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Odisha Review September - October - 2014

Jayaprakash Narayan, A Liberator Par Excellence

Balabhadra Ghadai

Loknayak popularly Prasad, a renowned lawyer and a veteran known as J.P is one of those eminent personalities Congress leader of Bihar. of who have been instrumental in changing the history of the nation,the thinking of the people In 1922, Jayaprakash Narayan sailed and the destiny of the to the United States for masses. higher studies. From 1922 to 1929, he studied in the Jayaprakash University of California, Narayan was born at Chicago, Wisconsin and Sitabdiara in Bihar on earned by working in a October 11, 1902. Son of restaurant to meet his Phool Rani Devi and expenses. He found that he Harshu Dayal, he was was more interested in educated in Patna Sociology than in Science. Collegiate School and after Hence, he enrolled himself in passing the Matriculation the Social Sciences at Examination, he was Wisconsin University and admitted to Patna College read the writings of the for pursuing the Science bourgeoisie Social Scientist Course. Meanwhile, and radicals- Marx, Lenin, Gandhiji’s nationwide Trotsky, Plekhanov and hartal in response to the Rosa Luxemburg. He did his , 1919 was M.A at Ohio University. His followed by the together with intellectual horizon was broadened by his contacts his call for the Non-cooperation Movement. J.P with the Marxist-Leninists of the Madison left the Patna College being funded by the British home of a Russian Jewish tailor. In Wisconsin Government and joined the Bihar Vidyapith, a he got acquainted to the writings of M N Roy, tertiary institution set up by Bihar Congress for which included ‘The Aftermath of Non- all Non-cooperation students. In 1920 he cooperation India in Transition’ which made a married Prabhabati, daughter of Braja Kishore great impact on him.

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Jayaprakash left for India in freedom movement with socialist ideals. This September,1929 and reached in November,1929 Party decided to work both within and outside at the age of 37 after Seven years’ stay in the the . U.S. He was determined to devote whole of his life for the good of the Indians. It was in the Lahore With the formation of the Congress session of the Indian National Congress(I.N.C) (C.S.P), Jayaprakash’s life was held under the Presidentship of devoted to encouraging groups of like-minded that the epoch-making Independence resolution radicals throughout the country. He tried his best was adopted on the mid-night of the 31st to win over the Communists and the December,1929. Hoisting the national flag, Nehru Congressmen for creating a broad socialist declared Complete Independence or Poorna platform to fight imperialist force. When in as the goal of the Congress. Further, the 1934, the INC dedicated to participate in resolution recommended a Civil Disobedience elections to Legislative Assemblies, the CSP Movement to be launched for the attainment of vehemently opposed it and restrained its Poorna Swaraj. Inspite of his Marxist conviction, members from contesting elections. However, Jayaprakash held a high regard for Gandhiji and among the Congressmen, the attraction of his leadership. He came forward to participate ministerial office rapidly obliterated the previous the Civil Disobedience Movement and organized commitment to mass struggle.The CSP remained the underground office. Eventually, he was firm in its stand to emphasize on mass struggle. arrested in Madras in September,1932 and was sent to Nasik Central Jail. In the jail he luckily In August, 1942, the historic Quit India met a number of young Congress Leaders like Movement was launched by Gandhiji. Jayprakash M.R Masani, Achyut Patwardhan, N.C Goray, was still in Hazaribagh Central Jail. He was too Ashok Mehta, M.H Dantwala,Charls restless to remain inside and escaped from Mascarenhas and C.K Narayanswami. the prison with five Comrades by scaling down prison walls. Throughout the colonial period Jayaprakash’s first Jail term in Nasik Jayprakash often advocated the use of arms in was to prove as much of a landmark in his life as the struggle for freedom contrary to the stand of his stay at the University of Wisconsin where Gandhiji. Then he left for Nepal and organized he became a true Marxist and a sympathizer of and trained an “Azad Dasta” (Freedom Brigade) the Communist Party. All these youngmen had there to paralyse the machinery of the British little to do except discussing politics. They agreed Government. Finally he was again arrested in a in the discussion that history was a process of running train in Punjab in September,1943 and class struggle and proletarian revolutions were in December, he was declared a state- prisoner bound to take place. The collapse of capitalism where he was subjected to inhuman tortures. with all its brutalities was inevitable, which would In January, 1945, after 16 months, he was eventually give birth to Socialism. For them, this transferred to Agra Jail due to the great anger of was not a matter of hope or faith but a the Indian People. Gandhiji in the meantime made scientifically demonstrated truth. The result of it clear to the Cabinet Mission that unless both all those fervent discussions was the emergence Jayaprakash and Dr. Lohia were unconditionally of a new revolutionary Party called the Congress released, the negotiations would not start. Due Socialist Party which pledged to infuse the to this both Jayaprakash and Dr. Lohia were

63 Odisha Review September - October - 2014 released in April 1946. They were given a heroic National Emergency in 1975 which led to welcome by the people. Jayaprakash was scuttling the voice of dissidents, censoring the recognized as “The Heart of Indians”. press and arresting the leaders indiscriminately. Jayprakash was arrested along with thousands After India achieved Independence of other opposition leaders on the charge Jayprakash joined the Sarvodaya Movement that they were instigating countrymen to launched by Vinoba Bhabe. He donated his land revolt against the Government by violent means. and appealed to the land owners to donate their As he fell ill, he was released on parole in 1976. land to bring a change in the lives of the landless people. He even visited Odisha several times in During the historic election of 1977, connection with Bhoodan Movement . In 1975, Jayaprakash appealed to the opposition parties Jayprakash inspired the gathering at to unite and fight the Congress Party from a single Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Dhenkanal, Angul, platform. It was mainly due to his efforts that on Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The leading January 23, 1977, Janata Party was formed. He personalities of Odisha like Gopobandhu said that the election was not between Congress Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, and Janata Party but between dictatorship and Manmohan Choudhury, Rama Devi, democracy. The Congress Party suffered a Surendranath Dwivedi, Harekrushna Mahtab humiliating defeat and Janata Party came to power. and Biju Patnaik were his close associates. Jayaprakash breathed his last on October After the verdict of Allahabad High 8,1979. Thus ended the eventful career of India’s Court in Uttar Pradesh pertaining to the election second liberator who liberated the country from of Smt. Indira Gandhi, Jayprakash demanded domestic despotism. His crusade against that the Prime Minister must resign. He organized exploitation and injustice and his sincere efforts a huge rally in Delhi in which thousands of persons to root out corruption from public life have earned from all corners of the country participated. He a unique place to him in the history of our times. gave a clarion call of “Sampurna Kranti” or Total Revolution so that corruption must be rooted out and democracy be saved. On the other hand, Indira Gandhi refused to resign even after the High Court Judgment against her election. She said that the movement launched by Jayaprakash was not against rooting out corruption but only Balabhadra Ghadai, Principal, Maa Kichakeswari to dislodge her from power. She declared College, Khiching, Dist-Mayurbhanj-757039.

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