It was the last journey of RSS leader and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) founder Dattopant Thengdi. All senior BJP and RSS leaders — from A.B. Vajpayee to Narendra Modi — were present to pay their last respects to the man who propagated an indigenous economic philosophy.The rush began early on Friday morning as leaders, party workers and Sangh pracharaks converged on Navin Marathi School, where Thengdi’s body was kept. He had passed away on Thursday evening.Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi drove straight to Navin Marathi School in the afternoon, while former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who could not come there because of security reasons, paid respects to him at Vaikunth crematorium.The narrow bylanes of Shaniwar Peth were filled with party workers and pracharaks, as Thengdi’s body was taken to the crematorium at 5.15 pm.Vajpayee, paying his respects to the man who had taken him head-on for his disinvestment and liberalisation policies, took a subtle dig at the Left. ‘‘The search for a third alternative, a middle-path between capitalism and communism, for justice to workers should continue,’’ he said.Vajpayee said Thengdi had suggested that the welfare of the last man in the queue and national interest should be the two guiding parameters while evolving a third path. ‘‘Dattopant’s writings should be read again by the present generation,’’ he said.‘‘Thengdi’s unionism was based on development and not strikes,’’ said Modi. Earlier, RSS Sarsanghchalak K.S. Sudarshan had said Thengdi believed in justice for workers that did not sacrifice national interest. ‘‘Unlike the Leftists who provoked workers to be on strike, Thengdi never encouraged any protest that would hit the nation’s industrial production,’’ he said. VHP working president Ashok Singhal said Thengdi was a moral guide. ‘‘Whenever I had any dilemma on social or religious issues, Thengdi was there to guide me,’’ he said.
