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| BJP's walls shrink for a martyr of ideology | | Irony: Surekha is dead, so is her name, portrait | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu|Sep 30
For all those years, when party leaders were fighting with each other in the game of one-upmanship, she fought for keeping the name of Bhartiya Janta Party alive. She ignored her children, ailing health and whatever she had to work tirelessly for the party. When she died as true martyr of an ideology, not only that her sacrificed have been forgotten, even the space at the party office has shrunk to the extent that even her small portrait can not find a due place.
This is how the warrior of BJP, Surekha Chowdhary left for the abode with no one in the party recalling her name, leave alone the sacrifices. Either the space in the BJP office, at Kachi Chhawni, has shrunk so narrowly or the approach of party leaders have become too narrow that those who dies while upholding an ideology are relegated to oblivion.
No body could have noticed how much the leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP care for their die-hard colleagues, had Surekha's daughter not visited the party office at the historic Pandit Prem Nath Dogra Bhawan. Apparently she had gone to the place which was like a temple, a place of worship for her mother Surekha. But when she found her portrait missing from the wall, her daughter Komal felt like crying so loud to even rip apart the skies. For Komal, her mother's missing portrait from the wall was more shocking than actually the death of Surekha; because, all her life she had seen her mother working with an unparalleled devotion for the party.
Those who know the organizational base of BJP in Jammu are expected to be well aware of Surekha Chowdhary and what all she stood for the party. In fact it should be said the other way around that what all party meant to her. She was the most visible face of the party and close to the issues of people.
May there be an issue of power blackout, water scarcity or something concerning the national security, Surekha had a take on every thing. Leader of the women wing of the party, she was a true activist and not the kind of "press release" based leader. Every now and then one would find her staging a protest demonstration or mobilizing public opinion on an important issue which could have served the interests of public in general and party in particular.
Around six months back, Surekha lost a battle against life. It is not sure whether her death was a loss for BJP or not but for those who watched Surekha work for the party, it surely was. The party leaders organized a brief in-memoriam at the Geeta Bhawan. In their speeches, one after the other, they showered ceremonial praises on her. "Surekha has not died for BJP, she will continue to live on with us as an inspiration", was the oft repeated line at the tribute service in her memory.
Few days after her death, her portrait was tied on a wall at the party office and floral tributes paid. The ritual passed off, party appointed a new president of the women wing. Few more days later, her picture was removed from the wall and her name was a history for the party.
When Surekha's daughter visited the party office, there was in waiting a shock of her life. On finding portrait of her mother missing, she lodged a strong protest with the party leaders. But all her cried dropped on the deaf ears. |
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