The Home Minister misused his official position and made a broadcast to the nation.
The senior leaders of the communist party had been detained without trial under the D.I.R. The govt. had also adopted a way of disinformation and propaganda against the leaders and the communist party when the Home Minister, Mr. Nanda went out of his way and made a broadcast to the nation on the A.I.R. on 1.1.65 which was published in all the Daily news papers in the country in their issues dated 2.1.1965. The leaders felt it highly defamatory. The leaders said that without any proof Mr. Nanda asserted that we had been engaging in “disloyal activity” towards our country.
Letter is Reply from prison dated 27-1-1965
To
Shri Gulzarilal Nanda
Home minister,
Govt. of India, New Delhi.
Shri Nandaji,
Taking advantage of the fact that we are prevented during the pendency of a state of emergency from going to court to assert our fundamental rights under Article 19 of the Constitution, you have illegally detained us in jail without trial.
And on top of it, on 1-1-1965 you misused your official position and the access which it gives to the Govt. owned All India Radio and made a broadcast to the nation. That broadcast was full of slanderous allegations against our Party, which are nothing but a string of lies concocted by you and your officials to serve your political ends. These false and slanderous statements specifically refer to us leaders of the Party and are highly defamatory to our honour and reputation. Not content with the slanderous statements over the Radio you go on making them whenever opportunity presents itself. The ‘Hindu’, an English daily news paper of Madras, has published in its issue dated 26-1-1 965 (morning) a report of the Press Conference you held at Trivandrum on 25-1-65. The report, apart from the fact that you were calling us pro-China, contains the following: “To a question whether it was a fact that a large sum of money, nearly 20 crores was seized from the pro China elements when they were arrested, Mr. Nanda replied “That Bank (Bank of China) was not doing quite innocent business.”
The question, whether a sum of Rs. 20 crores was seized from us when we were arrested under the D. I. R. on and after 30-12-1964 under your orders was a specific, straight and simple question and
required a straight equivocal answer “yes” or “no.” But you evaded the answer. The reason can only be that you want the slander, which you know to be false, to continue.
While not giving a straight answer to this question you made the suggestion that the Bank of China was financing us. It is well-known that the Bank of China was closed some time in October or November 1962, under orders of the Government who took possession of all its records. For two years Government have been investigating the records. Why do you hesitate to publish the facts of the investigation that has been going for nearly two years, but go on making such slanderous allegations on the sly? It can only be because the publication of the findings will not serve your nefarious political purpose of vilifying us behind our back.
You must have seen the letter we addressed to the Prime Minister in which we repudiated this slanderous statement you made in the said broadcast.
We are sending you a copy of the said letter to the Prime Minister herewith. In view of the unfounded slanderous statements you have circulated we demand that you immediately arrange for giving our reply contained in the said letter to the Prime Minister as wide a publicity as was given to your radio broadcast. Failing which we will constrained to take appropriate steps to vindicate our honour and reputation.
Yours truly,
- Sundarayya, P. Ramamurti, A. K. Gopalan, M. Basavapunniah, Harkishan Singh Surjeet.
(There are two letters which was written. First letter was addressing to Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. This may be seen/read both letters published in the Mass Media 134 available on this website.)
