Jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan (11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly called to as JP or Lok Nayak, was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader. He is also known as the "Hero of Quit India Movement" and he is remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he had called for a "total revolution". JP took a leading part in the formation of the Congress Socialist Party, a left-wing group within the Congress Party. He left the Congress Party and in 1952 formed the Praja Socialist Party. In 1974, Jayprakash Narayan suddenly burst on the Indian political scene as a severe critic of the corrupt and increasingly undemocratic government of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi. He gained immense following from students and opposition politicians. The next year, a lower court convicted Gandhi of corrupt election practices, and JP called for her resignation. Instead, she declared a national emergency and jailed Jayprakash Narayan and other opposition leaders. In prison his health broke down. He was released after five months but never regained his health. Indira Gandhi revoked the emergency on 18 January 1977 and announced elections. The Janata Party, a vehicle for the broad spectrum of the opposition to Indira Gandhi, was formed under JP's guidance, was voted into power and became the first non-Congress party to form a government at the Centre. On the call of Narayan, many youngsters joined the JP movement. His biography, Jayaprakash, was written by his nationalist friend and an eminent writer of Hindi literature, Rambriksh Benipuri. In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in recognition of his social work. Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965.