Our sister [Indira Gandhi] doesn’t say anything right even by mistake. She will engage in wrong propaganda every day, just like brainwashing is done in communist conditions. If one wrong thing is done, a thousand lies are told and a thousand wrong things are said to cover it up. Then, an allegation is made against the opposition of committing violence. So, where is it? Tell me, where have bricks been thrown till date? If you cannot prove violence, then you say that preparations were being made for violence. If some other type of case had happened somewhere, then she would have started the case of that series. What was the need to impose an emergency in the whole country, and we people were imprisoned, without conducting any kind of investigation? You’ve got the President, the signatory. I don’t blame only Indira either. Those who raise their hands blindly in the 336-member parliament, their fault is no less than that of Indira ji. One M.L.A. represents two lakh people and one M.P. represents ten lakhs. I say again that going to commit violence, so why hasn’t any proof been given of that till today? We would have been shown this evidence by calling separately or shown it in the court. But to date it has not been shown.
Ramesh Srivastava: This exists/is available in the proceedings of the House. You believe in violence.
Chaudhary Charan Singh: Yes I do, but only as much as Shri Krishna ji used to. He told Duryodhana that if you do grave injustice to the Pandavas and do not give them even five villages, then war will become inevitable. In this context, please know the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in non-violence as a religion. Gandhiji had said that I want self-government through non-violence, only then will the India of my dreams be made. But if non-violence does not lead to Swaraj, then I will not hesitate to use violence, because I believe violence is better than slavery. Slavery is worse than violence.
(Interruption) …… What are you saying?
Chaudhary Charan Singh: I am right. This was the view of all Congressmen and Pandit Nehru, they did not believe. He considered non-violence not as a religion, but as a matter of law and policy. No one had said that violence would not happen under any circumstances. There may be such circumstances; there can be compulsions and needs, in which violence may have to be committed – this was the belief of almost everyone. This was said by Shri Krishna, Pandit Jawaharlal had said it, Mahatma Gandhi had said it and this is my point too. You keep 60 crore people as slaves, end their freedom and you want the country to tolerate all this. That I ask people to commit violence is not possible and I can’t even if I want to. But your understanding is that the steam will continue to accumulate in the boiler and nothing will happen—it will, it most certainly will, there will be an explosion, and the country will be doomed in flames.
I am saying this in your interest, in my interest, and in the interest of the country. Don’t give such a chance to anyone. There may be some youth or some party, which will not be able to tolerate for long this type of repression where you will take away their freedom forever. If Emergency has arrived in any country, then it hasn’t lasted there for more than a month. And here, it is expected to last for 17 and 18 months from what we hear the Prime Minister has replied to Acharya ji, that it is expected to last until November-December. Once you come to power, you don’t become the master and sovereign of the country forever. You are not everything that you can erase everything in the way you want. Gandhiji has resorted to non-violence, but not because of cowardice, if he comes to his words, violence can happen. He had said that if non-violence fails, I will ask the people to take up the sword for Swaraj. I consider his point to be justified. If it is illegal, I am ready to say it again and demand action against my crime. The people of my party were angry with me when I used to say that there is no place for satyagraha in any ‘democracy’. Even when I was in Congress, I had the same view that Satyagraha is a rebellion. Gandhiji was of the opinion for Satyagraha because we did not have weapons. Nowadays the government of every country is equipped with weapons, so there is no scope for violence. Democracy has come, if this democracy runs properly then no one needs Satyagraha. This is what our election manifesto used to say. This is what is written in it, this is what we have believed. In what context violence has been spoken about, you think about that. If you do not be honest in the election, be dishonest with courage, if it is complained about it is answered to go to the election petition, where the decision is taken in five years. Had I been courageous, I would have got investigated then. They could not enter the village and if by the grace of some officers got a majority of two hundred and fifteen, what should other men do? If you want to stay in power, at any cost whether through dishonesty, whether by spending crores of rupees, whether by using government means, or by distributing blankets and dhoti and if nothing else, then by declaring emergency; Yes, then I say that the opposition has the right to throw you out of power by any means possible. I say this intentionally. (Interruption)
Chaudhary Charan Singh: If you will talk illegitimately, will not believe in democracy and want to be/or stay in power always, then the opposition also has the right to use such tactics. Every day Indira ji says that the opposition has compliance with America. We are traitors, she says every day. Would want to know from Honourable Narayan Dutt Tiwari and everyone that to differ from you or to say that it is appropriate to keep relations with America and Europe or Russia or China in one’s and others’ interests. No one is our enemy or friend. You have probably heard something else about our friends of Socialist Party. Mine could be something else. But the question is that we have conspired with America against our country. Is there any proof of this? You shouldn’t say that if you don’t have proof. Indira ji says every day. Tell me where to go? What to do? What should the Opposition do? Your Prime Minister’s daily tactic is that we are in compliance with foreign countries. I want to know what you have to say.
