Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal, 89, who played a prominent role in the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement, died in a private hospital in Gurgaon on Tuesday.
The Metallurgy Engineer, who was a bachelor and an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak all his life, was the face of the VHP for years having pitchforked the organisation into the Ayodhya Ram temple movement which he internationalised by recruiting supporters and opening branches worldwide.
Singhal, who was admitted to Medanta Medicity Hospital, Gurgaon, on Saturday last with complaints of acute breathlessness and other problems, died at 2.24 pm following cardio-vascular failure and septicaemia, VHP’s international president Pravin Togadia, himself a doctor, said.
It was only last month during a public felicitation here on his 89th birthday that Singhal, a trained vocalist in Hindustani music (from the legendary Pandit Omkarnath), had rendered a patriotic song with surprising energy and verve when prodded by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat to sing. The occasion was the release of a book on his life ‘Hindutva ke Purodha’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his condolence message, termed him an “inspiration” for generations while BJP veteran lK Advani, who had visited him on Tuesday morning, described the VHP leader as “the chief architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement …. a man of sound knowledge and committed ideals”.
The Prime Minister tweeted, “The demise of Ashok Singhalji is a deep personal loss. He was an institution in himself, whose life was centred around serving the nation.”
BJP president Amit Shah also paid rich tributes to the departed leader saying even though he was born in a rich family, he devoted his entire life to serving the country and society.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he devoted his entire life to nation-building and would be remembered for his organisational skills, commitment and devotion to a cause. The demise of the VHP leader led to the cancellation of the proposed meeting of National Democratic Alliance here on Wednesday.
Born in Agra on October 2 in 1926, Singhal adopted an aggressive style in the kar sewak campaign in the build-up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992. He worked in various locations around Uttar Pradesh (UP), becoming a prant pracharak for Delhi and Haryana. In 1980, he was deputed to the VHP and became its joint general secretary.
In 1984, he became its general secretary and was later elevated to the post of its working president, a role in which he continued till December 2011.
Entrusted to work for the VHP in 1980, Singhal turned active after the Meenakshipuram conversions in 1981 in Tamil Nadu when the VHP built 200 temples for Dalits specifically and claimed that conversions had stopped thereafter.
Singhal played the role of a key organiser of the VHP’s first ‘Dharma Sansad’ in 1984 in Delhi that attracted hundreds of Sadhus to discuss the rejuvenating of Hinduism.
It was here that the movement for reclaiming the Ram temple at Ayodhya was born and Singhal soon emerged as the chief architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
VHP leaders considered him their “guide and visionary” as he led many a movement during his lifetime. He was instrumental in playing a key role in launching an Andolan in UP against the Emergency and also the ‘Gau-Raksha Andolan’ for the protection of cows.
Singhal continued to play an active role in the VHP and remained its patron till the end. Incidentally, a few days prior to being admitted to the hospital, Singhal undertook a 30-day tour of various countries to oversee the VHP’s activities.
The VHP opened branches in 40 nations from East to West, including in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Indonesia and Japan under Singhal’s leadership.