VETERAN Sangh activist and former Delhi Prant Sanghachalak Satyanarain Bansal passed away at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in New Delhi on February 19. He was 84. He is survived by a son Shri Ravi Bansal who is now Prant Prachar Pramukh of Delhi, and four daughters.
He was suffering from some age-related ailments for some time. When the news of his passing away spread in the city, hundreds of swayamsevaks and leaders of various organisations rushed to his residence in Punjabi Bagh to pay tribute. Later, his body was taken to Keshav Kunj, the RSS headquarters in New Delhi, where thousands of people from Delhi and adjoining states paid tribute.
Prominent among those who paid tribute at Keshav Kunj included Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt Sushma Swaraj, senior BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP general secretary (organisation) Shri Ramlal, senior Sangh Pracharaks Shri Madhubhai Kulkarni, Shri Suryakrishna and Shri Sohan Singh, founder of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat Sardar Chiranjiv Singh, Kshetra Pracharak Shri Rameshwar, Kshetra Karyavah Shri Sitaram Vyas, Delhi Prant Pracharak Shri Prem Kumar, Prant Karyavah Shri Vijay Kumar, Mayor of Delhi Shri Prithviraj Sawhni, Delhi BJP president Shri Vijendra Gupta, Shri Somnath Khedkar of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, Shri Ameerchand of Sanskar Bharati, Haryana Prant Pracharak Dr Shrikrishna Baveja, former Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, former BJP MP Smt Anita Arya, senior Advocate of Supreme Court Shri Ramphal Bansal, many MLAs, MCD Councillors and leaders of various social and cultural organisations of Delhi.
Later, a large number of people participated in his last journey. He was cremated at Nigam Bodh Ghat the same day. Prominent among those who paid tribute at Nigam Bodh Ghat included senior BJP leader Shri LK Advani, RSS National Executive Member Shri Indresh Kumar, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, former Delhi BJP president Prof. Omprakash Kohli, MCD Commissioner Shri KS Mehra, former Governor and veteran BJP leader Shri Kidarnath Sahni, BJP general secretary Shri Vijay Goel, former Delhi BJP president Shri Mangeram Garg, former Mayor of Delhi Shri Mahesh Chand Sharma, Leader of House in MCD Shri Subhash Arya, Delhi Prant Sampark Pramukh Shri Ishkumar, general manger of Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd Shri Jitendra Kumar, and many others.
In his condolence message, BJP national president Shri Nitin Gadkari described Bansalji a committed worker of RSS who dedicated his entire life to the cause of the Sangh and the Hindu society. Apart from it, he also played an active role in political and social organisations of Delhi, he said.
In his tribute, veteran BJP leader and former Governor Shri Kidarnath Sahni described Bansalji ‘a committed Hindutva worker’. “His father was also a committed social worker. Prior to 1947, when the British government tried to remove a Shiv temple near Old Delhi Railway Station, he led an agitation against it and finally won. That temple still exists there. The patriotic samskars that Bansalji got from his father and also from the Sangh shakha reflected in all his deeds. Even after getting higher education he continued the traditional business of his family and their coal shop near Fatehpuri mosque in Delhi was a prime centre of nationalist activities. He also had interest in literature and he published a magazine for some time under the title Itihaas. He also led the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for some time. He played a key role in expanding the Sangh, Bharatiya Jansangh and then the BJP work in Delhi with full devotion. Despite getting very weak and losing eye sight he used to attend the Thursday shakha of RSS in Keshav Kunj till a few weeks ago. He presented an ideal before all his friends and the swayamsevaks,” Shri Sahni said.
Former Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Madanlal Khurana said Bansalji was his very close friend. “He was an ideal for all the workers. I realised it when we were in jail during the Emergency,” he said.
Veteran Sangh Pracharak Shri Sohan Singh said Bansalji worked in different fields. “Whatever work he was assigned by the Sangh, he worked with full devotion. Whether it was the Sangh shakha or work of Keshav Smarak Samiti or the politics, he worked sincerely and tirelessly. He always remained active and thought only for the Sangh work,” he said.
Born on September 27, 1927 in Delhi Satyanarain Bansal had close relations with freedom fighters like Master Amirchand and other revolutionaries. He actively participated in the freedom movement. His father, the late Bisan Swarup Bansal, was then a leading coal merchant of Delhi. Satyanarainji was general secretary of Shri Vaishya Agrawal Panchayat for about 30 years. He also held various responsibilities in Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, Shri Dharmik Ramlila Committee and many other such organisations.
He passed MA in Political Science and LLB with first class. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1944 and holding various responsibilities rose to become Delhi Prant Sanghachalak. He also participated actively in politics. He was in jail for 19 months during the Emergency as he was then Delhi state president of Bharatiya Jansangh. After that he became chairman of Standing Committee in MCD. After the formation of BJP, he was its senior vice president for many years. He was also interim president of Delhi Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for three years. When the Sanskar Bharati was formed he became its founder president and held this responsibility for 10 years. He was also patron of Vidya Bharati in Delhi which runs over 70 schools.
He became Managing Director and Chairman of Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd in 1954 and held this responsibility for many decades. He was active in more than 20 social, cultural and service organisations of Delhi.
