Salutes to stalwart of Secularism, amity and brotherhood H. N. Bahuguna on his Birth anniversary

AUTHOR SUNIL NEGI WITH H. N. BAHUGUNAJI

Today is the 104 th Birth Anniversary of the renowned political stalwart, freedom fighter, revolutionary during his students days while fighting the colonial British and jailed from 1942 Quit India movement days to 1946 in various freedom movements in Allahabad carrying an award of Rs 10000/ 25000 on his head for being caught dead or alive, former MLA, MP, union minister, chief minister of UP n president of DSP, DMKP n Lok Dal late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna.

A strong proponent of secularism and national integrity n true leader of the masses late H. N. Bahuguna’s birth anniversary is commemorated on 25 th April every year by his committed followers in different parts of the country who’d tirelessly worked with him and staunchly believed in his ideals, ethics, principles, ethos, progressive and secularist credentials.

Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was an outstanding and exceptional political stalwart of his time and institution in himself having been born in a nondescript village of Garhwal on 25 th April 1919 , his father being Patwari and then Tehsildar.

( In the pics above author Sunil Negi with the then Political Stalwart H.N.Bahuguna at 5 Suneheri Bagh Road when he resigned from Congress and later on at 92, Shahjahan Road when he was contesting as an independent ( DALIT MAZDOOR KISAN PARTY, UNRECOGNISED ) candidate from Garhwal Lok Sabha against Congress candidate, having left Congress for the second time when met with harsh treatment by Sanjay Gandhi)

Extremely influenced by the freedom movement during pre independence days especially hearing the speeches and news about Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri, Bahuguna since his student days instead of abiding by the instructions of his father to pursue good education locally preferred to go to Dehradun and from there to Allahabad to shape his destiny by plunging wholeheartedly in freedom movement, annoying his parents to the core.

A very sharp minded student Bahuguna sought primary and middle education from his village and DAV school Pauri and thereby completing his metric from the then prestigious Mesmore Intermediate School, Pauri, finally shifting to Allahabad to qualify his intermediate from Government Intermediate College in Science stream and seeking graduation degree in Arts from Allahabad’s College while also being relentlessly engaged in freedom movement, student activities and college student politics.

While in Allahabad during student and youth days Bahuguna was proactive in students politics and won the Allahabad Students Union elections , quite popular as a revolutionary student leader.

He also ran several mazdoor unions and learnt how to deliver fiery speeches against the British including applying puncture on cycles and rickshaws and also running the cycle rickshaws on rent to earn livelihood and manage expenses for the movement n studies.

He ran rickshaw and mazdoor unions and union in electricity department of Allahabad becoming extremely popular student and youth leader full of revolutionary fervour opposing the colonialist Britishers tooth and nail.

The then Allahabad police had kept a prize of Rs. 10 to 25000 on his head to catch him dead or alive, such was Bahuguna a headache for the then British government.

He was jailed number of times and cumulatively ran prison sentences for participating in the Quit India movement n other processions and activities in 1942 to 1946 during the imperialist British rule in Allahabad.

During his participation in the freedom movement and being active in the Congress politics as well as a dashing revolutionary student n youth leader , Bahuguna was also in contact with Jawahar Lal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri hearing to their fiery speeches and drawing inspiration from them forth with.

Coming out of student politics, Bahuguna made his mark as a trade union leader. He first contested elections from Karchana assembly seat in 1952 and became an MLA and eventually became a minister in UP in 1957.

By 1969 he was a powerful personality in UP. Entered politics and eventually joined Indira Gandhi’s Council of Ministers as Minister of State for Communications in 1971.

There was no turning back.

AT PRESS CLUB OF INDIA WITH DR. IDREES QURESHI, SUNIL NEGI, DHIRENDRA PRATAP. VETERAN JOURNALIST MISHRAJI, MR. GAUR , VINOD NAUTIYAL, SURESH NAUTIYAL, PRATAP SHAHI ETC

He was made the minister in the UP cabinet there after. During seventies Bahuguna came closer to the then prime minister Indira Gandhi having played a crucial role in 1969 when Congress was divided.

Bahuguna was appointed by the then PM Mrs Gandhi as the state communication minister with independent charge in 1971 till 1973.

While he was communication minister Bahuguna brought tremendous development in the then communication ministry and P & T department, opening good number of post offices and enlarging the communication network in the country with special emphasis on hilly areas of Uttarakhand including giving telephone connections surprisingly to people who requested him for phone connections, saying that he’ll talk to them in the evening on phone.

The people requesting for phone connection used to be surprised when their telephone bell rang in the evening in their houses and Bahuguna talking to them asking ” Has the phone been fixed”. Such was his, style of functioning and delivering results.

In 1973 when Uttar Pradesh was witnessing tremendous uncontrollable crisis by the Shia Sunni riots, widespread teachers strike, PAC revolt and other upheavals the then CM Kamlapati Tripathi was replaced by H. N. Bahuguna who after taking the reigns of UP government in his hands changed the ongoing crisis into stability and prosperity to utter surprise of the then PM Mrs Gandhi acknowledging accolades from the people n media.

After Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna took the cudgels of disturbed Uttar Pradesh in his hands not only did he crushed the PAC revolt with his dexterity to rule efficiently, he also ended the ongoing teachers strike fulfilling their demands including bringing to halt the earlier Shia Sunni Clashes during MOHARRAM festival etc.

For hilly regions of Uttarakhand – Bahuguna had constituted a separate Hill development Board or council to be looked by a separate ministry to ensure the overall development of the hills and its inhabitants.

News analysts say that by this action he had actually sown the seeds of Uttarakhand state with Uttarakhand is thinking that they should have their separate political entity as a state.

Not only this but it is said that this great leader of the masses, the down trodden, backwards and the hapless Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was rated as the prime ministerial stuff by the then Russian Ambassador in one of the seminars organised by Blitz in Lucknow also attended by Bahuguna and R. K. Karanjia, editor in chief of Blitz.

This appreciation of H. N. Bahuguna, the then UP CM by the Russian Ambassador equating him with Mrs Gandhi well published in newspapers raised PM Indira Gandhi’s eyebrows, who started deputing his henchmen at Lucknow to destabilize Bahuguna politically including spying on him.

Meanwhile Jai Prakash Narayan was given a red carpet welcome by Bahuguna when he visited UP to generate public against the imposition of emergency.

Being impressed by Bahuguna’s hospitality Jai Prakash Narayan had no option but to return back without creating any problem to his government.

This outstanding feat of HN Bahuguna obliging an opposition leader challenging her, also badly perturbed Mrs. Gandhi.

The former chairman of National Herald and then Indira Gandhi’s pet stooge Yashpal Kapoor was sent to Lucknow to keep eye on the activities of H. N. Bahuguna.

When Bahuguna got the news about Yashpal Kapoor staying in his Bunglow’s outhouse in Lucknow and spying on him, Bahuguna himself along with his men threw the ” BORIA BISTER”, of Yashpal Kapoor out and directed him to leave Lucknow immediately.

Kapoor complained to PM Gandhi. This is how the relationship between Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi started becoming strain.

Thus Bahuguna’s tenure as UP CM was short lived and was finally forced to resign in 1975.

Meanwhile, draconian emergency was invoked in the country after Mrs Gandhi lost in Allahabad high court.

There was anti emergency and anti Indira wave getting up at the pan India level. The relations between Bahuguna, PM Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi had become very strained. Bahuguna had no option but to oppose the draconian emergency. He opposed it tooth and nail and applied his total energy to convince the then Defence Minister Babu Jagjeevan Ram and Orissa CM Nandani Satpathy to leave Congress forthwith.

The moment trio Babu Jagjivan Ram, H. N. Bahuguna and Nandani Satpati resigned from Congress publicly opposing the draconian emergency the JP movement got a new momentum.

The parting of ways by these three leaders of Congress on Bahuguna’s call from India’s Congress lead to the formation of Janata Party , a conglomerate of 22 political parties, regional and national.

Babu Jagjivan Ram, Bahuguna and Nandani Satpathy formed a new party called Congress for Democracy. The Congress lost badly n Indira Gandhi too lost from Rai Bareilly.

Bahuguna was sworn in as the Petroleum minister in Moratji government who did good work in this sector nationally and also opened good number of petrol pumps and gas agencies in Uttarakhand giving gas connections to unaccounted number of people.

In 1979 -80 during Chowdhary Charan Singh’s tenure Bahuguna served as the finance minister.

Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna was known as a renowned committed secularist and introducer of Riza Iftar parties in the country who never compromised on principles always preferring to give up power and position, not caring for political comforts ever.

When he rejoined Congress on the special request of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay pronouncing him as Mamaji, in 1979 campaigning for Congress nationally in his capacity of Secretary General the Congress staged a comeback with a massive majority and Indira Gandhi was sworn in a PM but the strained relationship soured up due to Sanjay Gandhi’s disrespect to Bahuguna and he being sidelined in the council of ministers.

Bahuguna resigned from Garhwal and re – contested as an independent DMKP candidate to win by more than 29000 votes.

This Garhwal election was postponed due to heavy rigging by Congress which earned international name and fame as during those days the BBC had highlighted this election to the core terming it as an election between PM Indira Gandhi vs HN Bahuguna.

However, the election against Amitabh Bachchan from Allahabad was indeed a Waterloo for H. N. Bahuguna in 1984 from where he lost by a massive margin of 1,87000 votes.

Strongly believing in Gandhian ideals and propagating Ghar Ghar Swaraj and decentralisation of economic and political power at village levels – Bahuguna was literally shattered since then. He formed Democratic Socialist Party, Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party and was also the president of Lok Dal but failed in all his attempts unfortunately despite he being an outstanding leader of global stature.

He breathed his last on 17 th March 1989 at Cleveland Hospital after an unsuccessful coronary bypass heart surgery sending shock wave across the nation among his millions if die hard ideological friends and followers.

This was his second surgery earlier one performed at Houston, USA.