highlights
Stand with Janata Party against emergency
Seeing the condition of Janata Party, he formed his own party.
Dev Anand’s party could not contest the elections
Dev Anand, the evergreen actor of Hindi films, also entered politics with full enthusiasm. He formed a formal party and held a massive public meeting in Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Party manifesto also released. The threat of the crowd that gathered at this public meeting in then Bombay (now Mumbai) reached Delhi. It is said that after seeing the power of the public meeting, Indira Gandhi also sent a message to them to work together. But those who follow their own path Dev Anand vehemently rejected his proposal. He had clearly said at that time, “There is no question of joining hands with an autocratic leader.”
Government media banned during emergency
Dev Anand, who stole the hearts of girls and women with just his glance, had hoped that when MGR i.e. M.G. Ramachandran If they can be successful in politics then why not them? However, it was also important that Dev Anand had taken the step towards politics in his own whimsical reaction. First of all, he was requested to say a few words of praise about Sanjay Gandhi and his group. Dev Anand immediately rejected it. This step of the temperamental artist was very distasteful to the government of that time. During the Emergency, his films and songs were banned in the government media. TV stopped playing his movies and songs. What happened due to this was that Dev Anand naturally turned towards the Janata Party.
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Ram Jethmalani’s invitation from Janata Party
In 1977, renowned lawyer Ramjethmalani invited Dev Anand to join the Janata Party. After much deliberation, he finally gave his consent to campaign in favor of the Janata Party. Shared the stage with Janata Party leaders. Also gave some speeches. But within two and a half years, Morarji Desai had to step down and Charan Singh became the Prime Minister with the support of Congress, he was shocked. It is said that from here he came up with the idea of forming his own party to teach the leaders a lesson.
Dev Anand had imagined the ideal society
His objective was to establish an egalitarian society. What this artist, who made films based on his own health, has written in his autobiography clearly reflects his thoughts. He writes, “A huge leap is needed to connect ancient civilization with modern India. How would it be if all the villages were transformed into small cities equipped with electricity and water facilities… How would it be if everyone was taught English… And if farmers, labourers, porters and people of the elite class could maintain harmony while traveling in cars. How would it be if we are seen waving hands towards each other with emotion? “This is a visionary vision of an ideal society, and if I enter politics, I would like to fulfill it.”
Complete launch could not take place
Journalist Rashid Kidwai Has written in his book ‘Leaders, Politicians, Citizens: 50 personalities who influenced Indian politics’, “Among his supporters was Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, sister of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Although he refused to contest the elections. Nani Palkhiwala, another strong supporter of Dev Anand, also refused to enter electoral politics. Moreover, despite assurances from some wealthy people, there seemed to be no possibility of donations being received. Not only this, finding candidates for more than 500 Lok Sabha seats was also proving difficult. In the words of Dev Anand, “The inertia that gradually appeared among the people who had shown enthusiasm in the beginning cooled my enthusiasm… and this became the reason for the end of the (National) Party. “It was a very good idea, which was destroyed in its early stages.”
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Tags: 2024 Loksabha Election, Dev Anand
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 17, 2024, 15:38 IST