Yet another remarkable product of the freedom movement has left the scene forever. It will be less than honest to list him among the great the struggle threw up; D.P. Mishra was more a close lieutenant of Sardar Patel than of Mahatma Gandhi, who alone in modern India has shaped men into heroes. But it will also be less than honest to deny that the man lived and died for the country and the Indian state; even in the last phase of life, when he had been greatly enfeebled by age and ailments, he spent several months in Delhi so that he could help subdue the storm which, at one stage, threatened to weaken the foundations of the Indian state; those who had the good fortune to meet him during this period will testify to the clarity of his mind and the strength of his determination. On the dedication of such men rest durable and great states. Indeed, a country’s future can be assessed by the number of such men it produces, sustains, and honours.
D.P. Mishra was nothing if not controversial. He first shot into national prominence in the late forties, when he served as a bridge between Sardar Patel, then Home Minister, and the RSS leadership which had been accused unjustly of being involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and put behind the bars. His role in getting the ban on the RSS lifted earned him the hostility of the liberals and the Leftists. This hostility got reinforced soon afterwards when he rose to the defence of Purushottam Das Tandon who had been elected Congress president with the support of Sardar Patel in the face of Pandit Nehru’s opposition and who was, after the Sardar’s demise, forced to resign by Nehru. Nehru’s action was unsustainable on moral grounds – Tandon was not a communalist – but necessary on political grounds; Nehru needed a sacrificial goat to assert his supremacy. All that, however, does not concern us presently. Our interest is to recall D.P. Mishra’s willingness to stand up to Nehru and for his convictions, even if it meant fall from grace. There were several ups and downs in his political life afterwards. But he never disguised his views, not to speak of changing them for the sake of convenience.
D.P. Mishra was a master of political manoeuvre. That is why he has been called Chanakya of modern India. But that would be a poor tribute to him, unless Chanakya himself is seen in the classical Indian tradition, which requires not only the prince, but also the counsellor to be a yogi. D.P. Mishra belonged to that tradition, even if he could not fully measure up to its impossible demands. While Indira Gandhi leaned on him in her great battle in 1969-71, he sought nothing and expected nothing from her, except that his counsel, if asked for, be heeded. Rajiv Gandhi too sought him out, and he responded despite his infirmities. And he had a view of Indian nationalism which is worthy of attention. D.P. Mishra deserves the nation’s recognition and gratitude.