“Never to speak ill of dead” says the Roman proverb. But memories of the past incidents good or bad cannot be erased easily from our minds nor can they be forgotten easily either. These memories are still fresh in my mind and suddenly these memories erupted within me when I got the news yesterday of the death of former Indian Premier Gujral.
It was in the first week of August 1990 when he came to the Iraqi occupied Kuwait after meeting with Iraqi Monster and Dictator Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq. Gujral then was the foreign Minister of India in the Cabinet of V.P. Singh. He came to meet with Indians in occupied Kuwait and to facilitate the process of evacuating Indians in Kuwait.
As an emissary of Indian government when he was caught on the TV Camera embracing Saddam Hussein instead of just hand shaking the anger of the locals and many of the expatriates trapped in Kuwait reached to the boiling point. Some said it was not he who embraced Saddam Hussein but it was Saddam Hussein who hugged him to create an image that India accepted the invasion of Kuwait.
Within a short time posters started appearing in some parts of invaded Kuwait with bold capital letters thus: “KILL ONE INDIAN AND GET AN AWARD OF KD 100/-“. Hearing and seeing these posters our fear increased tremendously but nothing untoward incident took place. God alone saved us. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ.
From Iraq Gujral immediately came to invaded Kuwait and had a meeting with Indians in the Indian Embassy Compound at Shara Istiklal. During this meet he comforted Indians saying “don’t be panicky, nothing will happen to you. This is only a temporary crisis and everything will be sorted out peacefully.” Further he went on saying that “I have come to Kuwait to take with me in my aircraft only those who are wounded, sick, aged and pregnants”.
Incidentally to the surprise of all of us he tok along with him only the influentials who played their game well in Delhi with Delhi Babus watering lakhs of rupees. In this evacuation there was one lady who was neither old nor sick nor wounded nor pregnant but her millionaire Goan husband from Delhi played his card well with Delhi Babus. Likewise many influential Indians from Delhi played their roles to get evacuated their relatives from invaded Kuwait. Those who had no influence were neglected by Gujral.
God alone knows how many millions Gujral made out of this evacuation but certainly there were lot of questions remained unanswered. One of the questions was this: “Did Gujral came to invaded Kuwait to fill his pockets or to help the needy Indians?” The real answer to this question he carried with him to the grave and never to unearth again.
Gujral's embrace to Saddam Hussein was interpreted in Kuwait as an acceptance by India of invasion of Kuwait. But we Goans coming out on to the streets in Panjim in solidarity with Kuwait and against the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq to a certain extent helped to negate that impression. When we came on to the streets in Goa in support of Kuwait we said "government of India go to hell - Gujral go to hell - we Goans support Kuwait and its liberation" . And finally Kuwait was liberated.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
