RAMMANOHAR LOHIA

Lohia was a versatile genius. He had a sharp intellect. He wielded a sharp pen and he was a very effective and persuasive speaker. While addressing public gatherings he always spoke in Hindi. His speech used to be translated into the language of the region. He knew English, German and French very well. He was also proficient in Bengali. He was a man of incisive logic. Once he chooses a subject he would make a thorough study of it. He had special love for economics. And no one could deceive him with mere statistics.

Generally at meetings and conferences the leaders are on the stage. Lohia was an exception. He always sat with the Delegates. Once there was a special plenary session of the Praja Socialist Party in a town in Madhya Pradesh. The Party was discussing whether it should co- operate with the Congress. Ashok Mehta argued in favor of co-operation; Lohia was against such co-operation. His argument was clear; his words touched every heart. At last Jaya Prakash Narayan declared that he would inform Nehru that it was not possible for the party to co-operate with the Congress, and ended the discussion. Thus Lohia won over the entire gathering.