LUCKNOW: Soon after assuming the charge of governor of the state in Raj Bhavan, Lucknow, Moti Lal Vora rechristened the ‘Darbar hall’, which was a ball dance room during the British era, into ‘Gandhi sabhaghar’ and decorated the huge hall with portrait of the father of the nation.
By doing this, Vora, who had been governor of the state in the most politically tumultuous period from 1993 till May, 1996 when he had to resign after his name had figure in infamous hawala diary — though he was given a clean chit later on — had turned the Raj Bhavan from an elitist place of power to more democratic, inculcating the feeling of nationalism in sprawling buildings. “I would say he was most workaholic, who would work till as late as 2am when the state was under the President’s Rule,” recalls Pradip Dubey, principal secretary, state Legislative Assembly, who had worked with Vora in Raj Bhavan as his LR (legal remembrancer) while expressing his condolence over the demise of Vora.
He had started his career as a journalist and then plunged into the freedom movement after joining the Indian National Congress which later elevated him as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Before Ram Naik, who completed his term in 2019, Vora was in fact the first governor who had thrown open the gates of Raj Bhavan for the public and would magnanimously meet people and address their grievances and concerns.
He would extensively tour the state and also participate in the public functions.
It was in his regime as the governor that Mayawati became the chief minister for the first time in her political career in 1995. The then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao described Mayawati’s rise as ‘miracle of democracy’. After the BSP had withdrawn support from then Mulayam Singh government, Mayawati was assaulted in the state guest house, Vora intervened and issued orders for her protection and later on, he administered oath to Mayawati to become the first dalit woman CM of the state, with the support of the BJP.
The BSP-BJP bonhomie did not last very long and within a year next assembly elections were held. But before that, Vora had to leave the Lucknow Raj Bhavan in on May 26, 1996.