Following the death of Prime MinisterLal Bahadur Shastri, Desai was a strong contender for the position of Prime Minister, only to be defeated byIndira Gandhi in 1966. He was appointed asMinister of Finance andDeputy Prime Minister in Indira Gandhi's cabinet, until 1969. When Indian National Congress split in 1969 he became a part of theINC (O). After thecontroversial emergency was lifted in 1977, the political parties of the opposition fought together against theINC (I), under the umbrella of theJanata Party, and won the1977 election. Desai was elected prime minister, and became the first non-Congress prime minister of India. Desai was the second and the last prime minister to have been born in the nineteenth century.
He is the oldest person to hold the office of prime minister in the history of Indian politics, at the age of 81.[2][3][4] He was also the first former deputy prime minister to occupy the primary post. He subsequently retired from all political posts, but continued to campaign for the Janata Party in1980. He was conferred with India's highest civilian honour, theBharat Ratna. He died at the age of 99 in 1995.
Desai underwent his primary schooling in The Kundla School (now called J.V. Modi school),Savarkundla and later joined Bai Ava Bai High School,Valsad. Desai resigned as deputy collector ofGodhra in May 1930 after being found guilty of going soft on Hindus during the riots of 1927–28 there.[8]
Desai then joined the freedom struggle underMahatma Gandhi and joined thecivil disobedience movement againstBritish rule in India. He spent many years in jail during thefreedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, he became a favourite among freedom-fighters and an important leader of theIndian National Congress in the Gujarat region. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of theBombay Presidency.
Before the independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and was later elected Chief Minister ofBombay state in 1952. It was a period when movements for linguistic states were on the rise, particularly in South India. Bombay was a bi-lingual state, home toGujarati-speaking andMarathi-speaking people. Since 1956, activist organisationSamyukta Maharashtra Samiti led a movement for a Marathi-speaking state ofMaharashtra. Desai was opposed to such movements, including theMahagujarat Movement led byIndulal Yagnik demanding a new state ofGujarat.[9] Desai proposed that the metropolitanMumbai be made a Union territory. His logic was that a separate development region would suit the city's cosmopolitan nature, with citizens from diverse settings across various linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds living there for generations. The movement led to violence across the city and state, and Desai ordered the police to open fire on theSamyukta Maharashtra Samiti demonstrators who had gathered atFlora Fountain. The protesters were led bySenapati Bapat. In the carnage that followed, 105 protesters were killed. The issue escalated and is believed to have forced the Central Government to agree to two separate states based on language. After the formation of the present State of Maharashtra, Bombay, nowMumbai, became its state capital. Flora Fountain was renamed "Hutatma Chowk" ("Martyrs' Square" in English) to honour the people killed in the firing. Later Desai moved to Delhi when he was inducted as finance Minister in the cabinet of Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.
Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies.
Rising in Congress leadership, as a fierce nationalist with anti-corruption leanings, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health failing, he was considered as a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister.
After Nehru's death in 1964, Desai was outflanked in the leadership contest by Nehru's protege,Lal Bahadur Shastri. Shastri invited Desai to join his short-lived cabinet, but Desai did not join.[10]In early 1966, Shastri passed away suddenly after only 18 months in power, and Desai again became a contender for the top position. However, he was defeated by Nehru's daughter,Indira Gandhi, in the Congress party leadership election by a big margin.[11]
Desai served as deputy prime minister and Finance Minister in the Indira Gandhi government until July 1969, when Gandhi took over the finance portfolio but asked Desai to stay on as deputy prime minister. However, to save his self-respect, Desai tendered his resignation from the Gandhi cabinet.[12][13] Gandhi also nationalised the fourteen largest banks in India at the same time. There was some difference of opinion between Gandhi and Desai related to Congress candidate for Presidency in India.[14]
When the Congress Party split in 1969, Desai joined theIndian National Congress (Organisation) faction of the party, whereas Gandhi formed a new faction called Indian National Congress (Requisitionists). Alternatively, the two factions of Desai and Gandhi were called Syndicate and Indicate respectively. Gandhi's faction won the1971 general elections in a landslide. Desai, however, was elected as a member of theLok Sabha. Desai went on indefinite hunger strike on 12 March 1975 to supportNav Nirman movement of Gujarat.[15]
In 1975, Gandhi wasconvicted of electoral fraud by the Allahabad High Court, after opponents alleged she had used government civil servants and equipment during the campaign for the 1971 general elections.[16] During the subsequentEmergency rule in 1975–77, Desai and other opposition leaders were jailed by the Gandhi government as part of a massive crackdown.[17]
The popular anti-corruption movement led byJayaprakash Narayan and the Janata-wave in 1977 led to the complete routing of the Congress party in Northern India, and a landslide victory for the opposition Janata alliance in the National elections held in March 1977. Desai was selected by the Janata alliance, laterJanata Party as their parliamentary leader, and thus became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.[18]
Desai (third from right, front row) with the US PresidentJimmy Carter during his January 1978 visit to India.Desai with the Romanian PresidentNicolae Ceauşescu inDelhi in May 1978.Desai and Carter in theOval Office in June 1978.Desai on Indian Postal Stamp 1996Desai on Indian Postal Stamp 1997
In January 1977, Indira Gandhi advised the President dissolve the Lok Sabha, which he did, and Gandhi declared that elections to the body were to be held during March 1977. Opposition leaders were also released and promptly formed the Janata alliance to fight the elections. The alliance registered a landslide victory in the election. On the urging ofJayaprakash Narayan, the Janata alliance selected Desai as their parliamentary leader and thus the Prime Minister.[18][19] He is the first indian former chief minister to become Prime Minister of Country.
