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'He was not a rebel in any sense of the word'

Senior Congress leader and Congress Working Committee member Motilal Vora pays tributes to Jitendra Prasada, who died Tuesday afternoon at the Indraprastha Apollo hospital after being in coma for over a week.

I had a long association with Jitendra Prasad. I first met him 25 years ago when he was still dabbling in Uttar Pradesh politics. Our first meeting left a deep impression on me and I knew that this man would go a long way in his political career.

When I learnt that he was no more, I was shocked because I had lost a personal friend and a good colleague.

Jitendra Prasadji's association with the Congress party dates back to 1950s when he first joined the party as a grassroots worker.

His contribution to the Congress was of immense value. He was a staunch Gandhian. In whatever capacity he served the party, he proved his worth. I was much impressed by his integrity and his way of working. He was a good organiser. As far as the party is concerned he wanted to make it stronger and healthier.

During his tenure as the president of the UP Congress he strove hard to unite the Congressmen and this took him to remote villages and districts to meet grassroots workers.

Some people have described Jitendra Prasadji as a rebel. I would not say he was a rebel in any sense of the word. Only last week he had a two-hour meeting with the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. At no point of time the party described him as a rebel.

The media has made much of his challenge to Sonia Gandhi in the party elections. But the Congress president, after she was formally elected, had appreciated that Jitendra Prasadji put up a spirited fight.

As a parliamentarian he was outstanding. I had seen him debating on various issues in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

( As told to Onkar Singh)

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