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meeting, he would change over his clothes appropriate to the
occasion because he was supposed to sit on the stage as well as
address the meeting. Looking at the resplendent address of this
man, nobody could ever imagine that he was the same man
who wrote information on the walls too, and announced the
conduct of meetings on the bicycle/tricycle. Not only this, he
himself was fully engaged in setting up the stage and making
other preparations. Nathabhai played a role in all these aspects
in order to establish the foundation of the Jana Sangh deep and
strong.

During the Congress period, it was an autocratic rule. By
nature, the Congress carried the burden of suspicion and doubt,
much like the British rulers. It had truly inherited this British
tendency. If the Congress did not exist in some corner of the
country, it would look to it with suspicious eyes. It would also
direct its intelligence services after the opponents. All important
leaders of the Jana Sangh were under the watchful eye of the
Congress government. However, he was like a headache for
the intelligence department. He used to ride his bicycle from
one corner of Ahmedabad to another in connection with his
errands of the Jana Sangh. He easily travelled on his bicycle 60-
70 kilometres a day. The policemen employed to keep a watch
on him too had to chase him all over and they used to get giddy
doing this. Therefore, anybody from the police department was
afraid of being employed to chase Nathabhai, and took it as a
punishment for himself. It was the lively instance of the zenith
of perseverance that Nathabhai undertook.

During the period between 1970 and 1980, all jewellers and
goldsmiths had started a campaign against the Congress
government in connection with the Suvarnadhara. On this
occasion, Nathabhai had infused unprecedented energy into the
movement in order to bring to the fore the power of people.

The struggle during the emergency was no exception. It
was an occasion when people were supposed to struggle against
the oppressive government in order to reinstate democracy.
Nathabhai’s skill in organisation as well as his contact with rural
families all over Gujarat helped to provide momentum to this
campaign.