New Delhi, May 2: Staunch hardcore nationalist, former president of
Bharatiya Jansangh the earlier avatar of the present Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), Prof Balraj Madhok breathed his last Monday at the age of
96.
Madhok was ill for the last few days and the end came around 9.00 am at his residence in Central Delhi’s New Rajendra Nagar.
His body will be cremated this evening in New Delhi.
Born on February 25, 1920, in Skardu (Baltistan) region of Kashmir (now
in Pakistan’s Gilgit=Baltistan area), Madhok had his education in
Srinagar, the Prince of Wales College in Jammu and the Dayanand
Anglo-Vedic College (DAV College) in Lahore, graduating with B. A.
Honours in History in 1940.
He came in contact with Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while he was studying at Lahore in 1938 and
became a Pracharak in 1942. He was sent to Jammu and Kashmir to start
Sangh work there.
Madhok played a crucial role in saving Kashmir by
frustrating the Pakistani plans to grab the region during the
independence days. He was also one of the founders of Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later Bharatiya Jansangh.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of Balraj Madhok,
saying he was “selflessly devoted to the nation and society”.
Describing him as one whose “ideological commitment was strong and
clarity of thought immense”, Modi said he had the good fortune of
interacting with him on many occasions. “His demise is saddening,” the
Prime Minister said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit
Shah said that he was saddened by Balraj Madhok’s demise. His entire
life was committed to nation and ideology, he said.
RSS
Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat and Sarkaryawah Suresh alias Bhayyaji
Joshi expressed their condolences stating that Prof Madhok was
dedicated to the motherland and committed to his objective and mission.
Both the leaders offered condolences on behalf of all the swayamsevaks.
Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh
Vardhan tweeted, “Balraj Madhok left for heavenly abode today-India
loses a great intellectual, thinker and a social reformer.”
Prof
Balraj Madhok was very active in the contemporary Indian politics in the
1960s. He succeeded Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya as President of Bharatiya
Jansangh following the murder of Upadhyaya. In 1967, under his
leadership the Jansangh secured 35 seats in the Parliament, its highest
tally. He saw the split in the Congress in 1969 as an opportunity to
expand the Jansangh. However, owing to differences with other leaders,
Madhok was expelled from the Jansangh during the Presidential tenure of L
K Advani who headed the party in 1973.
When he was in Kashmir,
Madhok formed the Praja Paraishad in Jammu along with Pt Prem Nath Dogra
to resist the Pakistani raiders and armed forces that invaded Kashmir
in 1947-48. After the merger of J & K with India and Sheikh
Abdullah was appointed as its Prime Minister, the party demanded the
complete unification of Jammu and Kashmir with India, in opposition to
the loose autonomy negotiated between Abdullah and Nehru (later embodied
in the Article 370). Madhok was expelled from Jammu and Kashmir by
Sheikh Abdullah as a result of his politician stance.
Madhok moved
to Delhi in 1948 and started teaching at the Panjab University College,
which was established for the education of refugees from West Punjab.
Later, he became a lecturer of history at the DAV College in Delhi
affiliated to the Delhi University.
In 1951, Madhok joined Shyama
Prasad Mookerjee in the formation of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh. The Bengal
branch of the Jana Sangh was established by Mookerjee on 23 April 1951
and the Panjab and Delhi branch were established by Madhok a month
later, on 27 May 1951. Madhok served as the secretary of the Panjab
branch and later, a member of the Working Committee of the national
organisation.
Madhok was arrested during Emergency and was
imprisoned for 18 months, (1975–1977). He joined the Janata Party, into
which Jana Sangh merged, but resigned in 1979 and tried to revive Jana
Sangh under the name Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh. However, the party was
not successful.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times in 2010 on
the occasion of his 90th birthday, he claimed that his then opponent
Indira Gandhi had offered him the post of a central Minister in 1980 on
her return to power.