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Jagmohan Malhotra (25 September 1927 – 3 May 2021), known by the mononym Jagmohan, was an Indian civil servant and politician. After working with the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
, he joined the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...
in 1995. He served as
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of Delhi and Goa, as the
5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
, and for three terms as
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for New Delhi. In the cabinet, he served as Union Minister for
Urban Development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...
and
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
.


Early life

Jagmohan Malhotra was born in a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family to Amir Chand and Dropadi Devi on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. He got married in 1957 to Uma, who came to be known as Uma Jagmohan.


Career

Jagmohan admired Georges-Eugene Haussmann. Jagmohan first gained notoriety during his stint as vice-chairman of the
Delhi Development Authority The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is a planning authority created in 1957 under the provisions of the Delhi Development Act "to promote and secure the development of Delhi". It is responsible for planning, development and construction of h ...
in the mid 1970s. During this time he grew close to
Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...
, who functioned as an informal advisor to his mother, Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was al ...
. During the Emergency (1975–77), Sanjay Gandhi entrusted Jagmohan with the "beautification" of Delhi, a task that involved large-scale demolition of slums. Jagmohan was very effective with the task. Already a
Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
since 1971, he was awarded the
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1977. In 1982, as Delhi hosted the
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, Jagmohan was serving his second term as
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of the city. The games were a success and Jagmohan's capable administration received credit. Later Delhi hosted the Non-Aligned Summit, which was also a success.


Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

During his tenure as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (1984–89), the
1986 Kashmir Riots The 1986 Kashmir Riots, also commonly referred to as the 1986 Anantnag Riots, were a series of attacks targeting Kashmiri Hindus in the Kashmir region of the then Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag district. Backgrou ...
had taken place, curfew was imposed, media was banned and state force was used relentlessly. Pakistan's prime minister
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
in a series of speeches notoriously threatened to make him "Bhagmohan" (''Bhag'' meaning "run", implying he would flee out of fear), and that "Ham us ko jag jag mo mo han han bana denge" (transl.''"We will make him JagJag Mo Mo Han Han"'', implying he would be cut/torn to pieces by militants). In Jammu and Kashmir, Jagmohan is credited with bringing order to one of the most revered shrines of Hindus, called Mata
Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess, Durga or Adi Shakti. The words "''Maa''" and "''Mata''" are commonly used in India for '' mother'', and thus are often heavil ...
. He created a board that continues to provide administration for the shrine. Infrastructure was developed and that continues to facilitate pilgrims. In 1989, when militancy re-exploded in Kashmir, Jagmohan was re-appointed its governor by Prime Minister
V. P. Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India's only prime minister to ...
's led Janta Dal government. The locals see him as the architect of Gaw Kadal Massacre in which more than 60 civilians were killed by Indian paramilitary forces although he was not involved in it. He fell out of favour of the Union government, and joined the BJP few years later in around 1994. However, allegations persist that he was involved in extra-legal crackdowns in Kashmir engineered by
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...
.


Electoral history

Jagmohan contested the seat for New Delhi in the Lok Sabha in 1996 for the
11th Lok Sabha General elections were held in India in April–May 1996 to elect the members of the 11th Lok Sabha. The result of the election was a hung parliament, which would see three Prime Ministers in two years and force the country back to the polls ...
, where he defeated Bollywood star
Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...
by 58,000 votes. In 1998 and 1999, Jagmohan won the seat again defeating R K Dhawan of the Indian National Congress twice.


In BJP Government

When the BJP's
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
became Prime Minister in 1998, Jagmohan served in his cabinet in a variety of portfolios, including communications, urban development and tourism. During the 1990s, Jagmohan had served as a nominated MP in the Rajya Sabha in 1990–96, and won three
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
elections from
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...
in 1996, 1998 and 1999. In 2004, he lost to
Ajay Maken Ajay Maken (born 12 January 1964) is a politician from the Indian National Congress party. He is the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He was formerly a minister in ...
of the Indian National Congress by 12,784 votes. In 2019, Jagmohan participated in BJP's Outreach Campaign to increase awareness about the advantages of revoking Article 370 & 35A.


