decentralisation of democracy and decided to revitalise the framework of the village-level Panchayati Raj Institutions by giving them constitutional status. He introduced the 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha in 1989 providing for local self-governance. It was passed by the Lok Sabha but negated by the Rajya Sabha. He did not leave it at that. He included the setting up of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Congress manifesto in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress government fulfilled its dream by enacting the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts which enjoins on the states to establish three-tier panchayats and municipalities in the rural and urban areas.
To achieve his declared aim of approaching the 21st century with a fair, just, peaceful and educated society, Rajiv Gandhi emphasised the education of the youth. He established the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 1985 to modernise and expand higher education programmes across the country. He conceived the concept of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), the free residential schools for providing excellent quality education, coupled with social justice, to the talented boys and girls in the rural areas. In the beginning, it was decided to open one JNV in each district. I proudly remember that the first Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in the country was opened in a village of Jhajjar district, a part of my parliamentary constituency. Unfortunately, no serious efforts were made to expand this scheme which has the potential to revolutionise rural Indian society.
Rajiv Gandhi left the imprint of modernity on this ancient country. He is widely and rightly acclaimed as the architect of digital India. The seeds of revolution in information technology and telecommunication sectors were planted by him. Several institutions, such as MTNL, BSNL and C-DOT, were established to spread the communication network through PCOs in far-flung rural areas of the country.
He launched several other institutions to liberate the mind, economy and culture of this country by shedding the sloth of centuries and infusing dynamism and energy into the youth. He changed India forever. His heart throbbed for India and he exhorted every Indian to proudly say ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’. Rajiv Gandhi’s memory is eternally etched in the minds and hearts of the people of India.
