Even before the BJP could properly recover from the shock of its stalwart Pramod Mahajan'sdeath, the untimely demise of its national vice president and noted farmers? leader Sahib Singh Verma in a road accident has deeply shaken it. Shri Verma had been playing a key role in expanding the party base in rural areas especially among farmers in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. He made lakhs of admirers even in the remote areas of the country like Kutch in Gujarat where he is now a household name. After the earthquake in this region in 2001, he had adopted a village Dudhai in eastern Kutch and reconstructed 648 houses after spending Rs 17 crore under the banner of the Swabhiman Trust. He not only redeveloped the village, named as Indraprastha after reconstruction, but also struck a chord with the locals. This is the reason when the news of his death reached Dudhai, a busload of local people wasted no time in leaving for Delhi to participate in his last rites.
Such was the influence of Sahib Singh Verma that the people in Lawrence Road, the area that he represented in 1977 in Municipal Corporation of Delhi, kept their shops closed for two days to show their respect. Not only this, political leaders cutting across party line reached his residence at Tughlaq Lane in Delhi soon after hearing the news of his death and also participated in the cremation.
Shri Verma died in a road accident while returning from Neem ka Thana town in Sikar district of Rajasthan when a speeding cargo truck collided with his Tata Safari on June 30. The accident was so fatal that three persons including Dr Verma died on the spot while one died being moved to hospital. Sixty-four-year-old Shri Verma is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters. He was cremated at Ghewra Mor, near his ancestral village Mundka, with full state honours. His eldest son Pravesh Singh performed the last rites. Thousands including leaders from all political hues attended the cremation. It included former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Deputy Prime Minister Shri L.K. Advani, BJP president Shri Rajnath Singh, Sahsarkaryavah of RSS Shri Suresh Soni, Delhi BJP president Dr Harsh Vardhan, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, senior BJP leader Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Shri Vijay Goel.
Before the cremation, his body was bought to BJP central office at Ashoka Road where thousands of workers paid their tributes. Thousands of people of all age, from children and young to the old patrons of the village, visited the crematorium. Verma's92-year-old father was also present there and could not be consoled anyhow. He kept questioning his destiny that left him helpless and without his dearest son. ?He was leader of the poor. He ruled the largest constituency of Asia but never ignored we farmers. Whenever we reached with some complaint, he was more than eager to oblige us,? said Jagdish Singh who lives in a nearby village.
Born on March 15, 1943, Shri Verma did PhD in Library Sciences. He began his career as a librarian in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. He became a Sangh swayamsevak in 1970 and did third Sangh Shiksha Varga in 1986. He fought the first election to MCD in 1977 on Janata Party ticket from Lawrence Road and won. In 1983 he was re-elected on BJP ticket. In 1993 he became MLA from Shalimar Bagh and later became the Education and Development Minister in BJP government. He became Chief Minister of Delhi in 1996 after Shri Madan Lal Khurana'sresignation. In 1999, he won his first Lok Sabha election from Outer Delhi, the largest Parliamentary constituency of Asia with more than 32 lakh voters. In 2002, he became the Union Labour Minister in NDA government. If as a Chief Minister of Delhi he was remembered for his campaign to change Delhi'sname to Indraprastha, as a Union Labour Minister he was remembered for his dogged refusal to let the provident fund interest rates to be brought down. He was fairly a simple man. The day he resigned as Chief Minister of Delhi he took a DTC bus home.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said in the untimely death of Sahib Singh Verma the country has lost a prominent leader. ?His loss will deeply be felt among his friends and admirers.? Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee termed the death as an irreparable loss not only for the BJP but also for the national politics. ?His death has snatched away the personality who always championed the cause of rural people,? he added. Shri L.K. Advani said, ?He was a leader of the farmers and unorganised labourers. He drew up a Labour Bill during his term as Union Labour Minister.? Shri Rajnath who himself went to Rajasthan to receive the dead body, termed the death as an irreparable loss. ?He was not only popular in Delhi but in many parts of the country because he championed the cause of farmers, labourers and the unorganised sector,? he added. ?I would not be able to recover from this shock for a long time,? said Shri Yashwant Sinha. Shri Ravishankar Prasad said, ?We are very disturbed.? Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said even at the last meeting of BJP National Executive Shri Verma had raised the concerns of labourers and even moved a special resolution on the matter. Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra termed his death as both personal and professional loss. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Prof. Jagdish Mukhi said Vermaji thought ahead of his times. ?I was a professor in Delhi University when he worked as a librarian at Bhagat Singh College. Our association goes beyond politics and over the decades we had grown to be like a family,? he said. Delhi BJP president Dr Harsh Vardhan described his death as a big loss for the party. ?His death is a shock for all of us,? he added. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said, ?It is not just BJP'sloss, Delhi has lost a leader.? Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Rambabu Sharma said Shri Verma worked tirelessly to improve conditions in the underdeveloped constituency of Outer Delhi.
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal described Verma'sdeath as ?a great personal loss and a huge moment of grief for the poor and farming community.? He said Verma was an example of a down-to-earth politician rooted to the basic values of political life. Shiromani Akali Dal working president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in Shri Verma'sdeath the country had lost a votary of farmers and working class. He recalled that during his brief stint as the leader in charge of the BJP'sPunjab affairs he won the hearts of everyone with his down-to-earth approach. Rajasthan Chief Minister Smt Vasundhara Raje said the nation had lost a ?committed grassroots leader and very good administrator.? Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said Shri Verma was known for his simplicity and hard work and was easily accessible to the people. His death is an irreparable loss for the nation, he added. Former Delhi Chief Minister Shri Madan Lal Khurana described Verma as a national leader of farmers.
Leave a Comment