Special on Balidan Divas of Dr. Mookerjee

RSS and Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee
By Kalidas Basu

In his article titled "Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee-Rajya se Rashtriya Netritva tak" published in the 2000-01 annual issue of Presidency College Alumni Association, the renowned intellectual and former Union Education Minister Dr. Pratapchandra Chander wrote, "Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded his party Bharatiya Jana Sangh in May 1951 with the support of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh". This was the result of a growing natural affinity between RSS and Dr. Mookerjee that commenced in 1940.

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar had established RSS on the auspicious day of Vijaydashmi in 1925. He was the first Sarsanghchalak and in his childhood had imbibed Swami Vivekanand's exhortation to all citizens for devoting themselves to the nation. He followed that principle throughout his life.

Dr. Hedgewar stayed away from politics and generated an awareness in society to serve the nation selflessly. To achieve that end and to organise people for that purpose, the work of RSS was started with the daily shakha where persons of different age groups gathered for conducting physical and intellectual programmes which brought for the better an internal change in them.

After two years, activities of the organisation were initiated in other parts of the country too. In 1939, Shri Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, disciple of Swami Akhandanand, the third sabhapati of Ramakrishna Mission, started Sangh's work in undivided Bengal.

In the beginning he was helped in every possible way by Dr. Santosh Kumar Mukherjee of Kolkata. Shri Guruji arrived in Kolkata in the course of Sangh's work. In those days the only shakha active in Kolkata was in the open ground near Raja Dinendra street. A number of young men and teenagers would come for an hour to get physical and intellectual education.

Shri Devras was introduced to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the then National Executive president of Hindu Mahasabha, with the help of Shri Padmaraj Jain and Dr. S. K. Mukherjee of Kolkata. Then Balasaheb invited Dr. Syama Prasad to offer valuable guidance in the shakha. In the words of Shri Golwalkar, "the shakha is about putting principles into practice in one's life and not mere sermonising".

Dr. Mookerjee accepted the invitation and came to the shakha in April 1940 where he was impressed by the soldier-like guard of honour presented to him by the swayamsevaks. In this guard of honour the author, who was a school student at the time, was an active participant. Dr. Mookerjee spoke intimately with some swayamsevaks on this first contact with the daily shakha. In order to learn more about the ideology and activities of RSS, Dr. Mookerjee wrote a letter to Dr. Hedgewar requesting him to spend a whole day in Nagpur for discussion on the subject.

From May 1, 1940, a 40-day Adhikari Shikshan Varg was being conducted for the purpose of training swayamsevaks. Dr. Mookerjee reached on 20th May and was immensely pleased with the opportunity to give guidance to the trainees. The main objective of his meeting with Dr. Hedgewar was to discuss the miserable condition of Hindus in Bengal and find a solution to it.

At 9 pm on May 20, Dr. Mookerjee reached the residence of Dr. Hedgewar who walked up to receive his esteemed guest in spite of a debilitating illness and a 103-degree high fever. Discussions began in right earnest after exchange of warm greetings. Everyone present was moved by Dr. Mookerjee's description of the miserable plight of Hindus in Bengal. Speaking with great emotion of the atrocities inflicted on Hindus, he said that their lot wouldn't improve till a 'Hindu Protection Group' was constituted in Bengal.

Dr. Hedgewar enquired of him whether Muslim League and British Administration would allow such a protection group to function. This question put Dr. Mookerjee in a dilemma and he put a counter question: what else could be done to protect them?

With all seriousness, Dr. Hedgewar calmly replied that being disorganised was the main reason for the plight of Hindus in Bengal and Punjab. Therefore, an immediate response and reaction was not the solution. The only effective solution was awakening and organising the Hindu society as a whole. If the leaders of Bengal had been more alert to organising Hindus, they wouldn't have been reduced to this pitiable situation.

Dr. Mookerjee was profoundly impressed by his sense of confidence and clarity of thought. While bidding farewell the commitment reflected in the expressions of both was indescribable. (Dr. Hedgewar by N.H. Palkar, First Hindi edition, p415-6).

During his travel, Dr. Mookerjee was also impressed by Shri Golwalkar who went on to become the second Sarsanghchalak after the death of Dr. Hedgewar in June 1940. Both of them continued to share immense mutual respect.

Dr. Mookerjee endeared himself to RSS by his sincere efforts to protect Hindus in Bengal during the difficult period of 1940-47. When nearly 16 to 17 lakh Hindus had to migrate from East Pakistan leaving their belongings behind during 1947-50, a pained Dr. Mookerjee resigned from Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He was very depressed. At that time he vowed to create a political party with the ideal of an undivided nation. That was also the objective of RSS. He got in touch with Shri Guruji to ask for the help of able swayamsevaks for performing this task.

In 1951, committed swayamsevaks under the leadership of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay helped Dr. Mookerjee found Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Delhi. The next year, in 1952, it was recognised as a national party.