One Life is Not Enough

by K. Natwar Singh

During the AICC meet at Faridabad that year, Nijalingappa made a withering attack on Indira Gandhi’s functioning and her economic policies. The stakes were very high. She had to act quickly to counter the threat. As a first step to securing her position, Mrs Gandhi wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, telling him that she would very much like him to continue in his role as minister and that he could choose any portfolio, except finance. It was a bold decision. As expected, Morarji Desai felt insulted and resigned from the Cabinet. Next, she nationalized fourteen banks, a step which was widely welcomed in the country. The Prime Minister had demonstrated acute political acumen in meeting the direct challenge of the Syndicate head-on. Though I was not involved in the high-level discussions, all of us in the secretariat were aware of what was happening. Those were tense days and though the Prime Minister outwardly kept her composure, I could see how worried she was. In this crisis she relied heavily on P.N. Haksar, her principal adviser.