March 23, 1910 - October 12, 1967 Guest Editors : Anand Kumar and Kurban Ali 12 JANATA, April 17, 2011
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JANATA, April 17, 2011 11 March 23, 1910 - October 12, 1967 Guest Editors : Anand Kumar and Kurban Ali 12 JANATA, April 17, 2011 Darling of Indian Revolution Abbas Ali Dr.Rammanohar Lohia was a Subhash Chandra Bose when I was Political. He called upon the people towering and radiant personality. POW of the Japanese in 1942 in to donate one hour a day to nation’s I saw him for the first time in Singapore. During Second World reconstruction and gave a Talisman: 1948 at my native place Khurja. War Communists changed their line ‘have spade in your hand, utilize He came there soon after the and supported Britain and its allies. power of the ballot and be ready formation of Socialist Party at I got disheartened and distanced for civil disobedience against any Nasik for the election campaign myself from the Communist injustice’. Dr Lohia once said that of Prof. Raghukul Tilak, who was ideology. When country achieved in his opinion “there are five major contesting a by-election from the independence and we were released aims of Indian politics: Equality, Khurja Assembly seat at that time. by the British Government, I came in Democracy, Decentralization of Actually this election was caused contact with Dr Lohia and liked his powers, Ahimsa and Socialism”. by the resignation of Prof. Tilak, views and ideology and became his He started many movements related an associate of Acharya Narendra disciple. This association remained to removal of poverty, abolishment Deva. When Acharyaji resigned for almost twenty years till his death. of caste system and gender bias, from the Congress party and from removal of English, fixing prices of the membership of Uttar Pradesh Lohia was a multi-faceted essential commodities, saving the Assembly, along with his twelve personality. He was a true nationalist Himalayas and for the Confedration colleagues, Prof.Tilak also resigned. who fought for the liberation of of India and Pakistan. His most Dr Lohia addressed a public meeting this country under the leadership of important contribution was, in my at NREC College Grounds and Mahatma Gandhi. Although he was opinion, launching a movement for spoke at length for more than an not always supportive of Gandhiji making a just society based on the hour. He explained the political and had severe differences on the principle of equality and his seven situation of that time especially the issue of his supporting war and his ideas of revolution called ‘Sapt- circumstances of the aftermath of the views on Socialist ideology, he was Kranti’. assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. one of the most darling disciples of His speech impressed me very much Gandhiji. He propounded the strategy of and I decided to join the Socialist Non-Congressism and erased this Party at that very moment. During Dr Lohia played a significant role misconception in the mind of the my student life I was a member of in the Indian politics and society. masses that Congress party cannot the Students Federation, the student He was a thinker, a philosopher be removed from the power through wing of Communist Party of India. who understood India well - after ballot. With this strategy Congress Prof. K M Ashraf, a Communist Gandhiji. It was he who compelled party was defeated in nine states leader who was a member of CSP the ruling Congress party led by Pt. during the 1967 General elections also at that time was my mentor Nehru in 1955, to adopt Socialism and SVD’s governments were at Aligarh Muslim University as the main policy of Congress party formed. Non-Congressism provided and on his stimulation, I joined and later on his daughter Indira a unique opportunity to the down- the British Army. Com. Ashraf Gandhi included the word Socialism trodden and weaker sections of the had the opinion that our country in the preamble of the Constitution. society to be a part of the government cannot achieve independence by He was a great champion of the and define their own destiny. It Gandhiji’s approach and can be poor, backwards, Dalits, women, was due to Lohia’s politics that liberated through an army revolt minorities and other weaker sections Mandal Commission was formed only. With this in mind, I joined of the society. He fought for the in 1979 which recommended 27 INA under the leadership of Netaji Justice, whether Social, Economic or percent reservation to the backward JANATA, April 17, 2011 13 classes of the country in government jobs. It was implemented in 1990 A Visionary With Pratibha and Sahas by the VP Singh government. Dr Lohia fought for decentralization Krishna Nath of powers, “Chaukhamba