After the Emergency, when the Lok Sabha elections were held in 1977, Indira Gandhi had to face a huge defeat. Her son Sanjay Gandhi also lost the election from Amethi. A non-Congress government was formed under the leadership of Janata Party and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Indira Gandhi felt that Morarji Desai’s government would now take revenge on her and her family. She could be put in jail. Therefore, she started trying to gather public support in her favour. In this difficult time, Indira Gandhi remembered an old friend of hers. She was Teji Bachchan.
The friendship between Gandhi and Bachchan family started from ‘Anand Bhavan’ in Allahabad. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was close to Jawaharlal Nehru. So there was a deep friendship between his wife Teji Bachchan and Indira Gandhi. When both the families came to Delhi, a similar friendship developed between the next generation. Amitabh Bachchan and his brother Ajitabh became close friends with Indira Gandhi’s sons Rajiv and Sanjay. When Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi returned to Delhi from Doon School during vacations, they could not live without Bunty (Ajitabh Bachchan) and Amitabh even for a moment. All four of them used to play together in the lawn of Teen Murti Bhavan.
What reply did the friend give to Indira Gandhi?
After the Emergency, Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi decided to hold a public meeting. Sanjay Gandhi asked his mother Indira to talk to Teji Bachchan and ask her to come to the public meeting. The presence of the Bachchan family on the stage will further increase people’s confidence. Sanjay Gandhi was sure that Teji Bachchan would say yes if Indira asked her just once, but the answer he got later became the reason for a rift in the relationship between the two families.
Senior journalist Rashid Kidwai in his book ‘Neta-Actor: Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics’ writes quoting Sanjay Gandhi’s son Varun Gandhi that after the Emergency, Indira Gandhi lost power and the Janata Party came to power, then the Gandhi family held a public meeting. It was decided to invite the Bachchan family to it. However, Teji Bachchan refused to come to that public meeting saying that it would have a bad effect on her son Amitabh’s film career.
How did Indira Gandhi take revenge?
Rashid Kidwai writes that this shocked the Gandhi family. Indira Gandhi had never expected such a response from her friend Teji. Indira Gandhi took revenge for this in a way in the year 1980. She sent Nargis to the Rajya Sabha, sidelining Teji Bachchan.
Also read- The story of that marriage which broke the relationship between Gandhi and Bachchan family; Sonia was hurt by that thing
What warning was given regarding Amitabh?
After Indira Gandhi’s death, Amitabh entered politics at Rajiv’s behest. Although Indira Gandhi was alive, she never wanted Amitabh to enter politics. She had also warned her son Rajiv about this. Congress leader Makhanlal Fotedar writes in his memoirs that on one occasion Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Arun and I were discussing the Lok Sabha elections. During this time, Indira Gandhi turned towards Rajiv.
She told him to always keep two things in mind. First, never bring Teji Bachchan’s son Amitabh into electoral politics and second, maintain arm’s length distance from former Maharaja of Gwalior Madhavrao Scindia. Rajiv Gandhi did not believe his mother’s words. He kept listening silently, but did not give any answer.
Tags: Amitabh Bachchan, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 13, 2024, 15:48 IST
