Dr Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi - Deendayal Upadhyaya: Life of an Ideologue Politician

DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA

Dr Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi, a PhD in History from JNU, is currently the National Convenor of BJP Journals and Publication Department, and also Executive Editor of Kamal Sandesh.

He edits party publications, presents papers in India and abroad, writes regularly in many national dailies and is seen in panel discussions on various national TV channels.

Published by

Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2018

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Copyright Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi 2018

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

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ISBN: 978-81-291-xxxx-x

First impression 2018

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In the loving memory of my parents,

Shyam Pyari Bakshi and Kartik Narayan Bakshi

CONTENT

PREFACE

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, as an ideologue, organizer and political leader, left his indelible imprint on the canvas of Indian politics. As an organizer he laid the foundation of a political party which later emerged as an alternative to Indian National Congress; as an ideologue he imbued the political horizon with the originality of his ideas; and as a political leader he pursued the idea of principled politics in the country. He propounded the philosophy of Integral Humanism, and also tried to present an ideal picture of a political activist, the Karyakarta, through his conduct in public life. His intellectual capabilities, ideological commitment and political acumen still continue to inspire a large number of activists. His main contribution lies in building the edifice of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, nurturing its political culture, conceptualizing its political ideology and heralding the era of coalition governments in pursuance of creating an alternative to Congress and its politics.

Upadhyayas life was full of challenges and difficulties. Both his parents died while he was still a child and his sibling left him at a very tender age. He also had to discontinue his studies due to adverse conditions at home. He came in contact with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1937 in Kanpur while pursuing his graduation. It was a turning point in his life. He embraced the life of a pracharak and became a full-time worker of RSS.

When Congress became a dominant force in national politics after Independence, many saw its policies and programmes as deviation from the ideals and ethos of the national movement and felt the need of an alternative political party. As a result, Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed in 1951 with Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee as its first President. After the mysterious death of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the responsibility to build the newly-born political party rested on the shoulders of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, who initially became its General Secretary and later, its President. His ideas and actions have a deep imprint on the functioning, programmes, policies and organisational structure of Jana Sangh, and later Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Moreover, many activists and leaders who later became the leaders of BJP had a great deal of training under him. The ideological moorings of BJP are deeply entrenched in his philosophy of Integral Humanism. BJP has adopted the philosophy of Integral Humanism, as propounded by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, as its core ideology. The party has now been focusing on Antyodaya, good governance, cultural nationalism, development and national security, while committing itself to the five basic principles called Panchanishthayen, all of which have their roots in Integral Humanism.

It has been attempted to decipher the journey from Bharatiya Jana Sangh to Bharatiya Janata Party and the impact of his ideas on the overall political culture and ideological and political evolution of the party. The book tries to analyze his political and ideological aspects and his contribution in the shaping of BJP. The governance and development models of BJP have been tried to be viewed in the contours of his ideals, writings and speeches. The book attempts to contextualize his vision, ideas, politics and the manner in which he sought to build Bharatiya Jana Sangh while seeking to create a niche for it in the non-Congress political space in India. It mainly discusses the historical circumstances in which the party was born and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyayas role in making it a political force within a very short span of time. The book is written with an eye on the general readers who are eager to know more about him and the historical circumstances that led to the creation of Jana Sangh and its transition to BJP.

HIS JOURNEY

11 February 1968

30, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhiofficial residence of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

The silence was broken by the repeated ringing of the phone. As the sound grew shriller, Vajpayees cook Birjoo rushed to receive the call. The news that was conveyed required to be passed on immediately. Vajpayee, then attending a meeting of Jana Sangh Parliamentary Party at 1, Ferozshah Road, received the news.

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was found murdered.

It was a bombshell; unbelievable! The meeting was immediately adjourned.

The heart-rending incident was reported from Mughalsarai Railway Junction. At around 3.30 a.m. on 11 February 1968, a body was found lying by the railway track. It was discovered in the morning that the person found dead was Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya, the then President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. The news spread in no time and a large number of Jana Sangh karyakartas started gathering in droves. Jana Sangh leaders and karyakartas across the nation were plunged into shock, grief and disbelief. Who could have committed this heinous crime? He was held in very high esteem as a leader of complete integrity, intellect and organizational ability, and known for his simplicity, humility and idealism. He was a man who knew no enemy, an Ajaatshatru in every sense of the word.

The murder of Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya still remains one of the unresolved mysteries of independent India.

ORPHANED CHILDHOOD

Nature processes destiny in its own ways. Many a time it creates obstacles in the path to greatness, tests a person though adversities and puts the exceptional challenges before the chosen ones. It fashions a person on the anvils of difficulties and moulds the persona only after it has faced the trials by fire. Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya was no exception.

On 25 December 1916, Deena, as Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya was nicknamed in his childhood, was born to Pt Bhagwati Prasad Upadhyaya and Smt Rampyari. His father was serving the Railways as station master of Jalesar Road Railway Station at the time of his birth. His mother was a deeply religious lady. Although Deena was born in Dhanakia, Rajasthan, in the house of his maternal grandfather, his family originally belonged to Nagla Chandrabhan village in Mathura district, the birthplace of Bhagwan Krishna. Two years later, his brother Shivdayal was born.