Raj”, to strengthen Panchayati Raj and equal It is hard for me to just crystallize today? India of the 21st century opportunities for the woman. He was the memories of Dr. Rammanohar is in a flux. It is in a constant a man of principles. On the issue Lohia into a few words. But there movement. It is a kind of universal of the police firing by his own PSP is certainly an image of the union flux that we are in and there is an Government in Travancore-Cochin of two: pratibha and sahas, (a great aspect of it at the international (now Kerala State) he demanded vision and a courage to insist on it). level. At the international level the resignation of his own party his idea of a world government government led by Pattom Thanu It seems to me that out of many responsible to a world parliament Pillai. When PSP didn’t approve contributions he made, the one of (it’s just not the assembly of the his move, he resigned from the post keeping the worlds of dissent alive nations or the United Nations of General Secretary and demanded and pursuing civil disobedience but a world government) elected an open debate in the party. This both against the imperial colonial from people of the world (not that issue boiled up and resulted in his rule and in a free state could be coordinated in the committee of expulsion from the party but he considered as a great contribution. the governments of the world) that never compromised on his political He also demolished the one family would be a universal framework. line. rule in India and conquered the It is not globalisation which is in difficult course of democracy. In my opinion Dr Lohia was fact Americanisation. It is different These could be his other major the most pragmatic leader and a altogether. At the national level, it contributions. far-sighted visionary. His thoughts, is his quest for freedom, equality ideas, views and political theories and democracy. Politics is the wheel of are very relevant today. He taught impermanence. Nothing stays We must not just stick to the poor and common man of this permanently here, especially in memorials or rituals as the custom country to fight for their rights India. But he prepared the ground about the birth centenaries. We through democratic means. He for a change, a total change. The have to keep the word and vision fought for a just society, for social non-Congress politics of 1967 of Dr. Lohia alive by protecting justice, equality, secularism and for paved the way for Total Revolution the torch of ideas and dreams as democratic socialism. He coined a which was worked by his eminent it is associated with our ancient slogan ‘Sansopa ney bandhi gaaanth, colleague Jayaprakash Narayan, sages and seers. He received it Pichde pawain main sau main saath” which came about in 1977. It again from the freedom fighters under (Sixty percent reservation for the did not stay long as the vision of the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi backward-Dalits, minorities and the total revolution did not come and passed on to his generation women of any caste, in legislatures to logical conclusion. and the youth of his time. Now we and Government jobs).We are have to actively pursue the ideals still fighting for the thirty three What are the most relevant promoted by him and presented to percent reservation for the Women legacies of the vision of Dr. Lohia the generations to come. in legislatures! He wrote “Non-Congressism is not In a way Patwari has changed but the In the last editorial of his monthly delivering goods as much as was Collector remains the same. But the journal “Jan” of August-September expected from it and somewhere biggest success of this experiment is 1967, Doctor Lohia appraised his it indulged in itself. One of the that now people think that even the strategy of Non-Congressism and the reasons of its failure is the Central Congress can be removed from the performance of SVD Governments. government led by Congress party. (Continued on Page 22) 14 JANATA, April 17, 2011 My Date With Lohia Mastram Kapoor I remember, I started looking for Drawing a wire from a nearby house, Kasturba Gandhi Road) where a hero at a small age of, perhaps, an electric bulb was hung over the Constitution Club was then situated under ten. My first attraction was table with some temporary device. and where I once or twice saw Lohia, to legendry hero Hanuman who The audience was sitting on the sipping tea at a footpath tea-stall and helped me to win over my fears ground, in pitch dark evening. Lohia talking to his friends and admirers. of ghost which I was told, was spoke for an hour and half. He neither It was like Boswell following Dr. lurking in every dark place in spoke about the circumstances Johnson; though I cannot claim to the village.