"The references to Indira Gandhi are totally unacceptable and we will raise the matter in the party and request the leadership to take up the issue with the chief minister,” state Congress leader Chandan Yadav said.
The Bihar government's official website has called former prime minister Indira Gandhi's tenure as PM worse than British rule in India, raising the hackles of the Congress party.
Here's the 'offending' part of the quote from the Bihar government's website, http://gov.bih.nic.in, in its 'Modern History' section:
Gandhiji, in his usual joking way, had commented that in Champaran he "found elephants just as common as bullock carts in (his native) Gujarat"!!
"It was natural, therefore, that many people from Bihar became leading participants in India's struggle for independence. Dr Rajendra Prasad has been mentioned above. Another was Jay Prakash Narayan, affectionately called JP. JP's substantial contribution to modern Indian history continued up until his death in 1979. It was he who steadfastly and staunchly opposed the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi and her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi. Fearing people's reaction to his opposition, Indira Gandhi had him arrested on the eve of declaring National Emergency beginning June 26, 1975. He was put in the Tihar Jail, located near Delhi, where notorious criminals are jailed. Thus, in Free India, this septuagenarian, who had fought for India's freedom alongside Indira Gandhi's father, Jawahar Lal Nehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had meted out to Gandhiji in Champaran in 1917, for his speaking out against oppression. The movement started by JP, however, brought the Emergency to an end, led to the massive defeat of Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party at the polls, and, to the installation of a non-Congress government -The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time. With the blessings of JP, Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India. JP remained the Conscience of the Janata Party and of post-Gandhi - post-Nehru India. He gave a call to all Indians to work ceaselessly towards eliminating "dictatorship in favour of democracy" and bringing about "freedom from slavery". Sadly, soon after attaining power, bickering began among the leaders of the Janata Party which led to the resignation of Shri Desai as the Prime Minister. JP continued with his call for 'total revolution' (sampporna kranti), but he succumbed to kidney failure at a hospital in Bombay in 1979."
However, the Congress has taken major exception to the above paragraph.
"The references to Indira Gandhi are totally unacceptable and we will raise the matter in the party and request the leadership to take up the issue with the chief minister,” state Congress leader Chandan Yadav said to HT.
"Indira Gandhi was a very popular leader and people in Bihar still remember her for empowering the downtrodden through the Belchi struggle and Garibi Hatao movement."
For their part, Bihar government officials and JD(U) members feigned ignorance about the content. "I am not aware of it. We will get it checked," said senior bureaucrat Pratyaya Amrit.
JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said the truth should be reflected. "I don’t remember what is there," he claimed.
A Hindustan Times report claims that the Congress party is going to take up the matter with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
The Bihar elections this year saw the victory of the Grand Alliance, comprising of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal United (JD-U). The Congress also performed its best in 25 years when it won 27 of the 40 seats it contested.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Indira Gandhi")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}