Sir —With the demise of Mohan Dharia, an era has come to an end in India’s political history.
Dharia was the last of the young Turks, along with former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, former vice President Krishna Kant and Ram Dhan, who had fought fiercely against the imposition of Emergency. With his death, the nation has lost an eminent statesman, parliamentarian, Union Minister and a true humanist who always spoke his mind and upheld the core values of freedom and democracy.
A trained lawyer and socialist at heart, Dharia was a true patriot and tireless crusader of the ‘free people’ concept, and will be best remembered for locking horns with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by launching a campaign against the imposition of Emergency. He was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act and was imprisoned for 17 months.