George Fernandes – A Symbol of Struggle
George Matthew Fernandes, who left a deep imprint on Indian politics through his sharp ideological convictions, fearless positions, and combative temperament, was one of the most influential socialist leaders the country has ever produced. This leader, shaped by the labour movement, remains remembered to this day as an extraordinary personality in the history of Indian democracy. Being elected to the Lok Sabha nine times, founding the Samata Party, and heading important ministries such as Industry, Railways, and Defence in the central government are some of the defining highlights of his long political life. Built on the firm foundation of socialist thought, this personality created, for the youth of India in the 1970s, a living symbol of resistance, rebellion, and struggle against injustice.
He was born on 3 June 1930 in Mangaluru, Karnataka, into a Christian family. George was the eldest among the six children of his father John Joseph Fernandes and mother Alice Martha Fernandes. His mother held a special admiration for King George V of Britain, and so she named her eldest son George. From childhood, George was exceptionally intelligent and independent in thought. Though the home environment was steeped in Christian religiosity, the tendency to question and the instinct to challenge authority had taken root in him from an early age. At the age of sixteen, he was sent to a Christian missionary institution to become a priest. However, the rigid traditions, the rules, and the gulf between precept and practice became unbearable for him. The world of religious instruction was incompatible with his rebellious nature. Finally, in 1949, he came to Mumbai in search of livelihood. The early days were difficult sleeping on footpaths, working as a proofreader in a newspaper a life marked by struggle.
After arriving in Mumbai, he took active part in the labour movement. Through socialist ideology and trade unionism, he began fighting for the rights of workers. He built agitations around the issues of dock workers, municipal employees, taxi drivers, and hotel workers. His leadership qualities and fearless nature gradually fashioned his image as an influential labour leader. In the 1950s, he became an important leader of the taxi drivers’ union. George Fernandes, who had become the voice of ordinary workers, never abandoned his commitment to fighting injustice. He also led agitations on the issues of Indian Railway workers. The thoughts of socialist leader Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia had a deep influence on him. Fighting for the weaker sections of society and boldly questioning those in power became the defining character of his politics.
In the 1967 Lok Sabha elections, he defeated the veteran Congress leader S. K. Patil from the South Mumbai constituency. This victory was so unexpected that he earned the title of “Giant Killer.” The fact that a labour leader had defeated a Congress stalwart in a metropolis like Mumbai became the subject of wide discussion in national politics as well. After this victory, his standing in Indian politics grew ever stronger. Between 1969 and 1973, he served as the General Secretary of the Samyukta Socialist Party.
A historic milestone in his political life came in 1973, when he was elected President of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation. In May 1974, he called for a nationwide railway strike to press for various legitimate demands of railway workers. Approximately 1.7 million employees participated in this strike. It is considered one of the largest industrial agitations in Indian history. Railway services across the country came to a standstill for twenty consecutive days. This agitation placed an unprecedented challenge before the government of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the government crushed the strike through severe repression. Thousands of workers were arrested, and many had their homes ransacked. Even after all these coercive measures, George Fernandes rose higher in public esteem as a selfless leader of the workers.
Emergency Era
In 1975, Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country. George Fernandes strongly opposed this decision, which throttled democracy. He continued working underground to sustain resistance against the government. During this period, a grave charge was levelled against him that he had smuggled dynamite to blow up government installations and railway lines. This case came to be known in history as the “Baroda Dynamite Case.” In 1976, George Fernandes was arrested and lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi. He and twenty-four others were charged with sedition and conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Among the accused in this case were Viren J. Shah, G. G. Parikh, C. G. K. Reddy, Prabhudas Patwari, Devi Gujjar, and several others. The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted the inquiry into this case.In this very case, his close colleague Snehalata was also arrested. She had already been suffering from severe asthma and a lung ailment. Being kept in extremely harsh conditions in a Bengaluru prison caused her health to deteriorate rapidly. On 15 January 1977, she was released on parole. But within just five days, she passed away. She is remembered in history as the first martyr of the Emergency.
During the hearings of the Baroda Dynamite Case, whenever George Fernandes was brought to Tees Hazari Court in Delhi, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University raised slogans “Jail ka phatak tod do, George Fernandes ko chhod do” (Break open the prison gates, free George Fernandes). The political atmosphere in the country at that time was extremely charged. While the Congress government was deploying all its might to silence the opposition, the signs of elections were also on the horizon.
In 1977, Indira Gandhi announced elections and the Emergency came to an end. At that time, George Fernandes was confined in a prison cell. He contested from the Muzaffarpur constituency in Bihar. Throughout the entire campaign period, he could not visit the constituency even once. Yet the people elected him with a record margin of votes. Photographs of him in handcuffs were used extensively in the campaign, and the fire of anger against repression that had been smouldering in the hearts of the people was expressed through those votes. He won by approximately three lakh votes. After the Janata Party government was formed, he was made the Industry Minister in Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet.
