The Congress is willing to be candid about its mistakes. 'History cannot be just goody goody. We have to deal with facts squarely,' said Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed on Wednesday.
Congress has denied reports that a new book on its history has blamed its late leader Sanjay Gandhi for the excesses during the Emergency, saying the then prime minister Indira Gandhi had herself expressed regret over some actions taken during the period.
The Congress is willing to be candid about its mistakes. “History cannot be just goody goody. We have to deal with facts squarely,” said Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed on Wednesday.
“There is nothing new that we have said about Sanjay Gandhi’s role. Everyone knows that there were some excesses, and Indiraji had expressed regrets about these during her lifetime. So what is the big deal?” he asked while asserting that the media is unnecessarily playing up the issue.
“Several news items have appeared projecting as if Congress was trying to demean Sanjay Gandhi. It is not true. In that book it is also mentioned that he (Sanjay Gandhi) was a leader of eminence and prominence,” Ahmed said.
In a recent publication, The Congress and the Making of the Indian Nation, Sanjay Gandhi has been described as “authoritarian”, and there are references to the excesses related to family planning measures and forcible sterilisation. The book was released on December 19 by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh during the party’s 83rd plenary session.
The critical references to Indira Gandhi’s second son who was in complete control during the Emergency days has raised eyebrows given the fact that party has a culture of complete deference to the Gandhi family.
The book’s narrative raises several questions about many other significant events from the past. The Congress spokesperson, however, ducked all these queries arguing that he had not had the time to read the entire book. “Frankly, I have read only those portions that have attracted critical attention in the media,” was his response.
The Congress has also brought out a fifth volume of its 100 year history from 1885-1985, and although it was formally released at the plenary session, the copies of this work have not been made available to the media. The first four volumes of this series were published in 1985 itself; the fourth volume is out of print. Party sources indicated that these volumes would be released soon.
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