The history in making keeps on taking new routes. The BJP, the new Avatar of Jan Sangh, the right-wing political party established in 1951 by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, is at the helm of the affairs in India with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. On December 31, 2016, Modi, among other things, said, “India is celebrating the centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya (September 25, 1916 – February 11, 1968) as Garib Kalyan Varsh (Year of the welfare of the poor).” Modi named him among the three greatest thinkers of the past century, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Ram Manohar Lohia. Unlike Gandhi and Lohia, who studied in England and Germany respectively, Deendayal was solely a product of an Indian University. One more visible difference was Gandhi and Lohia were part of the Congress movement for independence where as Deendayal was attracted to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1937, became a full-time Pracharak in 1942 and got involved in anti-Congress politics of Jan Sangh only in 1951, after the independence of India.
The RSS was established by a Congressman Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925 who continued to be associated with Congress party till 1937, according to Dattopant Thengadi in “Sanket-Rekha”.
The year 1937 was a turning point in Indian history. It is interesting to note that both Lohia, a socialist leader, and Deendayal, a Jan Sangh leader, joined hands in 1967 and formed an anti-Congress front leading to the formation of Samvid governments in various northern Indian states which became the biggest political challenge to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for the first time.
PM Modi drawing inspiration from Deendayal is but natural, as Deendayal was the pioneer of the Indianised philosophy of Jan Sangh and his innovative concept of Ekatma Manavvad (Integral Humanism), closer to that of Mahatma Gandhi’s Sarvodaya, welfare of all.
The first convention of BJP, under the chairmanship of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, held in Mumbai in 1980 accepted the Gandhian Socialism despite opposition from Rajmata Scindia and Bhairosingh Shekhawat. Later even the BJP preferred to return to Ekatma Manavvad, the piller of Jan Sangh ideology rejecting Gandhian Socialism. Even when Vajpayee became the non-Congress PM of India, he could not assert on the ideological philosophy as his fate depended on a 24-party coalition. But as of now when Modi is heading the Indian government where the BJP has absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, he can afford to assert on ideological basis.
A master strategist as Modi is, he may create a combination of Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Savarkar, Dr Ambedkar, Deendayal and even K Kamraj as his vote catching strategy suits. But he was brought up in RSS and that organisation has moulded his basic convictions. PM Modi is waiting to gain majority in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament, for which he is keen on winning the Assembly elections in various states. Once he has majority in both the Houses of the Parliament, he can safely implement his darling agenda.
“Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya is our inspiration,” Modi wrote in Septembe 2015. “From his life, we learn how an individual completely devoted himself to the well-being of the nation and the service of the poor. As a political organiser, his work was legendary. Without getting trapped in the lure for power he continued to work, selflessly.”
Unfortunately, Deendayal met with an accidental death in February 1968 at the age of 51 as was the case of Dr Mookerjee, the first President of Jan Sangh in 1953. Deendayal was elected President of Jan Sangh at Kozikode (Kerala) session only in December 1967. His dead body was found on the railway track near Mughalsari Raiway Station. The mystery of his death is not yet solved despite a CBI inquiry followed by Justice Chandrachud Inquiry Commission.
Even his bitterest political opponent PM Indira Gandhi paid rich tribute to this great son of India: “I have been greatly shocked at the news of Shri Upadhyaya’s death. Shri Upadhyaya was playing a leading role in the political life of the country. His untimely and unexpected death in such tragic circumstances has left his work incomplete. Whatever the differences between the Jan Sangh and the Congress, Shri Upadhyaya was the most respected leader and he had dedicated his life to the integrity and culture of the country.”
Balraj Madhok, the late President of Jan Sangh, in the third part of his autobiography published in 2003 when Vajpayee was the PM, did express doubts about the insiders responsible for Panditji’s murder, but it still remains mystery. Madhok had blessed PM Modi and died recently.
Nanaji Deshmukh, a very senior Pracharak of RSS and former MP who established Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) in Delhi, did write: “Panditji was not only murdered, his murderers were never found. Neither the CBI nor the Chandrachud Commission could say who had killed Deendayalji and why. Indeed it would seem that Government never wanted the murderers and their patrons to be caught, for fear of any inconvenient political consequences…The Government should appoint a three-judge Commission with investigative powers, to unravel the mystery and bring the murderers and their paymasters to book.” Now at least when the Union Government headed by Narendra Modi is celebrating Deendayal Year, one may expect that the demand by Deshmukh would be met.
A man with utmost simplicity and minimum necessity, Deendayal was not only the ideologue of the Jan Sangh but was a great institution builder. Of course with the changing time the political workers who draw inspiration from him also change. Though he was the all India General Secretary of a political party, one may find him reaching in time for the meetings, spreading chattai or even sweeping the meeting venue without being photographed! He would go abroad in his simple attire of Dhoti-Kurta and would see to it that he does not become burden on his host.
At least during the year 2017 one would see people of India debating Deendayal Upadhyaya’s contribution. The PM has released a set of 15-books in Hindi on Deendayal i.e. Sampoorna Vangmaya. Various government organisations and party forums would also discuss Deendayal and his contribution. But it should not just become an event management since the right-wing hero was not an icon for event management or marketing model. Not only the party workers of the ruling BJP but even all other political parties and their workers need to discuss and debate his holistic philosophy for the betterment of the nation, however different views they may hold.
Next Column: Josh Malihabadi’s defection with Padma Bhushan
(The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: [email protected] )
