New Delhi, India
Race Course Road
Presidential Palace
January 5, 1985 7:30 am
Rajiv Gandhi dressed in denim jeans and a bright red t-shirt was eating breakfast when his mother emerged through the door and dropped a file on his lap
What do you think? she asked pulling up a chair and pouring herself some coffee
He glanced at it Your speech to Parliament? he questioned
She nodded Yes Im making a address,
Flipping through it he glanced up Thats one hell of a thing to say, no other Indian Prime Minister would have been seen dead saying this.
Thats because all the other Indian Prime Ministers were bigots and fools who lead us down the path of our own destruction she replied hotly
Agreed he said
Indhira Gandhi got up and glanced at her watch Is there any chance you could spare the morning for your mother? she asked
He frowned You want me to come to the zoo with you?
She raised an eyebrow If thats what you call the Lok Sabha, the debating chamber of the worlds second largest democracy, than yes.
Dressed like this? he asked motioning to his clothes
She shrugged Most of my Cabinet and Staff dress like you
All right then he said getting up
Indhira opened the door and they walked into the library where the walls shimmered with different hues of sunlight. Beyond the library was a small ante-room and outside the door were the public areas of her residence. Two bodyguards snapped to attention. A servant opened the double doors to the hallway where Indhiras secretary jumped up from a chair. Another servant opened the front door and two more bodyguards stood by the doors on each side of the black limousine that stood in the driveway.
The specially built vehicle had a bulletproof chassis and glass, with communication aerials embedded in the back window for both radio and satellite telephone which had been a recent addition after Indias launch of communication satellites. The number plates were changed daily to confuse attackers and the entire vehicle was NBC proof.
Her secretary followed in a replica black limousine. Three security cars pulled out with them, an ambulance directly behind with a vehicle following to scan against missile attacks. Special forces vehicles were at the front and back of the convoy.
This is the country I am going to change said Indhira tapping the thick glass of the windows that didnt open looking out onto the city as they passed by.
Only if you win the next election reminded Rajiv After the fiasco with trying to make the entire country secular you popularity rating has dropped maybe you should law off some of your more radical reforms for now?
She snorted I will continue to do what is best for the country regardless if the conservatives agree with me or not.
The conservatives represent a large percentage of the population, he reminded And the businessmen arent to fond of you either not after the creation of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission
As I said, she replied, I will continue to do what is best for the country. In the end the voters will decide whether they want me to continue or not.
They both fell silent as the cars passed the pink Rajasthan sandstone of India Gate; the winter sun caught the majestic government buildings making them shimmer. Freshly mown grass stretched out on both sides of the road, which rose and fell like a sweep of land carrying with it armadas of motorcycles, the popular hydrogen cars, bicycles and the movement of people through the heart of the great city.
The Prime Ministers car turned left towards the imposing circular building of the Indian Parliament, the seat of the worlds second biggest democracy. The convoy was waved through the security cordon and the gate in the sandstone wall of the Parliament House estate where it pulled up outside the vast circular building.
The Prime Minister got out of the right hand door and Rajiv out of the left. Together with several bodyguards around them they walked into the compound of the building with its ornamental gardens and statues of Gandhi the father of the nation. They climbed up the large flight of stairs that lead into the parliament building. The balcony, which ringed the building just above the debating chamber, was filled with people craning to see them.
She entered and walked up to the podium waiting for the members to take their seats before beginning. India was created under the ideal of self-determination that people should rule themselves as a democracy. Since independence and Partition in 1947 this ideal has not always been lived up to. The reasons are plentiful human weakness and moral and economic corruption has kept our society poor and close to war. Democracy was squashed under the iron fist of dictatorship. We have failed to provide a better life for our people as we promised after independence. I have heard numerous wretched excuses for the state we are in. The British for their imperialism, the Pakistanis for their existence. The government of India has heard all the excuses but it will no longer use them or listen to them. The hard truth is that we and only we are responsible for the state we are in. Our leaders brought us to ruin while being urged on by the people. She paused
Why have nations like Japan and Malaysia created decent places for their people to live? How come China and Russia have steered their way out of Communism and into the global village of stability and success? The answer is the governments there think, plan, and implement. From this day forward that is what the government of India will do.
Many of you are familiar with the policies of my government. The crackdown on corruption, the encouraging of foreign investment, the protection of all minority groups as well as much more. Some of you are violently opposed to these policies. I ask those of you to consider one thing, count not your personal loss from the system count only your countrys gain. Think of the day when your children and grandchildren will be able to hold their heads up high as citizens of India without making excuses for the poverty and suffering of our people. She paused and took a sip of water
I have been to Bihar in India and to parts of United Korea. Both are poverty stricken. In United Korea the government controls everything, in Bihar even in the most appalling conditions they feel they have the right to speak out and make a difference. If you take away peoples minds they lose everything. At some stage the human spirit comes into conflict with the power that wants to control it. Our system allows for the growth of the human spirit. I ask you all to join me in the creation of a new India. An India that is a shining beacon of the arts, of science, of literature, of music, with world-class highways, hospitals, schools, and skyscrapers. I ask you to join me in laying the seeds toward creating a fairer, juster and freer society than this country has ever been before. Nothing absolutely nothing will stand in our way to provide the life our people deserve.
Indhira Gandhi collected her papers as the first cheers broke out, the clapping spread followed by the shuffle of feet as the members stood to give her a standing ovation as she walked out of the building.