ANGUL (Orissa): Mrs. Malati Devi Chowdhury, wife of former Orissa Chief Minister of late Nabakrushnia Chowdhury and a Gandhian in her own right refused to accept the Jamanlal Bajaj Award for 1988 from the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, at Sevagram on January 30 because “Rajiv Gandhi is a person who has no belief in any of the Gandhian values. Also, he has done nothing to promote Gandhian values.

When this correspondent went to see Mrs. Chowdhury at the Baji Rout Chavtrava complex here, she was talking to elderly women social workers.

Asked about her refusal to accept the award from the’ prime minister, she said, “you are asking childish questions. Everyone knows that Rajiv Gandhi has nothing of Gandhi in him. Moreover he should not poke his nose in everything. The Prime Minister giving award to social workersis election propaganda. Didn’t you hear about the deep resentment of old Gandhites on the eve of his visit to Seva Gram?

This is the first time that a Prime Minister has presented the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards. Mrs. Malati Devi thought that it was the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation which was at fault for inviting Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

As an afterthought she added: You ask the organizers. I feel the Prime minister’s office must have pressurised them and these people agreed. I do not know but I feel that with the Prime Minister giving away the awards the sanctity of the awards is lost. There are many old, respected Gandhians in our country. We would have been happy to receive awards from any of item.”

Doordarshan in its English News at 9:30pm on January 30 had said that Mrs. Malati Devi had written to the organizers that she could not be present because of ill health.

The 85 year old Malati Devi refused to accept the award from Rajiv Gandhi also because of has senseless anti-people’. ‘s policy’ in Baliapal (Orissa) where the Defense Ministry is proposing to set up the national missiles test range.

“It is Orissa’s granary and to evict a large number of people from there is the height of foolishness. No one can tolerate it. Rajiv has no belief in ahimsa,”

Has PM seen poverty?

She added: “Garibi hatao” as a slogan is alright but my question is has he seen poverty? He never goes near poverty. Yes, lam coming to it. His photographs with impoverished babies in Kalahandi and Koraput are nothing but election propaganda, We do not “see any impact of Rajiv Gandhi’s visits in our Kalahandi and Koraput.”

About the reenacted Dandi March and the Freedom Runs Mrs. Malati Devi said, “anybody steeped in Gandhian values knows all this is a force. Why are you asking me so many question s when the thing is crystal clear to everyone?”

Coming back to test range at Baliappal Mrs. Malati Devi said that “the courage and unity shown by the people of Baliapal in protesting against the “anyway” (injustice) of the Government is exemplary and deserves commendation. Those having self-respect cannot tolerate this and other policies of Rajiv Gandhi.

Her frustration anger against the Prime Minister came out clearly when she said: “What has he done except flying in planes, simply because he is the grandson of Pandit Jawaharial Nehru.

Corruption under Rajiv

Yet another reason for her refusing to receive the award from the Prime Minister was the general corruption under Rajiv Gandhi. She said, “If whatever I read in the newspapers about Bofors and Fairfax is true then it is mean and despicable.. He should not have become the Prime Minister in the first instance. My people who work in the remotest Adivasi areas tell me even they know about it And what can one say about the Prime Ministers costly visits to our poor state or holidaying with friends in the Andamans and national parks?”

Reject Rajiy

Asked about the continuance of the Chief Minister Mr. J.B. Patnaik despite opposition to him Mrs, Malati Devi chuckled and said, “ Nobody supports him but he is there, thanks to Rajiv Gandhi, Expressing concern about the future, she said, “He (Rajiv Gandhi) should be rejected by the people.

Ata hesitant hint from this correspondent whether she was not afraid of the powers that be when. She openly talked like this; Mrs. Malati Devi laughed and said, “What will they do to me? I have lived through the Emergency when Nandini Satpathy tried all her tricks. But what happened? At best they can destroy my life time’s work in the Adivasi areas of Orisa, but even in ordinary times no one goes there. I have no fear. Let them do anything to me. I challenge them.”

Mrs. Malati Devi has done most of her rural reconstruction work in Orissa, IN 1948 she set up the Utkal Navjeevan Mandel. A member of the Constituent Assembly she was also president of the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee for some time. She was opposed to the Janata Party giving Mrs. Nandini Satpathy the ticket for assembly elections. She then referred to Mrs. Satpathy’s role during the emergency. For people in Orissa she is a person who has so much to give and who wants so little for herself. For them she is the living example of a woman who has never compromised on principles; a living legend.

Article extracted from this publication >>  February 24, 1989