In politics, there are many leaders who go with the flow and change direction with the wind. In my long political career, I have seen few instances of exceptions to this rule. The prominent name among them is Jawaharlal Ji Darda alias Babuji, the senior leader of Congress in Maharashtra. For me, he was a political colleague but I always looked up to him as the link between my husband’s home and paternal home and Babuji also cherished this relationship with great affection.
My paternal home is in Khandesh while my husband’s home is in Amravati in Vidarbha. In the form of Lokmat, Babuji had a strong bond with both these regions and I was attached to him as a result of these two relations. Babuji had an amiable nature, and he knew how to maintain friendship and affection even while dealing with the stress of politics!
The three years from 1977 to 1980 were the period that tested the party loyalty of all the Congress leaders across the country. Babuji stood firmly behind Indira Gandhi by resigning as an MLC during that very trying time. At that time, the situation of the Indira Congress in Maharashtra was very bad. Only a few of us were left with the party.
I am a witness to how many and what kind of allurements were given to Babuji at that time. But he did not care. His loyalty did not waver. It was a big test! After becoming the state president of Maharashtra Congress in 1988, my first public felication was organised by Babuji at Congress Bhavan in Jalgaon. I still remember that event. The feelings and trust he showed towards me on that occasion gave me hope for the journey ahead.
Jawaharlal Ji Darda was a progressive personality. He was a conscientious and tolerant leader who was aware of the value of social service. He had a social vision, concept of service, hardworking and tolerant attitude. I had heard about him but I came in direct contact with him when I joined Congress. Young people were also given a lot of freedom to work in Congress. During that time,
Jawaharlal Ji Darda was one of the important leaders of Congress in Maharashtra. Therefore, I used to meet him in connection with the party work, meetings, conventions, etc. I still remember his calm face, soft voice and soft smile that quickly made me like him. We women workers used to tell Babuji our expectations from the party organisation with the same confidence as a daughter confides in her father. Babuji’s characteristic was that he used to be a youth among the new and spirited workers like us and spoke equally intimately with the senior leaders. At that time, all the members of the Congress were veterans and dedicated. Babuji used to pay special attention to the youths. He used to carefully record the expectations, needs and problems of the youths and put them up before the senior leaders.
Therefore, there was an ideological confluence of conscience, loyalty and honesty in his work. Babuji’s political life was stormy. He had to face many difficult situations and severe criticism.
He overcame every difficulty every time. He also showed how independent one can be in politics. I think he possessed the great quality of not allowing inter-party rivalry in politics to turn into hatred and maintained friendly relations with the members of his own party as well as those of the opposition. He had an uncanny knack of winning over even the enemy with his amiable nature.
I am extremely happy that the comprehensive life story of Jawaharlal Ji Darda, whose contribution is immense in the development of Maharashtra, is being published on the occasion of his birth centenary.