But a self-confident and arrogant Indira Gandhi was in for a surprise, when just a month before the elections, several prominent leaders from her Congress party, headed by the most senior minister in her cabinet, Jagjivan Ram, resigned and joined the Opposition. This sealed her fate. The resignations boosted the morale of the Opposition and encouraged the common people to shed fear and speak their minds.

There were several factors that decisively turned the Indian public opinion in the period ending 1976 and beginning 1977, against the Emergency regime in general, and Indira Gandhi in particular. The first of course was the growing disaffection among the working people - both rural and urban.

These oppressive measures under the Emergency were accompanied by Indira Gandhi's announcement of a `twenty-point programme' - claiming to improve the lot of the poor.

Under the Emergency rules, workers were denied the right to strike. But the industrialists were given a free hand to dismiss employees. They laid off about 500,000 workers within six months after the declaration of Emergency. Anti-working class ordinances were issued curtailing the workers' minimum bonus from 8.33 per cent of the earnings to 4 per cent. It was not surprising therefore that the Indian industrialists at home, as well as the World Bank abroad, applauded these Emergency measures of the Indira Gandhi government.

This is a classical example of how vicious politicians have played with the constitution and the law to satisfy their own selfish interests.

"a grave emergency exists whereby the security of India is threatened by internal disturbances'

It is important to understand what the events were in the Indian history that led to the emergency.

"Rising prices fall in the supply of essential commodities, unemployment, and more importantly, corruption in government administration."