इन्दिरा गांधी और इमरजेंसी
पुलित्ज़र पुरुस्कार के विजेता लेविस म साइमन के कथनानुसार इन्दिरा गांधी इमरजेंसी के पक्ष में नहीं थी और वह सत्ता छोड़ने का मन बना चुकी थी परन्तु संजय गांधी उनके इस फैसले से सहमत नहीं थे। फिर जो कुछ हुआ उसके बारे में पत्रकार ने जो खुलासा किया वह इस प्रकार है। यह कहना की सोनिया और राहुल को इमरजेंसी के किये देश से माफ़ी मागनी चाहिये बल्कि इसके लिये मेनका और वरुण सीधे तौर पर ज़िम्मेदारी को स्वीकारते हुए देश से माफ़ी मागे जो राष्ट्रवादी का चोंगा पहन देश को गुमराह कर रहे है।
“Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lewis M Simons was the Washington Post correspondent in Delhi when the Emergency was imposed. His story claiming that Sanjay Gandhi father of Varun Gandhi slapped his mother Indira Gandhi at a dinner party
Q. You did a story in the Washington Post quoting an unnamed source who claimed that Sanjay Gandhi had slapped his mother, Indira Gandhi, six times at a dinner party. How long after the imposition of the Emergency did the incident happen, and what provoked Sanjay to slap her?
A. The slapping incident occurred at a private dinner party before the Emergency was imposed. As is common practice among journalists, I did not write about it immediately, but saved it for later use. I no longer recall whether I have such information as what may have provoked Sanjay. It has been 40 years and you did not give me any advance notice.”
Congress has generally been defensive on the Emergency, but this is the first time that the party has pinned the blame for it on Sanjay Gandhi - the all-powerful son of Indira Gandhi who is believed to have influenced the former prime minister to take the controversial decision in June 1975 after the Allahabad High Court set aside her Lok Sabha election.
