US President Joe Biden is currently embroiled in controversies, as secret government documents have been found from his private house. A few days ago, former President Donald Trump also got into controversies for the same reason. Several government documents were found at his private resort after he left the White House, the presidential residence.
But such mixing of government documents has happened not only in America but also in India.
There has also been an Indian Prime Minister who kept many government documents and correspondence with him while leaving office. Showed these to a writer and asked him to write a book based on them in his praise.
He was the Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979, Morarji Desai.
The secret documents that Morarji Desai brought with him after leaving the post of PM included correspondence with several cabinet ministers, diplomats and even the President.
It also included a letter from the Indian ambassador to the US, which mentioned the intention of the Russian forces to topple the Janata Party government. Not only this, it also included the President's letter on the business interests of the Prime Minister's son.
In fact, even during the UPA-2 government's tenure, there were allegations that every government file passes through 10 Janpath i.e. Congress President Sonia Gandhi's residence instead of 7 Race Course Road, i.e. PM's official residence. However, no concrete evidence was ever found on these allegations.
The full details of most of the documents that Morarji Desai took with him are in the book 'Morarji Papers: Fall of the Janata Government' published in 1983.
Morarji was once a staunch Congressman… broke away in protest against Indira, became PM
Morarji Desai had joined the Congress (O) while opposing Indira Gandhi.
Morarji Desai was in the Congress right from the time of the freedom struggle. After independence, he was also the home minister and finance minister in the central governments.
After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964, he was considered the strongest contender for the post of Prime Minister, but he lost to Indira Gandhi.
When Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister, she was made the Deputy Prime Minister. When the Congress split in 1969, opposing Indira, he joined the Congress (O).
In the 1977 elections, the Congress (O) fought the elections as the Janata Party along with other opposition parties. The Janata Party won the election and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister.
Morarji Desai was the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India. However, the Janata Party government remained weak due to constant infighting. Morarji Desai had to resign just two years later in 1979. Chaudhary Charan Singh became the Prime Minister in his place with the support of Indira Gandhi, but this government also fell in just 24 weeks.
Morarji is the only Indian Prime Minister to have received the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Pakistan's highest civilian award. Apart from him, the only Indian to receive this award is Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Now know, which documents Morarji took home from PMO
Morarji had a bunch of government letters… the government considers the things recorded in them confidential
This picture is from 1978, Morarji Desai is working in PMO. A person sitting on any constitutional post is bound by the Official Secrets Act even after leaving the post.
Morarji Desai had a whole bundle of official letters. These included correspondence with cabinet ministers and ambassadors as well as correspondence with the President.
He showed these letters to writer Arun Gandhi. Morarji wanted Arun Gandhi to write his biography on the basis of these letters.
His intention was that Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Arun Gandhi would portray him in his book as a Gandhian who fell victim to Indira Gandhi's conspiracy.
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