Surendra Mohan (1926-2010)

Surendra Mohan, a great socialist leader, thinker and activist, passed away in Delhi on December 17. He was 84.

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August 17, 2022

Surendra Mohan, a great socialist leader, thinker and activist, passed away in Delhi on December 17. He was 84.

Surendra Mohan was a close friend of Lok Naik Jai Prakash Narayan and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. He was also a close friend to some former Prime Ministers like Morarji Desai, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, Indra Kumar Gujral, and H.D. Deve Goda.  He was the modern link to the old socialist movement.

Born on December 4, 1926 in Ambala, Mohan lived a simple life like a common man but with his extraordinary oration left an abiding influence on people.

He was a teacher, lecturer, trade union leader, environmental activist, columnist, political analyst and parliamentarian. He played a key role in the formation of a coalition government of Janta Party in 1977 and also in the creation of a new party Janta Dal in 1989. He launched an agitation movement against Emergency in 1975 and was sent to jail for 19 months. During the imprisonment he faced first heart-attack. Then Jai Prakash Narayana advised him to try come out of the jail on parole. But he rejected the proposal and remained in jail. He was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1978 to 1984 and was a former Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission during 1996-1998.

There are many national level political leaders who have learnt a lot from him and remained associated with him for a long time such as Bihar Chief Minister. Nitish Kumar, Laloo Prasad, and Ram Vilas Paswan.

Mohan was the last Gandhian socialist and political analyst who always contributed to the mainstream and other publications. He also contributed his thought provoking articles to the Radiance Viewsweekly.

Among those who attended the funeral were Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, the former Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Social activist Swami Agnivesh, and veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar. Mr. Reddy called him last Gandhian follower and true socialist.

Several political leaders cutting across party lines remembered his services and expressed their grief on his death. The chief Minister of Bihar Mr. Nitish Kumar said in Patna that Mr. Mohan’s death has brought an era to an end. The NDA convener and president of Janta Dal (United) Mr. Sharad Yadav paid a tribute to Mr. Mohan and said that he was deeply saddened by his death. He further said, “He was an ideal socialist. Till the end he struggled for the deprived and backward classes. He made it a point to come all programmes, big and small, for the causes he believed in.”

The Communist Party of India showed their grief and sorrow on the death of Mr. Mohan and said that he was a veteran freedom fighter and father of socialist ideology for creating an egalitarian society. The party said that he was the comrade for the communists and struggle for common causes to uplift downtrodden and vulnerable poor people.

Mr. Surendra Mohan was a torch-bearer for the socialist movement and he never ended the light of this movement till his death, and he stood out like shining beacon. In 2010 he was made President of Rammanoher Lohia Birth Centenary Programme Committee. In one voice of Mr. Mohan all socialist reformers of every community and progressive thinkers came together at single platform to raise the thinking of Rammanoher Lohia in the age of scams.

Mr. Surendra Mohan was having very sharp eye on activities of different political parties and also on national and international politics. He was critical to new global scenario and power equation. His thoughts and writings left a great influence on the new generation. Mr. Surendra Mohan was very much against the new liberal economic and industrial policy of the government because this policy according to him only benefits the rich and capitalist class, and always exploit the deprived and poor class. He was in favour of a just society in which the downtrodden can also live with dignity.

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.