119. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to India.]
10. Mrs. Gandhi: On a straight party-line vote, the Indian Parliament has voted to expel Mrs. Gandhi from Parliament and imprison her for the remainder of the current session which ends in three days. The charge is contempt of Parliament, specifically Mrs. Gandhi’s attempt to block Parliamentary investigation of the financial activities of her son. There is ample legal precedent for this action, and Mrs. Gandhi’s obstructionest tactics are well documented. However, the question is whether the jailing will make Mrs. Gandhi a martyr and may contribute to her political fortunes. Many in Janata, including Desai, hesitated; but party unity, in the face of strong support for punishing Mrs. Gandhi, won out. We expect that Mrs. Gandhi will be reelected to Parliament at a forthcoming by-election.2
[Omitted here is material unrelated to India.]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 21, Evening Reports (State): 12/78. Secret. Carter initialed at the top of the memorandum.↩
- Telegram 19514 from New Delhi, December 20, reported that Gandhi was incarcerated the evening of December 19 in the same facility where many of her political opponents were imprisoned during the Emergency. After Gandhi’s incarceration, seven members of Parliament began a hunger strike inside the Parliament building, while public protests and demonstrations broke out in various cities around India. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780525–0854) Telegram 19783 from New Delhi, December 27, announced Gandhi’s release from jail and reported that “Mrs. Gandhi sought to squeeze maximum political profit from the event, which should bring to an end the agitations launched after her arrest just a week earlier. Her remarks to the press following her release only naturally won front-page treatment.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780535–0631)↩