In Pursuit of Democracy

Indian democratic system has stood the test of the time and has emerged as one of the efficient governance mechanisms in the comity of nations. This system has prevailed due to the continuous contribution of many stalwarts who enriched the parliamentary democracy in India. The list is endless. But the names of many are engraved in the minds of common masses for their understanding of the constitutional system besides the elegance and decency with which they contributed in public life. Dr.Najma Heptulla is one of the foremost leaders in India who has left a mark of her own when it comes to running the business of the Rajya Sabha, where she not established herself as the distinguished parliamentarian but served as the Deputy Chairperson as well with elegance. During her tenure as the Deputy Chairperson she was known to conduct the business of the house with absolute neutrality. Indeed a feat unparalleled. Though she belonged to the Congress Party but that did not deter her from being impartial and judicious. She established her acumen while serving the nation as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Governor of Manipur as well. Besides she has contributed to uphold the academic and scholarly purists of the Jamia Millia Islamia as its Chancellor. Dr.Najma Heptulla is the role model for the Indian women who want to serve the nation in the political arena. Her acceptability across the party lines can be judged from the fact that she was acceptable to BJP as well and other parties. Her conduct has been par excellence. To know her and her contributions is indeed a learning process for the contemporary parliamentarians. Dr.Najma Heptulla has written a book titled “In Pursuit of Democracy” that has hit the stands. In this book she has brought to the fore many nuanced details about the policy circles in New Delhi. As she has been privy to many decisions at the centre being part of both the Congress and the BJP dispensations, her narrative is the first person account of many happenings that have shaped the turn of events in India during the contemporary times. She has said and revealed many things about the former Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. On emergency she has said that Mrs .Gandhi regretted the emergency. She gives a sketch of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and terms her as tough, shrewd and ruthless. She has also discussed her relations with Sonia Gandhi and says there was a trust deficit. She reveals the treatment meted out to the Congress stalwart and former Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao by the party. She has even revealed that Dr.Manmohan Singh too was not given his due.as far as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned. Dr.Najma Heptulla says that she had a very friendly relationship with him. Justifying her decision of joining the BJP and leaving the Congress fold,she writes, “So disenchanted was I with the Congress leadership that I started to drift away. Atalji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) was always very friendly and sympathetic. One day, when I was feeling particularly sad about something, he said, ‘Aa jao. Come and join our party.” Her book “In Pursuit of Democracy” will surely give serious watchers of Indian parliamentary democracy a serious first hand account of the happenings in the corridors of power. The memoirs, autobiographies and biographies of the stalwarts like Dr.Najma Heptulla add to the corpus of primary literature on the evolution of Indian democracy.