George Fernandes

As President of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation led the Railway strike involving 1.5 million workers in 1974, resulting in thousands being sent to jail. This was one of the events that led to the imposition of the Emergency in June 1975; during the Emergency, went underground and fought the existing rule; arrested in June 1976 on the charge of overawing and overthrowing the Government in what came to be known as Baroda Dynamite conspiracy case; fought the 1977 elections from jail; Founder Chairman, The New India Cooperative Bank; Co-Chairman, Indo-Libyan, Indo-GDR and Indo-Hungarian Joint Commissions, 1977-79; Chairman, (i) India Development Group, London, 1979; (ii) Schumacher Foundation, 1979; President, Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat; Member, (i) Amnesty International; (ii) Press Council of India; and (iii) People’s Union for Civil Liberties; associated with Samajwadi Abhiyan—a platform for Socialist Campaigns; Convenor, National Democratic Alliance (NDA)