Rajiv Gandhi, The Prime Minister continues....

The Prime Minister of India needs to have a mind free of prejudices of any kind – be it caste, religion, community, state, region, class, or gender.

For reasons that are difficult to comprehend, democratic political process

in free India often fails to throw up leadership that approximates this

benchmark. It, therefore, becomes a Herculean task to address problems and challenges thrown up by the political process, which draws nourishment from the sectarian concerns of people. Rajiv Gandhi’s instincts were liberal, secular and humane. Despite the enormous personal loss he had suffered, he did not lose his perspective on the problem of terrorism in Punjab which in the ultimate analysis was the product of sectarian politics. He could look at things with a sense of detachment – detachment from the pulls of caste, religion, region and so on. The gargantuan problems India faced did not intimidate him.

He was ever conscious of the unique history of India, its plurality, the secular temperament of its people and their magnificent cultural achievements. “It is a great privilege to be born in India and to be heir to its great civilization,” he said after being sworn in as Prime Minister on 31 December 1984 after the historic general elections.

It was natural for Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to think about a fresh mandate from the people as the five-year term of the Government was ending in January 1985. On 11 November 1984 he told the nation through a televised address that elections would be held soon.

The nation welcomed the decision of the Prime Minister to seek a fresh mandate, especially because there were rumours in some quarters that elections might be postponed because of the unsettled conditions. All such rumours were set to rest and the country slowly got into the election mood. On 16 November, the dates of polling were announced by the

Election Commission – 24, 27 and 28 December.

To be continued........