BOMBAY: Did Prime Minister Indira Gandhi authorize Operation Bluestar or was somebody else behind it? ‘The identity of the person who authorized the military operation on the Golden Temple at Amritsar will continue to be a secret for a while. Maharashtra’s governor P.C.
Alexander, who was then privy to the decision taken to storm the shrine, has once again decided to withhold publication of the chaperon Punjab from the forthcoming Marathi translation Of his political reminiscences, My years with Indira Gandhi, first published in 1991
Alexander told his translator, Ashok Jain, that he had been “advised” to withhold the chapters although the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had (old him to go ahead with their publication,
Alexander said that it was true that he was privy to all the Punjab negotiations, some of which were highly secret “But do not want to create any controversy on this issue, since he was bound by the oath of office and secrecy. “As [hold public office, I do not want {o violate any rules. shall await full normalcy in Punjab. Maybe some time in the future, I shall publish the chapters,” he revealed.
The chapters will not be published because of “certain political developments,” Alexander confided to his translator. The Marathi translation will be published on October 31, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary, at a function at Raj Bhavan, The function will be an event in itself since it will bring together the major political players of Maharashtra on a common platform.
The book will be released by Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil who will hand over the first copy to former chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi will preside over the function.
Other prominent leaders who are listed to speak on the occasion include deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde and former chief minister Sharad Pawar, archrival of Naik, Pawar will, however, be away in New York as a member of the Indian delegation to the UN general assembly.
According to the translator, who had detailed discussions with Alexander, former principal personal secretary to Indira Gandhi, the governor had whiten the chapters on Punjab and showed them informally to Rajiv Gandhi, who prime minister at the time. Although Gandhi had allowed him to publish those chapters, Alexander said they would remain unpublished “at feast till the situation in Panjab improve.
He had stated as much in the preface 10 the original English language version of the book in 1991, Alexander had further said that he hoped to publish the chapters on Punjab as sequel to the book when the situation in that state improved. Known that Alexander was aware identity of the individual who authorized Operation Bluestar and the stances leading to it, Indira biographer Pupul Jayakar says in her book on the former prime minister that Alexander had told her, I “t talk about that (Bluestar). Is a big secret about it? There is some hold come out ‘but I can speak about them after I get Rajiv’s permission.
“He (Alexander) hinted that the soared was linked to the breakdown of relations between the (then) Prime: Minister(Rajiv Gandhi) and the (then) President (Zail Singh.”
Ms, Jayakar’s book was published in 1992, a year after Alexander’s. Both books were instant hits.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 3, 1995
