Emergency twist: When Indira’s fiercest critic JP was fighting for life in hospital, Gandhi "quietly" did this, and it shocked everyone

In a little-known incident from the Emergency period, former prime minister Indira Gandhi quietly sent a donation of Rs 90,000 to help her strongest critic, Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), with his medical treatment. However, JP rejected the money and sent it back.

A new book, The Conscience Network: A Chronicle of Resistance to a Dictatorship by Sugata Srinivasaraju, reveals this surprising episode. At the time, JP’s health had worsened, and he needed a portable dialysis machine to survive after being diagnosed with kidney failure while in custody.

JP was arrested on June 26, 1975, just after the Emergency was declared, and spent five months in jail in Chandigarh. He was granted a 30-day parole in November that year.


As JP’s supporters tried to raise money for his medical treatment, it was decided that help from the government would not be accepted. Instead, his admirers planned to collect Rs 1 per person from the public. But the fundraising was slow, as many people were afraid of the government.

At this time, Indira Gandhi sent a cheque for Rs 90,000 as a contribution. But the donation shocked a group called Indians for Democracy (IFD), formed in the US by Indian citizens to protest the Emergency. They requested that the cheque be returned.

Anand Kumar, a member of the IFD, said, “We were clear that accepting the money would upset JP’s supporters. So we asked him to return it, and he did. At that time, money wasn’t coming in easily from within India.”

The IFD then launched a global campaign to raise Rs 5 lakh, around USD 65,000 at the time, and successfully collected the full amount.

In a letter dated June 11, 1976, JP explained why he returned the donation. He wrote, “I assumed the money was from your personal account and not from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. By the time your cheque arrived, over three lakh rupees had already been collected.”

He added, “I hope you won’t misunderstand me. I’m not being ungrateful or rude. I appreciate your concern for my health.”

The Conscience Network will be officially released on June 25, marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. It highlights the efforts of Indian activists abroad during the Emergency and how they influenced global opinion.

The Emergency, declared by Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, lasted until March 21, 1977. It was announced shortly after the Supreme Court stayed a ruling that had invalidated her election to the Lok Sabha.

Inputs from PTI