Emergency Horrors Still Haunt Many
Even after over four decades, the Emergency continues to be a fascinating subject for many authors especially those who suffered heavily during those dark days. An important event in the national capital to recall the Emergency’s horrors was the release of a noted 87-year-old lawyer Dr Janak Raj Jai’s 40th book, Emergency Excesses: A Daylight Robbery of Human Rights and JP the Saviour. Jai had remained in Tihar jail for 19 months during the Emergency. Interestingly, he had earlier worked on the personal staff of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and later Indira Gandhi. “My only fault was that I had written a letter to Indira Gandhi opposing the Emergency,” Jai told The Sunday Guardian. Fearing his arrest, he went underground, but when he came to know the police were harassing his wife and six children and threatening to seal his house in Shahdara, he surrendered. In jail, he had the company of many top erstwhile Jana Sangh and opposition leaders like Charan Singh, Sunder Singh Bhandari, O.P. Kohli and Arun Jaitley.
As Jai was the sole bread earner in the family, his school-going sons did all kinds of sundry jobs, including making paper bags to earn money. His wife somehow managed to continue the children’s education. Today, one daughter, Poonam A. Bamba is the District and Sessions Judge in Patiala courts. One son, Rajiv Jai, is a well known lawyer, member of the Indian Olympic Association’s Legal Committee and former president of the New Delhi District Bar Association. “To run the house kitchen, I used to make lifafe and sell them,” Rajiv Jai told this writer.
Janak Raj Jai’s fascinating book was released by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law and Justice, who, as a youth leader was associated with Jaya Prakash Narain in Bihar, and wasjailed during the Emergency. “The entire country was held hostage and MISA was the only law operating then,” the author said commenting that the Congress leaders have still not learnt the bitter lessons of the Emergency.
Attended by a huge crowd of advocates, the function was presided over by journalist Rajat Sharma, who, as a Delhi University Students’ Union leader, was also in Tihar during the Emergency. “I still remember those horrible days of police torture. I was just 17. I still have marks of police brutality on my body. I had seen the dramatic arrest of Arun Jaitley, the then DUSU president. Along with an ABVP colleague Vijay Goel (now Union Minister) we had started bringing out a cyclostyled underground newspaper. The police raided the premises of Sharma Typing College near DU and arrested us,” Sharma said.
DDCA Campaign At Anti-Emergency Event
Dr Janak Raj Jai’s anti-Emergency book release event became a canvassing ground to garner support for TV journalist Rajat Sharma’s foray into cricket. He was contesting the election for the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president’s post. The prestigious cricket body’s four-day polling ended on Saturday. Results are expected on Monday. Sharma told this writer that “I want to bring glory back to the DDCA, which has given world class players. I want to ensure that this process continues.”
On the dais with Sharma stood his election team member Vinod Tihara, who contested for the secretary’s post. Tihara is a former DDCA Convenor. Also on the stage were Lalit Bhanot, Vice President, Asian Athletics Association, and Rakesh Bansal, former DDCA patron. Along with well known lawyer Rajiv Jai, they made a strong appeal to make Sharma win with a huge margin.
Khali’s Wrestling Show in Himachal
The Great Khali is getting ready to organize a wrestling event in Mandi and Solan in Himachal Pradesh next week. 24 foreign wrestlers are expected to participate in the shows—4 July at Paddal Ground in Mandi and 7 July at Thoddo Ground in Solan.
Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as the Great Khali, is a resident of Shillai area in Sirmaur district. He is signed with the WWE and is an international celebrity.
The BJP government is finding it difficult to arrange funds for him as this sport, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), does not figure in the list of 42 games recognised by the Sports and Youth Service Department. Meanwhile, the government has decided to make Khali the brand ambassador of the state for promotion of sports.
The wrestling event is being organised by Khali’s company, Continental Wrestling Entertainment. It is likely to cost Rs 4 crore. Khali is expecting Rs 3 crore from the government. His request was discussed at a Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday but no decision was taken.
Muslim-Hindu Couple Worship Lord Shiva
A Muslim-Hindu couple worshipping Lord Shiva in an Uttarakhand temple a few days ago have become news. The couple from New Delhi performed puja at the famous Jageshwar temple in Almora. They were helped by priest Hemant Bhatt who is associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Govind Singh Kunjwal, former Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker, told The Sunday Guardian that “this is the first incident of its kind here.” Kunjwal, who is also an MLA from Jageshwar, however, remarked that “our temples are open to all.”
Bhagwan Bhatt, manager of the Jageshwar Temple Committee, later disclosed that the husband, Mukhtar Ali, works for the Rayja Sabha news channel. The couple had gone to shoot the world famous temples as part of their work assignment. “We learnt the husband’s identity only when he gave his name while making a Rs 500 donation after the puja. He was given a receipt.”
Ali’s wife, Mahima Sharma, told the temple authorities that they had been visiting temples, gurdwaras and churches often. “We pray for peace and for the good of humanity.”
‘Tejashwi who?’
Amid speculation about the possibility of Nitish Kumar returning to the “Grand Alliance” with Congress and RJD, JDU’s national secretary general, K.C. Tyagi made an interesting observation. Tejashwi Yadav had said that the RJD would not allow Nitish’s entry: “The doors of the Grand Alliance are closed for Nitish as he has proved to be a palturam (a turncoat).” To this, Tyagi described Tejashwi Yadav as a mohalla-chhap leader and said that JDU “did not require permission from such leaders to get entry into the UPA”. Tyagi asked, “Who is Tejashwi Yadav? What sort of authority he holds (in UPA)? Kya aukat hai unki?”
Don’t Touch My Feet: Punjab Minister
In Punjab, it is transfer season. The Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa is quite disturbed these days as he has been visited by an unending number of party workers and others coming to request him the transfer of officials to the places of their liking. Everyone knows that many pay “middlemen” to get the plum postings. So Bajwa has put up a public notice outside his office at the Secretariat in Chandigarh, requesting that people should not embarrass him by touching his feet. “I feel embarrassed when visitors touch my feet,” he said.