close

The Emergency's legacies

The authoritarian streak in Indian politics had been growing long before 1975 and its influence may have actually increased, the authors of an authoritative book on this seminal period suggest

Vir Sanghvi
Book cover
Premium

Book cover of India’s First Dictatorship: The Emergency, 1975-1977

First things first. There can be no doubt that this is the best and most comprehensive book on the Emergency. This will not surprise people who have followed the perceptive and intellectually rigorous work of Christophe Jaffrelot, who has now written India’s First Dictatorship with his former student Pratinav Anil.
Most of us with an interest in politics know the broad outlines of what went on during the Emergency. What is sometimes forgotten is that the phase left us with two lasting legacies. One of them was the acceptance of dynasty as a fact of life in most political parties. Indira Gandhi’s naked promotion of her loutish son Sanjay as her heir apparent set the template for what was to follow.
When Sanjay was killed in a plane crash, Mrs Gandhi simply replaced him with her other son. Political parties all over India followed her lead and turned into family businesses. Soon it was taken for granted that leaders were born (in
Or

Also Read

'Pranabda' as president

Shekhar Gupta: Why Modi is in retreat on farm laws

Retrospective restraint: Pranab's last memoir hides more than it tells

Modi-Shah's Ashwamedha Yagna with NDA almost complete

The angry Vishwaguru

The case of the 'Parsee' killer

An unapologetic activist

View from the corporate netherworld

The margins of a nation

How we're addicted to junk food

First Published: Mar 19 2021 | 11:06 PM IST

Explore News

To read the full story, subscribe to BS Premium now, at just Rs 249/ month.

Key stories on business-standard.com are available only to BS Premium subscribers. Already a BS Premium subscriber?LOGIN NOW

Register to read more on Business-Standard.com