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Presidents of India and their controversies

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Shaurya Thapa
Shaurya ThapaJul 20, 2022 | 08:00

Presidents of India and their controversies

L-R Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, VV Giri, and Pratibha Patil. Photo: DailyO

In a few days, India will get its new President as the Parliament Houses vote between Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha. While the institution of the President of India is only nominal, the former Presidents of India have been no strangers to controversy.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: Copying Assignments

Right from a young age, Indian school students are made to observe September 5, the birthday of India’s second President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, as Teacher’s Day. It is only ironic then that one of this teacher’s former students alleged him of plagiarism. 

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As cited in an article from Round Table India, the incident goes way back to 1929 when Jadunath Sinha, Lecturer of Philosophy in the Meerut College, accused Dr. Radhakrishnan of stealing content from the first two parts of his thesis, Indian Psychology of Perception. Sinha had submitted this thesis during his undergrad years in Calcutta University in 1922, with Radhakrishnan being one of the teachers to review the work.

Fast forward to 1928 and the teacher publishes his own book The Vedanta According to Sankara and Ramanuja aka the bootleg version of Chapters 8 and 9 from Sinha’s Indian Philosophy Vol 2. What followed were some angsty editorials by Sinha in the Modern Review magazine and court hearings over copyright infringement. 

Ultimately, Radhakrishnan proved to be more influential, and the matter was settled out of court. While Sinha wanted to sue him for Rs 20,000 (a whopping amount for that time), Radhakrishnan bounced back with a counter-suit demanding a lakh! Sinha had to give up his claim eventually, with the terms of the final agreement never revealed to the public. 

VV Giri : The Prime Minister’s President 

VV Giri’s Presidential victory was itself controversial given how he contested as an independent candidate and was backed by Indira Gandhi. His eventual victory marked Gandhi’s influence in the Congress that had been bifurcated into the Gandhi-led Congress R (Requisition) and the Syndicate of the old Congress leaders in Congress O (Organisation). 

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When Giri assumed the Presidency, he was seen as a “rubber stamp” President. The former trade unionist was against some of the anti-labour decisions of Gandhi’s Cabinet but he failed to influence her decision. The condition worsened when Indira Gandhi chose AN Ray to be the Chief Justice of India instead of the three judges more senior to him in age. Giri tried to advise the PM on not interfering in these judicial matters but the PM did what she mostly did to him: ignore him. 

In most of his Presidential portraits, Giri can be seen sporting an uptight facial expression without any hint of a smile. Given the pressures he faced under Indira Gandhi, it makes sense.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy: “Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat” 

Indira Gandhi’s decisions were often debated by the Presidents of that time but in the case of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the clash was over a royal wedding as reported in an India Today cover story from 1987.

In 1981, Queen Elizabeth had finalised the rishta between Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. Naturally, delegates from all over the world were expected to attend and the President had accepted the wedding invite. The issue was that Indira Gandhi herself was very keen to go. 

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In diplomatic terms, it would make sense for only one of the Indian leaders to have gone so Reddy started throwing tantrums. He went on to add that if he was not permitted, then he would book his own air tickets and attend the wedding like a normal tourist. 

Finally, the Iron Lady had to take a backseat and Reddy fulfilled his dream of attending a British wedding. 

Pratibha Patil: Post-retirement plans

Pratibha Patil created history by becoming the first woman President of the country. But it seems like she loved her job (and its benefits) a little too much.

As is the norm, the President has to reside in a government accommodation in Delhi or their respective state once they leave office. Patil seemed to have planned for her future as she used public funds to build a retirement “mansion” of 2,60,000 sq ft in Pune. 

Another benefit that the President gets after retirement is that they can either avail a government vehicle or get an allowance on fuel price for their private vehicles. Asked to choose between the two options, Patil pushed for “both”!

Sometimes, the President also receives fancy gifts from overseas. The leader is expected to receive them formally even though a government institution stakes claim to it (such as the Art Department within Rashtrapati Bhavan). In Patil’s case, she had attachment issues even here as she was not initially letting go of the gifts. 

As reported by India Today, the candle set from the UK PM, a silver medallion with Nelson’s Mandela’s face on it, a Chinese gift box, and many others were eventually returned to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 
 

Last updated: July 20, 2022 | 08:00
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