Remembering anti-Emergency crusader George Fernandes
On the death anniversary of former Defence Minister George Fernandes, let us take a look at some of the rare photos of the anti-Emergency crusader.
Born in Mangalore in a Christian family in 1930, George Fernandes was a staunch anti-Congress leader who belonged to a rare bunch of political leaders who rose above caste, religious and regional identities to leave an indelible mark on Indian politics. (
He passed away at the age of 88, on January 29, 2019 following a prolonged illness. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and contracted swine flu. (Photo | EPS)
His tie-up with the BJP in mid 1990s was crucial in ending the saffron party's isolation in alliance politics as many 'secular' parties followed his cue and propelled it to power twice under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership. (Photo | EPS)
The socialist leader was India's defence minister in the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and he was the industry minister under the Jan Sangh government, which defeated Indira Gandhi in 1977. (Photo | EPS)
Fernandes entered the the electoral politics with a bang after he, as the Samyukta Socialist Party candidate, defeated seasoned Congress leader S K Patila in Bombay South constituency in 1967. (Photo | EPS)
An active trade unionist, he was involved in the railway strike in 1974, which disrupted train services across the country and invited a massive government crackdown. (Photo | EPS)
As the industries minister in the Janata Party government, his tenure was marked with multinational firms Coca Cola and IBM shutting down their Indian operations as he pushed hard government regulations. (Photo | EPS)
He became the defence minister in the Vajpayee government and it was under his tenure that the nuclear test in Pokhran was conducted in 1998 and India fought the Kargil war against Pakistan in 1999. (Photo | PTI)
With Alzheimer's disease afflicting him, he was out of the public eye for close to a decade as his family members nursed him at home. (Photo | PTI)