As A Cabinet Minister
As Industry Minister, he took firm action against multinational companies under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. As a result, two corporate giants Coca-Cola and IBM shut down their operations in India. This was a bold and politically significant decision. His stance of promoting indigenous industries made him even more popular in public imagination. The Janata Party subsequently split and the political equations changed. During this period, he founded the Samata Party and forged political cooperation with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
As Railway Minister, one of his important contributions was his role in the development of the Konkan Railway. The dream of connecting the remote Konkan coastline to the country’s main railway network, which had remained unfulfilled for many years, was realised with his significant contribution. The railway that ran through the Konkan crossing mountains, valleys, rivers, and forests changed the lives of millions of people.
During 1998 to 2004, he served as Defence Minister in the National Democratic Alliance government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This proved to be an important and celebrated period in his political life. During his tenure, successful nuclear tests were conducted at Pokhran in 1998. In the Kargil War of 1999, he played a crucial role as Defence Minister. He would go to meet soldiers deployed in extremely remote and challenging terrain like Siachen to bolster their morale. This sensitivity earned him deep respect in the hearts of the jawans. He also played an important role during Operation Parakram. However, during this same period, his name came up in connection with the Coffin Scam and the Tehelka affair. The Tehelka sting operation brought him face to face with political crisis. But the court later acquitted him of these charges.
In 2004, despite the nationwide defeat of the National Democratic Alliance, George Fernandes was once again elected victorious from the Muzaffarpur constituency. However, age was advancing, health was gradually declining, and the political situation was changing. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Janata Dal (United) denied him a party ticket. He nonetheless contested as an independent, but this time he faced defeat. He subsequently went to the Rajya Sabha unopposed this was made possible because JDU did not field a candidate against him.
George Fernandes was married on 22 July 1971 to Leila Kabir, daughter of former Union Minister of State Humayun Kabir. The couple has a son named Sean Fernandes. However, the hectic journey of political life and the strains of personal life caused Leila to drift away from him in 1984. In a remarkable twist of fate, full twenty-five years later, when George was afflicted with serious illnesses, Leila returned to his life. In his final years, he was tormented by two ailments Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. His memory was fading and his body was weakening. But Leila cared for him through those difficult times.
In 1977, George Fernandes met Jaya Jaitly. She went on to become his close political associate and played an important role in the work of the Samata Party. Jaya Jaitly has often said that George sincerely respected the political and intellectual capabilities of women. His ideology was deeply humanistic. While in prison, he had made a nest from his own woollen cap for baby birds that had fallen from a nest on a fan. He had a habit of giving toffees to children. Through such small acts, his sensitive, humane nature revealed itself constantly.
George Fernandes was known not merely as a politician but also as a rebellious intellectual. He had an enormous love for reading. He read voraciously from popular novels like Harry Potter to biographies of Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill. He had accumulated a vast personal library over his lifetime. He maintained the habit of washing his own clothes himself. It is also said that he never bought or used a comb throughout his life. He had no liking for starched white clothes. He had a fondness for flavourful food, and in particular he was deeply fond of fresh Konkan fish and crab curry.
Many examples of his simplicity are often cited. Even while serving as Defence Minister, his residence had no grand gateway or tight security arrangement, and any ordinary citizen could meet him with ease. Once, when the security arrangements for then Home Minister Shankarrao Chavan blocked the road to his house, George in protest had the very gate of his own house removed. Even after becoming Defence Minister, he refused to keep security guards. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also requested him to enhance his security. But it was only after the terrorist attack on Parliament made it clear to him how serious the security question was for the country’s Defence Minister that he reluctantly accepted some security personnel.
George Fernandes also drew millions of people to him through the power of his oratory. He was an exceptionally effective speaker. From the platform of trade unions to the floor of Parliament, his voice held his audiences spellbound. From Mumbai to Muzaffarpur, from workers to farmers, his commitment was universal. He was a socialist, but his was a clear-eyed socialism. He was a nationalist, but he never gave blind nationalism any room. Whether under the yoke of colonial rule or during the dark days of the Emergency in independent India, he never allowed his voice to be suppressed.
He passed away on 29 January 2019 in New Delhi. A brilliant star of Indian socialist politics had set. As a labour movement leader, warrior against the Emergency, Industry Minister, Railway Minister, Defence Minister, socialist thinker, and ardent champion of democracy through all these roles he enriched Indian public life. Being elected nine times to the Lok Sabha over nearly four decades from 1967 to 2004 is undeniable testimony to his mass following. As we remember George Fernandes on the occasion of his birth anniversary, this leader forged in struggle, who valued principles above power, and who continued fighting for the common person until his last breath shall remain immortal forever in the history of Indian democracy.
The writer can be reached at his email vikasmeshram04@gmail.com
