Bihar govt removes reference to Indira Gandhi on official website after Congress protests

The Bihar government on Monday removed a reference to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's rule as "worse than British rule in India" on its official website after the Congress expressed strong displeasure.

The Congress, which is part of the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar, took up the issue with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, following which his office directed the concerned officials to remove the reference.

Bihar Congress president and education minister Ashok Choudhary had said the reference was "highly objectionable", IANS reported.

The reference has now been replaced with the following paragraph: "It was he (Jayaprakash Narayan) who led a movement that led to massive win of a non-Congress government - The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time. With the blessings of JP, Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India."

Below is the earlier version of the controversial excerpt:

"It was he (Jayaprakash Narayan) who steadfastly and staunchly opposed the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi and her younger son Sanjay Gandhi. Fearing people's reaction to his opposition, Indira Gandhi had him arrested on the eve of declaring National Emergency beginning June 26, 1975. He was put in the Tihar Jail, located near Delhi, where notorious criminals are jailed. Thus, in free India, this septuagenarian, who had fought for India's freedom alongside Indira Gandhi's father Jawaharlal Nehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had meted out to Gandhiji in Champaran in 1917, for his speaking out against oppression. The movement started by JP, however, brought the Emergency to an end, led to the massive defeat of Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party at the polls, and to the installation of a non-Congress government - The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time. With the blessings of JP, Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India. JP remained the Conscience of the Janata Party and of post-Gandhi-post-Nehru India. He gave a call to all Indians to work ceaselessly towards eliminating "dictatorship in favour of democracy" and bringing about "freedom from slavery"."

The Congress had joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal United (JD-U) to form the Grand Alliance during the Bihar assembly election in November 2015. The RJD emerged as the single largest party with 80 assembly seats, followed by the JD-U (71) and the Congress (27).