Awards and honours

On the basis of his service record and recommendations made by top civil servants, he was honoured, on 26 January 1971, with the award of
Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
by the
President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...
, "for formulation and implementation of the Delhi Master Plan and for playing a pioneering role in planning and implementation of projects in Delhi". With a meager revolving fund of just Rs. Five crore, Jagmohan launched large number of land acquisition and development schemes, showcasing how development effort could be financed by creating facilities – thus increasing value of the state land resources. For a series of innovations of this genre, good management skills, and for "his meritorious services to the country" he was awarded
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1977. In 2016,
Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...
was awarded to him. As Implementation Commissioner, and later as Vice-Chairman,
Delhi Development Authority The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is a planning authority created in 1957 under the provisions of the Delhi Development Act "to promote and secure the development of Delhi". It is responsible for planning, development and construction of h ...
, Jagmohan executed various Parliament approved schemes of Clearance-cum-Resettlement-cum-Redevelopment, which critics called demolition drives. Jagmohan was one of the founders of the Samkalp Foundation which provides civil services examination coaching to poor and marginal students along with accommodation and other facilities. He wrote "
My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir ''My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir'' is a memoir by Jagmohan first published in September 1991. It focuses on his months as a governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 1990 during the peak of insurgency. Its scope is wide, ranging from the history of anc ...
".


Death

Jagmohan Malhotra died in Delhi on 3 May 2021, at the age of 93.


Positions held

* 1980–81: Lt. Governor,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
(two times) * 1981–82: Lt. Governor, Goa,
Daman Daman may refer to: place Places *Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a union territory in India **Daman and Diu, former union territory of India, now part of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu **Daman district, India ***Daman, India ...
and Diu * 1984–89 and 1990 (Jan - May): Governor, Jammu and Kashmir (two times) * 1990–96: Member (nominated),
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
During the 1990s, Jagmohan had served as nominated MP in the
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
(the upper house of the Indian Parliament) from 1990 to 1996. Later, he was elected to the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
(the lower house of the Indian Parliament) thrice from New Delhi. * 1996: Elected to
11th Lok Sabha General elections were held in India in April–May 1996 to elect the members of the 11th Lok Sabha. The result of the election was a hung parliament, which would see three Prime Ministers in two years and force the country back to the polls ...
from New Delhi * 1998: Re-elected to
12th Lok Sabha This is the list of members of the 12th Lok Sabha, (10 March 1998 – 26 April 1999) after the 1998 Indian general election held during February–March 1998. This was the second consecutive Lok Sabha, like the 11th Lok Sabha elections that d ...
(2nd term) from New Delhi * 1998-December: Union Cabinet Minister, Communications * 1999-June–October: Union Cabinet Minister,
Urban Development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...
* 1999: Re-elected to
13th Lok Sabha The 13th Lok Sabha (10 October 1999 – 6 February 2004) is the thirteenth session of the Lok Sabha (House of the People, or lower house in the Parliament of India). It was convened after 1999 Indian general election held during September–Oc ...
(3rd term) from New Delhi * 1999-October–November: Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development * 2001-September: Union Cabinet Minister, Tourism * 2001-November-2004-April: Union Cabinet Minister, Tourism and Culture


Books authored

* Rebuilding Shahjahanabad, the Walled City of Delhi (1975) * Island of Truth (1978) * My frozen turbulence in Kashmir (1993) * The Challenge of Our Cities (1984) * Soul and Structure of Governance in India (2005) * Reforming Vaishno Devi and a Case for Reformed, Reawakened and Enlightened Hinduism (2010) * Triumphs and Tragedies of Ninth Delhi (2015)


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jagmohan 1927 births 2021 deaths People from Hafizabad District India MPs 1996–1997 India MPs 1998–1999 India MPs 1999–2004 Governors of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governors of Delhi Lok Sabha members from Delhi Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Recipients of the Padma Shri in civil service Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Delhi Indian Administrative Service officers