Jagmohan saved RSS office in Delhi from getting bulldozed during emergency-Indresh Kumar

New Delhi, May 8: Jagmohan Malhotra, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, saved the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office situated in Jhandewalan in New Delhi from getting bulldozed during the 1975 Emergency days, revealed Indresh Kumar, senior Pracharak and member of RSS National Executive.

Paying rich tributes to late Jagmohan, Indresh Kumar said that late Jagmohan was a born patriot. He provided clean and transparent administration and strived for development and discipline in the society.

He said that he was very closely associated with Jagmohan who was his ‘mission friend’ in his personal life. This association was further cemented through a devotee of Jhandewalan temple Hari Om who was Jagmohan’s family friend.

During the 1975 Emergency, the then Indira Gandhi Government wanted to take over the RSS office situated in Jhandewalan and bulldoze it. But it was Jagmohan who played a key role in saving the RSS office in Delhi then, Indresh Kumar revealed.

Recalling his association with Jagmohan who was made the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during 1984-89 when Indresh Kumar was Prant Pracharak of RSS, the RSS functionary said that he used to have frequent meetings with him to discuss various issues. During this period Indresh Kumar conveyed a message from the then RSS Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Devras to Jagmohan in one such meeting at Rajbhavan in Srinagar.

Balasaheb wanted Jagmohan to study in depth Article 370 and 35A to ascertain its utility and necessity for Jammu and Kashmir. Devras wanted the former Governor to explain the plus and minus points of Art 370 and 35A, and Devras also said that his name would be written in Red Letters in the list of those who saved the unity and integrity of the country.

Since then he started studying these two constitutional provisions and inferred that both of them are dangerous and anti-humanity. Jagmohan decided that he would write on this.

During the 1990 January the RSS insisted upon the then Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh whose government was supported by the BJP and the Left, that Jagmohan should be sent to the state as Governor to which the Prime Minister conceded and Jahgmohan was appointed Governor for the second stint in Srinagar.

Those were the turbulent days for Jammu and Kashmir as terrorism has almost spread to the Kashmir Valley and the world powers were conspiring to declare J & K as independent country. It was Jagmohan who did not allow this to happen and destroyed these anti-national designs and conspiracies of these powers and the terrorists. He will be known in the annals of history of independent India for saving the unity and sovereignty and integrity of India and frustrating the conspiracies to declare Kashmir as an independent nation.

He also made sincere efforts to resettle those who were forced to leave their home and hearths during the heydays of terrorism from the Valley. But he was recalled by the Centre due to some developments. When he resigned as Governor and was moving to Delhi, a send off program was held in his honor at Rajbhavan Jammu.

The RSS representatives who were present at that function praised Jagmohan for his heroic and visionary works. Replying to his felicitation, Jagmohan said that he had all the constitutional authority and powers to work and he utilized them to serve the people. But these RSS pracharaks do not have any such authority, power of facilities. Yet they continue to serve the society and to safeguard the life values even at the cost of their life. They are the examples of true sacrifice and service, he had said in praise of RSS activists then.

Paying rich tributes to the departed leader, Indresh Kumar said that Balasaheb Devras’ observation that Jagmohan’s name would be written in Red Letters is proving to be true. Offering his deep and heartfelt condolences Indresh Kumar also recalled how the late Jagmohan played a pivotal role in developing the amenities from Katra to Vaishnodevi temple and the regulations he made for they remained incomparable and indelible.

Indresh Kumar recalled former J & K Chief Minister Faruk Abdulla’s remarks when he said at Jagmohan’s send off program that people of J & K will vote for Jagmohan only. He was the man of such a sterling character, Indresh Kumar said.