Editorial...

Khush rehna desh ke pyaro,
Ab hum to safar karte hain

It was one of the biggest jolts Bharatiya Janata Party received in the last 25 years when Shri Pramod Mahajan breathed his last on May 3, 2006. Earlier, BJP and its earlier incarnation, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, had suffered two grievous losses in the initial years when Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay were snatched away by destiny from us.

On October 21, 1951 Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded Bharatiya Jana Sangh and provided Indian democracy with an able and effective Opposition platform. Thereafter, the work of propagating Jana Sangh’s ideology among the people was carried on by Deendayalji. The heinous murders of both these luminaries continues to be shrouded in mystery even today.

After both these guiding lights had been snuffed out prematurely, people felt concerned about the future of Jana Sangh. In spite of doubts and misgivings, the flickering lamp of Jana Sangh continued to shine brighter and brighter even during the worst of storms and perils. This proved that the darkness that engulfs immediately after a great tragedy ultimately ushers in another dawn of brightness.

With the sudden and untimely demise of Pramodji, we have lost one of the main pillars of the party. And when any establishment loses such a strong pillar, it is shaken to its very foundation. This has happened with us because of Pramodji’s the death. God took him away when we needed him the most. We have been struck by a devastating bolt of lightning. It will take a long time for us to recover from the shock, but recover we must.

Once in an address, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had said that Dr. Hedgewar Sahib, the founder of RSS, was no longer amongst us, and neither was Guruji, who had spread the message of Sangh all over the country. Should this mean that our work will cease? Certainly not. On the contrary we must draw inspiration from them and our efforts should multiply exponentially.

God has snatched Pramodji from us, but his vision and ideals are still with us to pursue these further. We will have to come out of this period of crisis. The Almighty who made this great tragedy to befall on us will also be our saviour and will show us the path out of this catastrophe.

There is only one extraordinary personality like Pramodji in a million. People had a real glimpse of the man he was when he was struggling for life in Hinduja Hospital after being shot. For 12 days—from 22nd April till 3rd May—the whole country was praying for its favourite son. Snatching life from the jaws of death is an impossible task, yet the entire nation wished this miracle to happen and didn’t want him to go away so soon. Everyone instinctively felt that he had a greater role to play on the national stage and a lot more was yet to be accomplished by him.

A newspaper even wrote that if Pramodji survived and read all that had been written about him in the past 12 days, he might have collapsed on being overwhelmed with this great spectacle of love and affection for him. The truth is there for all of us to see. Bharatmata showered her love on Pramod—her adorable son, in whom she had high hopes. This adoration was not restricted to a particular group; it swept the whole nation. Fortunate indeed are those great men for whom the country cries a lot!

In the painful days when Pramodji was in hospital, his family members must have realised how high he had risen in the esteem of the people and how much did they love him. In spite of its grief, BJP was proud of the great crisis manager who was always there active and effective at such critical moments. In life, Pramodji was a fighter and he fought with death till the end.

The political establishment of the country was proud of him. Leaders of all parties had come to realise that a politician’s life is meaningful only if it is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional like that of Shri Pramod Mahajan.

Workers not just from BJP but from every political party felt proud of Pramodji’s example of how an ordinary political worker scaled dizzying heights in a dedicated career spanning 30 years. A feeling, though wrong one, pervaded in the minds of the people that those with rural background who had studied in ordinary schools were an inferior lot handicapped to make it to the top. Pramodji smashed this myth. Now people from ordinary families can draw inspiration from Pramodji’s life and learn how they too could create history with hard work and determination. .Now even the children of ordinary teachers could dream of conquering peaks which seemed impossible earlier. Blessed with countless qualities and skills, Pramodji readily accepted every challenge and immediately set upon overcoming it with his characteristic determination.

Whether it was Bihar or Maharashtra, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh, Orissa or Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, he never questioned the party leadership’s decision to entrust him responsibility in these States. A firm believer in always moving forward, he viewed a fall as just an opportunity to stand up on feet again and surge forward.

The media which had at one time taken potshots at him, virtually camped outside Hinduja hospital for those 12 days and every now and then continued to inform the people about his life’s achievements and the greatness he had attained. He was a favourite—not just of the media, but of the whole nation, and once a person belongs to the country, everyone comes to love him at one point of time or the other.

In this unfortunate era of cut-throat competition, the common man has come to view politics and politicians with disgust bordering on hatred, yet each and every citizen showered immense love and affection on Pramodji. It only shows that nation stands by those who live for it and serve the people selflessly.

From the poor man in a village, to the rich living in cosmopolitan metro cities—everyone could relate to Pramodji and called him his own. He was popular with every section of the society. He believed in evolving a common, united stand on national issues by rising above party lines. He believed in listening to everyone and giving weight to everyone’s viewpoint and yet, remained committed to the core ideology and principles. No matter how big or small a responsibility was, he took it upon himself as a divine order to serve the country. There is not a single State in India where party workers did not know him. Added to his tireless energy was his thirst for knowledge and he always kept learning like an eager student.

By the time this issue is in the hands of the readers, Assam assembly election results would have been out. He was the Prabhari of Assam elections and karyakartas who saw him working there, took heart from the fact that a leader of national stature was working alongside them like an ordinary party worker.

According to Pramodji, the question was not how many seats are won, but whether the party has expanded its reach to every level in every State because BJP is the focal point of national politics. In the case of Assam, where numerous problems exist, he believed that the party should have a stronghold at the grassroots level and he decided that no seat should go uncontested by the party.

In meetings whenever he spoke on Assam elections, it came out as the presentation of a clear analysis by someone who had undertaken an extensive research on the State’s politics. He said that we would win more seats than we had earlier, but we cannot comment on whether we would have a role in forming the Government. This was yet another example of his plain speak. Today, though he has left us, his ceaseless efforts will bear fruit soon.

The antim-yatra of Pramodji reflected his political and social journey. His antim-yatra was a witness to his lively networking. It was a procession of his sterling qualities. It was a march which upheld the tricolour’s dignity. It was an incomparable example of coalition politics. His antim-yatra left behind an everlasting memory exemplifying his dynamic life and a lasting inspiration for all party workers. His last journey was a befitting tribute to all that he stood for and had done for the country. It was a message—not only for BJP but for future generations—“Khush rehana desh ke pyaro, ab hum to safar karte hain”.

Pramodji, you may have left us physically, but your work will live forever. We pledge:

Tuney jo deep jalaya,
usey na bujhaney denge hum,
is bati ki punj prakash se,
jag-mag jag kar denge hum.