Sanjay was Indira’s younger son. Unlike elder brother Rajiv, he was very active in politics. It is said that at one time Sanjay started taking all the decisions of Indira. The story is from before the Emergency. A news was published in The Washington Post. Simmons wrote this news quoting sources. It was claimed that Sanjay Gandhi had slapped mother Indira six times. This happened during a dinner party. This news spread like a wild fire. Other foreign media groups also ran it extensively. However, the veracity of this news was doubted. This could not be confirmed either.
Indira was asked about this incident
In 1977, David Frost of BBC asked Indira a question about this in an interview. Indira had also answered this. He had said that if he had been his father, he would have called it ‘fantastic nonsense’. No one slapped him. As far as Sanjay is concerned, he has not slapped anyone till date.
Simmons met Rajiv and Sonia after returning to India
When Simmons returned to India after the Emergency, he told that he met Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia over dinner. When someone told during that time that he was the author of ‘Thappad Maran Wali Story’, Rajeev smiled. At the same time, Sonia got a little angry. Lewis had left India during the Emergency.
How did the journalist break such a big news?
Simmons had told that he had given this news by quoting two sources. They knew each other. He was present in this party. One of them had come to his house a day before the Emergency was imposed. He told this story in conversation with Simmons and his wife. The second source confirmed it. This thing came to light when the discussion started on the relationship between Sanjay and Indira. Due to censorship, no Indian newspaper had written anything on this news.