{"product_id":"amritsar-mrs-gandhis-last-battle","title":"Amritsar :  Mrs. Gandhi's Last battle","description":"\u003cp\u003eAuthor: Mark Tully\u003cbr\u003eSatish Jacob\/\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Rupa\u003cbr\u003eYear: 2009\u003cbr\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003ePages: 238\u003cbr\u003eISBN\/UPC (if available): 8129109174\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e Description\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn 5th June 1984, the Indian army began its attack on the complex at Amritsar which housed the two most sacred shrines of the Sikh community: the Golden Temple and the Akal takht. Generals who had pledge to minimum force, and on no account to violate the shrines, were not prepared for the fierce and adept resistance they encountered. Having suffered severe casualties, the infantry were driven back, and as a last resort –with approval from Delhi-tanks were ordered in. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Akal Takht was virtually reduced to rubble. It is doubtful if Mrs. Gandhi would have initiated Operation Blue Star had she known how bloody and devastating would be the consequences of that 24 - hour conflict. Yet up to that point she had resisted any armed intervention in what had literally become a reign of terror in the Punjab. Perhaps, as many, including her son Rajiv, suggested, she waited too long before her attack on the fundamentalist Sikh preacher Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMark Tully and Satish Jacob, who ran the BBC's bureau in Delhi, here trace the long build up to the storming of the Sikh stronghold, the shifts of power within the Sikh community and the efforts of the central government both to utilize and control them; the rise of Bhindranwale - initially put forward by then President of India Zail Singh and Mrs. Gandhi's own son Sanjay - whose extremism placed a wedge between Sikh and Hindu, Sikh and Sikh, and the Punjab and India; the indecisiveness of Mrs. Gandhi, who paid for the catastrophic aftermath of the operation with her life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this vivid and well-documented account of historical and political events, Tully and Jacob bring the Sikh tragedy into focus from many arresting angles.  They were the first to film the fortification of the Golden Temple.  They met Bhindranwale, his military mastermind Major-General Shahbeg Singh and many of the other central characters in the drama.  They gathered eye-witness accounts from every quarter to fill in this remarkable picture of what occurred and present their thought-provoking analysis with eloquence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIllustrations and Picture Credits\u003cbr\u003ePreface to the Indian Edition\u003cbr\u003eNote to Readers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.\tThe Assassination of a Prime Minister\u003cbr\u003e2.\tThe Sikhs\u003cbr\u003e3.\tThe Grievances of the Sikh\u003cbr\u003e4.\tThe Rise of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale\u003cbr\u003e5.\tThe Arrest of Bhindranwale\u003cbr\u003e6.\tMrs Gandhi Attempts to Negotiate with the Sikhs\u003cbr\u003e7.\tThe Asian Games and their Aftermath\u003cbr\u003e8.\tTwo Brutal Killings – Mrs Gandhi Acts at Last\u003cbr\u003e9.\tPresident’s Rule Fails\u003cbr\u003e10.\tLast Ditch Negotiations\u003cbr\u003e11.\tMrs Gandhi Gives the Go-ahead\u003cbr\u003e12.\tOperation Blue Star\u003cbr\u003e13.\tThe Golden temple, 6the june\u003cbr\u003e14.\tThe Aftermath\u003cbr\u003e15.\tConclusion\u003cbr\u003e           \u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The India Club","offers":[{"title":"Mark Tully \/ Rupa \/ Paperback","offer_id":68153747964272,"sku":"25707","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1041\/5203\/9792\/files\/25707.jpg?v=1793913592","url":"https:\/\/marketcalvexa.shop\/products\/amritsar-mrs-gandhis-last-battle","provider":"Alderstone House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}