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New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to folk hero Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP, on his birth anniversary and remembered him as one of India’s boldest voices and a tireless champion for democracy.
Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava was born on October 11, 1902, in Sitab Diara village, in Chhapra district.
He is best remembered for leading a nationwide movement against late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-1970s and calling for ‘total revolution’, which became a defining moment in India’s democratic history.
Sharing a video tribute on Twitter, Prime Minister Modi said, “When one looks at the life of Jayaprakash Narayan, it comes to mind that even after so many ups and downs, one can keep striving to move forward. At that age, when he saw that the country was facing problems, he stood up again. His life taught us that one should not get discouraged if one fails a few times.”
“Loknayak JP dedicated his life to empowering common citizens and strengthening constitutional values. His call for total revolution ignited a social movement envisioning a nation based on equality, morality and good governance,” he said.
PM Modi said JP inspired mass movements across India, especially in Bihar and Gujarat, which led to political awakening and shook the then Congress government at the Centre.
“These movements shook the then Congress government at the Centre, which imposed emergency and trampled our Constitution,” he said.
Recalling JP’s time in jail during the Emergency, the Prime Minister said, “During the Emergency, Loknayak JP spent several days in solitary confinement. His prison diary reflects his suffering and unwavering faith in democracy and he wrote, ‘Every nail driven into the coffin of Indian democracy is like a nail driven into my heart.’
In 1975, when the Allahabad High Court found then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of violating electoral laws, Jayaprakash Narayan joined with chief ministers across the country to demand her resignation and urged the armed forces and police to disobey unconstitutional and unethical orders.
He championed a program of social transformation under his vision of ‘total revolution’, which sought to reshape Indian society on the pillars of justice, equality and morality.
Following his call for mass action, Indira Gandhi imposed national emergency at midnight on June 25, 1975, leading to the arrest of opposition leaders and dissenting voices.
Jayaprakash Narayan famously gathered a crowd of 100,000 people at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, where he recited Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’s’ iconic poem, ‘Singhasan khaali karo ke janata aati hai’, symbolizing the people’s assertion of democratic power.
He was later detained in Chandigarh, where his health deteriorated during his imprisonment. Granted a temporary parole to assist in flood relief in Bihar, his condition deteriorated, leading to his release on November 12, 1975.
On 8 October 1979, just three days before his 77th birthday, Jayaprakash Narayan died in Patna, due to complications from diabetes and heart disease.
–IANS
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