On behalf of the government … George Fernandes’ letter is evidence to this allegation……
Chaudhary Charan Singh: This letter that you speak or talk about, then many organisations and government supporters get a lot of money from other countries, Narayan Dutt Tiwari ji will not deny this. Another thing, the charge that you have put on them, we too read in the newspaper, were in Delhi then. It was levied when you imposed emergency and in connection with the strike of railway employees which took place in the year 1974, why was not imposed at the same time?
Dharamveer: The situation came to the fore only when it was known.
Charan Singh: This is nonsense.
Dharamveer: This letter has been seized.
Charan Singh:– So what is the harm in getting it published?
Dharamveer: I will give you copies of the same and will also give it to your team.
Charan Singh: I do not understand what is my fault.
Chowdhary Charan Singh- Mr Vice President, I was telling why the emergency was implemented. The Prime Minister, many a time, has said that the opposition leaders have relations with other countries. Which means that we are the enemy of the country. I am saying that Indira ji has said this several times, thousands of times that the opposition leaders have relations with other countries. This is a charge. There can be no bigger a charge than this for a political man.
Charan Singh: I asked why was not presented earlier. The letter is from Fernandes sahib, so file a case against him, if punished we will condemn.
This is the law, the one who has no answer, they say that we are joined by enemies. Why don’t you try them in court? It is said about industrial production that it was very low in the pre-Emergency era, now it has increased. Well done, are we responsible for the disturbances caused by your incompetence? T.U.C. is probably the biggest union of workers, which is in the hands of your friend CPI. If there has been a strike, then your friends would have done it. Another organisation is I.T.U.C.
Bhikhalal: In these eight-nine months, production has increased in the country.
Charan Singh: When you want, it increases and when you want it decreases. The important public organisations of industrial workers are in your hands, not in the hands of the opposition parties, the incompetence is your own whereas the responsibility is of the opposition. You have 20 points, in which it is said that the opposition spread indiscipline in schools and hostels. It is possible that some people might spread, but the Congress people are no less. We had decided in the year 1970 that it is not proper to have Compulsory Students. The result was that although the boys were instigated by the Congress and those in the opposition, no bullet was fired or violence took place anywhere. It is possible that ten or twenty boys were arrested and most of the studies took place that year. I received many letters about the kind of education and peace in the schools, in which it was said that this much/amount of education was not done even in the last 20 years. Your leader [Kamalapati] Tripathi ji came [as the chief minister]. On the 5th, as soon as he came to power (governance), he withdrew that ordinance and then compulsory unions were formed. What happened as a result, the university burnt down. Till date there has never been such a big incident, but still the person who was responsible for it, (Shri Tripathi) got promoted. So, I want to know that if boys had fights, then who is responsible for this? When there was an effort from the government that there should be no unions, then there was an effort from your side that they should be. When I was in jail (in Delhi), there was a police officer (S.H.O.). He told me that whenever boys were arrested for burning buses or for bullying on university campuses, they were always told by Congress leaders not to prosecute them. File a complaint and release them after a few days, but we are blamed for the indiscipline caused.
An argument has also been given against us that we defamed the post of the Prime Minister. It has been said that we were not allowing the pride of the position to grow. We want her reputation to increase, but in democracy it is always the case that only your work begets reputation. Have we added to the reputation of Wilson sahib? He himself said that I have been Prime Minister for eight years, now I do not want to be Prime Minister any longer; but our sister gave an interview on television and said that my work is still pending. Because the work of the government is yet to be done. There is the country, there is the government, there will always be problems. That is why the country will always need Indira ji. I want to ask whether this will increase or decrease her reputation? I say that my reputation will not be reduced by the words of anyone, it will be reduced only by my misdeeds. Where are you taking the country? You want that there should be one party rule in the country and there should be no other party except Congress?
This is part of ThePrint’s Great Speeches series. It features speeches and debates that shaped modern India.