Patna: In an embarrassment to the Congress, the Bihar government’s official website has called former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s rule worse than the British reign in India.


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The Congress, which is in alliance with JD(U) and RJD in Bihar, is planning to take the matter with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, as per a report in Hindustan Times.


The Daily quoted a paragraph on modern history in the website as follows - "It was he (Jay Prakash Narayan) who steadfastly and staunchly opposed the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi and her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi. Fearing people’s reaction to his opposition, Indira Gandhi had him arrested on the eve of declaring National Emergency beginning June 26, 1975. He was put in the Tihar Jail, located near Delhi, where notorious criminals are jailed. Thus, in Free India, this septuagenarian, who had fought for India’s freedom alongside Indira Gandhi’s father, Jawahar Lal Nehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had meted out to Gandhi ji in Champaran in 1917, for his speaking out against oppression."


“The movement started by JP, however, brought the Emergency to an end, led to the massive defeat of Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party at the polls, and, to the installation of a non-Congress government - the Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time. With the blessings of JP, Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India. JP remained the Conscience of the Janata Party and of post-Gandhi, post-Nehru India. He gave a call to all Indians to work ceaselessly towards eliminating ‘dictatorship in favour of democracy’ and bringing about ‘freedom from slavery’,” the website further says.


The above references have been made in the history of Bihar section under state profile.


Reacting on the issue, Congress leader Chandan Yadav said that the references to Indira Gandhi were totally unacceptable.


He added that the former PM was a very popular leader and people in Bihar remember her for empowering the downtrodden.


Meanwhile, Bihar government officials said that they were not aware about the contents on the website.


Senior bureaucrat Pratyaya Amrit told the Daily that they would get it checked. 


The website was launched on February 11, 2014.


The Congress joined hands with JD(U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal to form Grand Alliance which won landslide victory in 2015 Assembly polls in Bihar and defeated the BJP.