Veteran freedom fighter, former Union Minister and environmentalist Mohan Dharia, who had vehemently opposed the imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi and resigned from her Government in 1975, died at a private hospital in Pune on Monday morning, following a kidney ailment.
Dharia, who had been admitted to the Poona Hospital on Saturday for treatment, breathed his last at 7.55 am, after his condition deteriorated.He was 88 and is survived by his wife Shashikala, sons Sushil, Ravindra and daughter Sadhana Shroff.
Dharia was accorded a State funeral in Pune in the evening. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithivraj Chavan, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and leaders of different political parties attended his funeral.
A strong critic of Indira Gandhi in her lifetime, Dharia had opposed the thirty-eighth amendment of the Constitution of India that facilitated the declaration of Emergency in 1975 and quit the Indira Gandhi Government in protest.
Dharia, who was among the many former Congress leaders jailed during the Emergency, joined the movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan which contributed to the fall of the Indira Gandhi Government after the Emergency. He went onto become a Commerce Minister in the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party Government, in the post-emergency period.
Born on February 14, 1925 in Mahad town of Raigad district in Maharashtra, Dharia joined the freedom movement at a tender age of 17. He was jailed during the “Quit India” movement in 1942.
Having completed his degree from Pune’s IlS law College, Dharia practised law in the Bombay High Court for some years. He joined politics later. After being initially with the Praja Socialist Party (PRS), Dharia joined the Congress, with he was associated between 1962 and 1975.
Elected twice to lok Sabha from Pune – in 1971 and 1977, he was also a member of Rajya Sabha for two terms (1964-70 and 1970-71).
A recipient of Padma Vibhushan, the highest Padma award, in 2005, Dharia retired from active politics in 1982. later he founded ‘Vanrai’, a non-government organisation dedicated to the cause of conservation and social forestry. He also served as the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission from December 1990 to June 1991.
Despite being a bitter critic of late Indira Gandhi, Dharia was bestowed with the Indira Gandhi National Integration award in 2011 for his contribution to promote national integration.
Expressing his grief over the demise of Dharia, Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranaryanan stated, “Dr Mohan Dharia was a saintly figure in the public life of Maharashtra. After serving the nation with distinction as Parliamentarian, as Union Minister of Commerce and as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Dharia dedicated his life to the noble cause of environment protection, afforestation and rural development through his organisation ‘Vanarai’. He involved children and youths in the movement. Even at an advanced age, Dharia was full of energy and enthusiasm and was ever so willing to serve the society. In his demise, Maharashtra has lost a true Gandhian leader, a noble soul. Continuing his good work will be a fitting tribute to him”.
