R Krishna Das
At a time when politicians are pulling all the strings for name and fame, Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerji reminds why he remains an exceptional statesman in India’s political landscape.
While the foundation was being laid for the Jan Sangh and Dr Mookerji was offered to head the new party, he offered the post to someone else in the larger interest of the organization.
On the eve of convention organized to formally form the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in October 1951, an incident demonstrated the selfless devotion of Dr Mookerji to the cause he held dear to his heart and disregard for personal name or fame.
Dwarka Prasad Mishra, the ex-home minister in the Congress ministry of Madhya Pradesh, had resigned from the Congress Party and the state cabinet in September 1951. He started a crusade against what he called “communal and anti-National” policies of Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru. Shortly afterwards, he undertook a short tour of Northern India. Bharatiya Jana Sangh offered him its stage in Delhi where about a half a lakh of people heard his tirade against his old organization and its supreme lord in pin drop silence.
The Uttar Pradesh Jana Sangh also out of courtesy arranged public meetings for him in some of the cities that he visited in the state. It was then openly discussed that he would join the Jana Sangh.
But on his return to Madhya Pradesh, D P Mishra floated an organization of his own under the name of “Lok Congress”. This came as a surprise to the sponsors of the Jana Sangh convention who had invited him to attend it. He came. Dr Mookerji and others had a long talk with him. But he was found to be hesitant to join the Jana Sangh. Someone suggested that perhaps he was not willing to work under anybody else.
Prof Balraj Madhok in his book Portrait of a Martyr said that without a moment’s hesitation, Dr Mookerji said, “But let him become the President. I will work under him.”
As he said this face glowed with an honest and natural earnestness. It showed his selflessness, his spirit of keeping the cause he loved and principle he cherished above his person. No wonder he became the idol of all those who came in contact with him. Much against the general belief that distant lends charm, his greatness and charm appeared to grow as one came closer to him.
The All-India convention was held in the Ragho-Mal Arya Girls Higher Secondary School, New Delhi where the All India Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formally launched and Dr Mookerji was unanimously elected to lead the new organization.
