MYSURU: Former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), described the Emergency as a “nasty affair that nobody can deny.”
Speaking on ‘A Name Inherited, a Voice Earned: Walking the Delicate Path between Legacy and Self’ at the 9th edition of the Mysuru Literature Festival 2025 here on Saturday, Gandhi said Rajiv Gandhi had the courage to openly acknowledge his disapproval of the Emergency, something a few in his position would have dared.
“He said in Parliament that the Emergency should not have happened. I choose to remember the Emergency not only for what it was, but for the way it was resisted by people with tremendous guts. I don’t see the need to simply condemn everything Indira Gandhi did. What stands out is the silent, brave resistance across the country, people going to jail without fanfare. My brothers — Rajmohan and Ramaswamy -- attended a meeting at Raj Ghat with special permission.
When Kriplani rose to address the gathering, the police raided it, arresting everyone present, even those with no connection to the meeting, and put them in jail. My brothers were among those arrested but were released by evening on Indira Gandhi’s orders, knowing their detention would have international repercussions,” he said.
He praised the extraordinary courage of those who opposed the Emergency. “The Emergency can happen again, anywhere in the world. We need that same guts everywhere to speak out against authoritarianism and supremacism,” he said.
Gandhi also shared that three people who profoundly shaped his thinking and world view were classical singer M S Subbulakshmi, independence activist Jayaprakash Narayan, and his grandfather C Rajagopalachari.