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1980-Won
Lok Sabha elections from Bharatpur, Rajasthan. 1987-Set up the Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Trust A brief note on Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Trust: The Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Trust was established in 1987, by late Shri Rajesh Pilot ji. The purpose of the trust has been to provide assistance to the most needy in our society. The JJJK trust has been working towards elevating the lives and giving support to the downtrodden, the backward and the economically weaker sections. As the founding chairman of the trust, Shri Pilot wanted to bring about a change in the lives of the people who had given up hope, he wanted to encourage and inspire those who felt that life had nothing left to offer. In his endeavors towards helping such people realize their dreams, the trust with its humble beginnings started giving financial assistance to orphaned children, poor students, war widows, handicaps and aged people. These small monthly pensions were a way to signal to them that they need not loose hope. Providing health and medical facilities in villages which were lacking in this regard, has also been an important aim of the trust. A 45-bed hospital has been put up in the Gaziabad district of Western Uttar Pradesh. The hospital meets the medical needs of a large number of people, mostly small farmers and laborers of surrounding villages. The trust has also over the years, made a concentrated effort towards providing better education facilities for the youth. Numerous school, colleges, libraries have been constructed in remote and rural areas of the country so as to empower the youth of this nation with a sound education. A common problem faced in rural areas, especially for young girls was that even though there were schools and colleges in the near by areas, however, commuting back and forth was an obstacle which led to a large number of such girls not continuing their studies beyond primary school. The JJJK trust has put up many youth hostels, both for boys and girls to facilitate their education. It has also been our experience that the youth of today are running from pillar to post looking for employment opportunities. After completing their studies and acquiring degrees, it is still a Herculean effort to find a job. As a part of its continuing effort, the trust sought to establish in the capital, New Delhi, a multi purpose complex. The idea behind this was to have a facility where the trust could start vocational training courses which will help to develop skills sets in relatively short period of time, and prove useful for youngsters in picking up jobs in today's rapidly growing industrial sector. The building also will provide accommodation to those who come from rural areas and far away places. There is also a provision for holding conferences and seminars on issues related to the farming community and the armed force services. This will provide a platform and a forum and give an opportunity for raising, debating and deliberating on issues that are close to the hearts of our "jawans" and "kisans". Mentioned below are few of the works which were undertaken and assisted by the trust:
Simple living and high thinking was Pilots motto in life. In 1979 when Pajesh Pilot (then Pajeshwar Prasad) walked into the AICC office to couect his symbol for the election, he asked the Congressman in charge to point out Bharatpur on the map of India, for he had not heard of it. People said: What is wrong with Mrs Gandhi? She gives tickets to just anybody.When he went to file his nomination papers in Bharatpur, people told him they only knew that a pilot was coming to contest the elections. He said: You can call me a donkey, but make me win the election. It was on that day that Rajeshwar Prasad became Pajesh Pilot. The name changed his destiny. He had opted for politics to find a forum to help the underprivileged and farmers. He understood their plight and their demands. His aim was to become their mouthpiece. He was young, he was passionate, he was honest and he had dreamsdreams that had to be realised. He wanted to help the people of his constituency, of his India. He felt he was one of the underprivileged who had made it somewhere in society, so he considered it his duty to help others like himself. From the day he became an MP his house was open to anyone from any part of the country who could come and stay there, whether it was to visit a sick relative or take an entrance exam. He brought into day-to-day life a quality of sharing and caring for other human beings. He toured his constituency and got to know everyone. His rural background was an asset. People felt connected to him. They felt understood by him. His easy-going, humble, informal nature madehim popular and their true representative. He talked about his early days and encouraged people to try to achieve big things in life and improve their conditions. He enjoyed simple food and while on tour, always ate in some village. His patience and tolerant nature made it easy for people to approach him. He was probably the only MP who practised democracy to the level that people in his constituency came and fought with him, considering it their right to do so. He was the first to admit a mistake.Whatever he gave to the people, was returned to him tenfold with Gods grace. Little did the boy who sold milk on Akbar Poad realise, that one day he would be living in the very same house. God has been very kind, were words he repeated nearly every day. He did not forget his roots and never took his success for granted. Hence each day was an opportunity for him to serve his country. He had strong views on democracy, honesty and truth. They were his convictions and he stuck to them through bad and good times. His rise to national politics was very swift. At a relatively young age he had made a base in the country. He was popular with the masses. Again, his humble background while being a source of encouragement to the weaker section of society, helped him bridge the usual gap between the people and a political leader. He travelled extensively during these years. He was a man who was liked and appreciated and most important, respected even by opposition members. He had a knack for establishing a rapport with people. As a Minister he was very conscientious. He concentrated on his department. While he was the Surface Transport Minister he would just board the city transport buses to check the services. As Communications Minister he made sure that every village had an STD/ISD telephone. He ensured free telephones at airports and in the Emergency Room of hospitals. His dream was to bridge the imn gap between the villages in India and the cities. He wanted the villages to be modern and have modern amenities. He felt that India could only be strong and a world power once the villages had been modernised and poverty had been eradicated. He encouraged the setting up of industries in villages because that would give employment to the people. The few times that he went abroad he would study the methods and technology used there and see how he could adapt them to India. An area which was dear to him was Jammu & Kashmir and the north-east which he visited often as Internal Security Minister. He believed that Kashmir was an integral part of India and visited there often to reassure the people that there was someone in the centre looking out for their interests. He also started a trust called Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Trust which provided pension to old people and widows, financed education and schools and hospitals. The Trust carries on with Rajesh Pilots work even now, ensuring that the dreams, the visions he had for India live on . . . . |
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His
early speeches were short and direct. Slowly he matured into a Powerful orator
and a seasoned politician.
Mrs
Indira Gandhi looked on him as a bright, young, honest and uninhibited young
man familiar with the north-east. She sent him as an observer for elections
in Nagaland.
Pilot first met Mrs Gandhi in 1979 to request her for an election ticket.
She advised him to continue with the air force as he had young children to
bring up and politics was not a very stable profession. He calmly told her
that he had come for her blessings, not her advice. This really impressed
her and she gave him a ticket just a month later.
