Soft-spoken but aggressive

Last year, an astrologer told Pratibha Patil that she wouldn’t complete her term as the Rajasthan Governor, and instead she would move out to occupy a more important post in near future, reports Dharmendra Jore.

Last year, an astrologer told Pratibha Patil that she wouldn’t complete her term as the Rajasthan Governor, and instead she would move out to occupy a more important post in near future.

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Patil’s husband Devisingh Shekhawat said the prediction was all set to come true. “Then we didn’t take the prediction seriously. But now, I can’t restrain myself from making it public,” he said.

“I can’t imagine this. The news that Pratibhatai’s name has been proposed as the UPA’s presidential candidate is a pleasant surprise to us,” Shekhawat told HT from a dusty north Maharashtra town, Jalgaon. Shekhawat said people in Jalgaon and Amravati (her husband’s hometown) were celebrating on the streets.

Congress veterans recall Patil as fiercely independent politician. Knowing her resolve late Indira Gandhi made her Opposition leader in the state assembly to counter the then chief minister Sharad Pawar.

Congress leader from North Maharashtra Rohidas Patil said, “She lived up to high command’s expectations as an opposition leader. Otherwise very softspoken, she would be extremely aggressive against the government,” he recalled.

Patil practiced law before marrying Devisingh. “Our life has been a roller-coaster ride because both of us were active in politics at different level. But I must say she is a fantastic wife. She discusses everything with me, but takes decisions on her own. I trust her immensely,” said Devisingh Shekhawat.