Desai restored normal relations with China, for the first time sincethe 1962 war. He also communicated with the military ruler of Pakistan, GeneralZia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Despite his pacifist leanings, he refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty despite the threat of stopping supply of uranium for power plants by the USA Congress.[20]
Domestically, Desai played a crucial role in theIndian nuclear program after it was targeted by major nuclear powers after India conducted asurprise nuclear test in 1974. Desai kept India's nuclear reactors stating "they will never be used for atomic bombs, and I will see to it if I can help it".[21] Internationally, he reaffirmed India's stand that it would not manufacture nuclear weapons and would refrain from conducting even peaceful nuclear explosions.[22] In 1977, theCarter administration offered to sellheavy water anduranium to India for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal.[23]
Desai had described theResearch and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency, as thepraetorian guard ofIndira Gandhi and had promised to stop all activities of the R&AW after becoming prime minister. He closed down much of the agency, and reduced its budget and operations,[24] such as closing its Information Division.[25]B. Raman, the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of R&AW and noted security analyst, revealed that in an informal discussion, Desai indiscreetly told Pakistan'sChief Martial Law Administrator GeneralZia ul-Haq that his government was well aware of Pakistan'snuclear development.[26]
Intra-party squabbles and collapse of Janata government
His government undid manyamendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it more difficult for any future government to impose a national emergency. However, the Janata Party coalition was full of personal and policy friction and thus failed to achieve much, owing to continuous in-wrangling and much controversy.[27] With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, includingIndira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses worsened the fortunes of his administration.In 1979,Raj Narain andCharan Singh pulled out of the Janata Party, forcing Desai to resign from office and retire from politics. The chief reason for the collapse was the demand by the duo and other left-leaning members, likeMadhu Limaye,Krishan Kant, andGeorge Fernandes that no member of the Janata party could simultaneously be a member of an alternative social or political organisation. This attack on "dual membership" was directed specifically at members of the Janata Party who had been members of theJan Sangh, and continued to be members ofRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Jan Sangh's ideological parent.[28]
Desai campaigned for theJanata Party in1980 General Election as a senior politician but did not contest the election himself. In retirement, he lived inMumbai. When former FrenchPrime MinisterAntoine Pinay died on 13 December 1994, Desai became the world's oldest living former head of government. He was much honoured in his last years as a freedom-fighter of his generation. On his 99th birthday, he was visited by Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao, and soon after began to fall ill.[29] He was treated in a hospital in Mumbai due to low blood pressure and a chest infection. He died on 10 April 1995, aged 99, after he underwent surgery for a blood clot in his brain.[30]
Desai was a Gandhian follower, social worker, institution builder and a great reformer. He was the chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith. Even during his term as the prime minister he used to visit and stay at Vidyapith during the month of October. He lived simply and used to write post cards himself even when he held the office of Prime Minister. Sardar Patel deputed him to conduct meetings of farmers in Kaira district which finally led to the establishment of theAmul Cooperative movement. During his rule, he withdrew intervention inPublic Distribution System and rationing shops were literally lost due to cheap sugar and oil available in the market.
Desai married Gujraben in 1911, at the age of 15.[32] Gujraben lived to see her husband becoming prime minister. She died on 25 October 1981 at the age of 81.[33] Out of his five children, only three survived infancy. Desai's three surviving children were: his daughters Virumati, Indu and his son Kantilal.[34]
Virumati, who was married to Ramanlal Desai, died in early 2000s. Indu, a medical student died by suicide in 1953. Kantilal Desai, who was married to Padma Kirloskar, died in 2014.[34]
Desai has two grandsons, through his son Kantilal; Bharat Desai and Jagdeep Desai, and one granddaughter; Varsha Desai Naik. One of Desai's great-grandsons,Madhukeshwar Desai is currently the National Vice-President of theBharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of theBJP.[35] Madhukeshwar is married to Sneha Menon, a celebrity talkshow host. Of his great-granddaughters; Kalayani is a celebrity stylist and designer.
Desai's eldest great-grandson, Vishaal Desai is a film director and editor known for his documentary on the renowned yoga guruB.K.S. Iyengar, titledYogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar: Uniting Through Yoga.[36][37][38]
Morarji, an Indian television series about the life of Desai from his days as an independence activist till his tenure as prime minister, aired on the national public broadcasterDoordarshan'sDD National channel.[47] TheFilms Division of India madeFor Peace and Friendship, a 1978shortdocumentary film directed by C. Ramani about Desai's campaign for nuclear disarmament.[48]Govind Namdeo appeared as Desai in the 2019conspiracy thriller filmThe Gandhi Murder, by Karim Traïdia and Pankaj Sehgal, which explores a British abetment in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.[49]Avijit Dutt appears as Desai inMission Majnu.
^Shaffer, Ryan (2017). "Significant Distrust and Drastic Cuts: The Indian Government's Uneasy Relationship with Intelligence".International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence.30 (3):522–531.doi:10.1080/08850607.2017.1263529.S2CID157714194.
^Shaffer, Ryan (2018). "Indian intelligence revealed: an examination of operations, failures and transformations".Intelligence and National Security.32 (4):598–610.doi:10.1080/02684527.2017.1327135.S2CID157485301.
^Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne H. Rudolph,In Pursuit of Lakshmi: The Political Economy of the Indian State (1987), University of Chicago Press, pp 457–459.
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