Jana Sangh co-founder Madhok dead

New Delhi, May 2

Former Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) president Balraj Madhok, who was among its founders but was expelled later, died today after being ill for over a month.

Madhok (96) was unwell for some time and had been admitted to AIIMS for a month where he died around 9 am. Born on February 25, 1920, in the undivided Jammu and Kashmir’s Skardu area, Madhok led the BJS to its biggest ever win in 1967 when it won 35 seats in the Lok Sabha. His decline began in the 1970s as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani rose in prominence and he was expelled from the party in 1973 on disciplinary grounds.

A leading light of the Jana Sangh, the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party, in the 1960s and early ’70s, Madhok represented the NCT of Delhi and South Delhi in the 2nd and 4th Lok Sabha in 1961 and 1967, respectively.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his last respects to him and met his family members to condole his death.

“Heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of a stalwart leader of Jana Sangh Shri Balraj Madhok. Balraj Madhok ji’s ideological commitment was strong & clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation & society.

Madhok was associated with the RSS before the Jana Sangh was founded and was also the founder secretary of ABVP, the student wing of the pro-Hindutva organisation.

In 1951, he was the convener of the first convention of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was appointed the national Secretary. In 1966, he was elected as national president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.

Madhok’s close associate LK Advani described him as a leader who was fully committed to Jana Sangh’s ideology and principles.

Vagish Issar, who looks after the media affairs of the RSS, said very few people know about Madhok’s work in J&K after Partition. Issar quoted Madhok as saying that when Pakistani tribals raided Kashmir in 1947, there was no helipad in his area. To help the Indian forces land there, he along with Kedarnath Sahni and Jagdish Abrol prepared the helipad overnight. — Agencies