Jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan (1902-1979), Indian political leader, who led the opposition that toppled the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1977. He was born in the Sarah district of Bihar. After eight years of study in the United States, he returned to India in 1929, became a disciple of the nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi, and joined the Indian National Congress, within which he later formed a socialist group. Frequently imprisoned for his anti-British activities and a close associate of the nationalist prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he was generally regarded as Nehru's heir apparent, when he gave up politics in 1954 to join the movement for voluntary land distribution led by Vinoba Bhave. Although seriously ailing, he returned to politics in 1974 to oppose the regime of Indira Gandhi. He was briefly jailed by her, but remained the uniting force behind the Janata party that ensured her defeat in 1977.