US CABLE LEAKS REFER INDIRA GANDHI AS BEEHIVE

[JasSinghKhalsa]

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/1970s-us-cable-also-referred-to-indira-gandhi-s-congress-as-beehive-351823?pfrom=home-lateststories

1970s US cable also referred to Indira Gandhi's Congress as beehive

New Delhi: Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi's
analogy last week to India as a beehive created much buzz. Critics said
they were baffled by the comparison, supporters said the 43-year-old
had made a deft illustration of a country brimming with energy and
activity.

A less flattering use of the beehive was made by opponents of Mr Gandhi's grandmother, Indira, in the 70s.

A
cable from US diplomats in India to their home office in 1973, refers
to a conclave of the opposition Congress (0) and says that a leader
there said Mrs Gandhi's party was "like a beehive with Mrs Gandhi as
queen bee. When she goes the smaller bees will fly away and hive
collapse." (Read entire WikiLeaks cable here)

The Congress (Organisation) was a splinter group of
Congressmen left over after Mrs Gandhi split the party and took with her
a major chunk of leaders.

In 1975, Mrs Gandhi as Prime
Minister introduced a state of emergency in India, a period during which
democratic processes and civil liberties were subverted and suspended.

WikiLeaks has just released a tranche of new cables dating to the 70s.

One
dated 1975 has created a political firestorm by suggesting that Mrs
Gandhi's son, Rajiv, who went on to be Prime Minister was "the main
negotiator" for a Swedish fighter jet manfucatruer who wanted a deal
with the Indian Air Force. The cable says that Swedish diplomats had
shared that information, but said it had not been corroborated by US
officials. The fighter jet deal was not landed by the Swedish company,
Saab-Scania. The contract went to a British firm SEPECAT.