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The man with the ideas
Pramod Mahajan had all the qualities of a big political leader, writes Ravi Shankar Prasad.
The sudden demise of senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan in tragic circumstances has led to an extraordinary emotional outpouring of grief cutting across party divide. Even the general people felt a sense of loss. I don’t think in recent memory, apart from the tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, the death of any other leader has generated so much media attention. How do we explain this? May I see this as a maturing of our democracy? When men with promise in politics meet their end in the prime of their youth, the loss is not viewed only in individual terms, but for the nation itself, more particularly for its democracy. The repeated expression of similarity in the untimely and tragic demise of Rajesh Pilot, Madhavrao Scindia and now Pramod Mahajan only reinforces this phenomenon.
I had the privilege to work with Mahajan for the last two decades in different capacities — as a party worker, MP, minister in the Vajpayee government and as someone who he treated with an affection due to a younger brother. Before the last Bihar Vidhan Sabha election, on October 6, we were jointly addressing a public meeting in Nokha, when someone fired a gunshot from the podium, wounding me grievously. Mahajan escaped the second shot only because someone pushed him from the podium. I would have bled to death but for the initiative and courage Mahajan showed: amidst the resultant chaos, he got me first aid by flying me in the helicopter. This incident led to a different kind of bond between us.
Mahajan was not only a loving human being but epitomised all the qualities of a big political leader: committed to ideology, powerful orator, eminent strategist, intimate equation with the cadres, good manager of men and events, extraordinary parliamentarian, who had a clear vision of development goals when in government. Most important was his firm belief that all of us would prosper only when the party grew in strength.
Therefore, he would always emphasise that we should think big. Before the 1989 Lok Sabha election, efforts were on to find a combined front against Rajiv Gandhi (Congress) with V.P. Singh’s Jan Morcha, Janata Dal, the Left and the BJP, which had performed dismally in the 1984 elections by getting just two seats. While that was an emotional election in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s death, the interlocutors of other parties insisted that the BJP must acknowledge its limitations and remain content with 35-40 seats only. In the wake of this deadlock, Mahajan, in coordination with top BJP leaders, came up with the surprising idea of a tie-up with the Shiv Sena. Immediately after this alliance, the BJP’s political sensex started rising. It was not only granted more than 125 seats, but also reserved its right to contest against the seats of the Left parties. The BJP won 88 seats and emerged as a key political player.
Mahajan was one of those who to conceived the brilliant rath yatra of L.K. Advani in 1990, which metamorphosed the course of the country’s polity. It was abruptly terminated by Lalu Yadav in Samastipur in Bihar and both Advani and Mahajan were arrested under preventive detention and lodged in a guest house at Masanjore (now in Jharkhand). As they were entitled to legal assistance, I was asked to meet them. All they wanted was permission from the court to enable them to go to Delhi and vote in the no-confidence motion against V.P. Singh’s government. What struck me was that Mahajan had read, analysed and torn to pieces all the grounds for detention in a separate note for me, which I just had to reproduce in a legal shape to get a favourable order from the court.
His homework was phenomenal, whatever be the subject. Last year in the Rajya Sabha, he initiated the debate on a dry subject like the Railway budget. It was a masterly performance. Folders after folders were properly arranged with points highlighted, on which he built one of the finest speeches that I have heard in Parliament. His grip on the working of his ministry, whatever be the department, was so profound that he rarely looked for briefing to answer starred questions. The replies were laced with humour and left hardly anyone dissatisfied. It was not surprising to find glowing tribute from India Inc. for the great initiatives he undertook for the growth of telephony and IT.
He had become integral to the BJP’s machinery. The detailed strategy he made for any state election under his charge was a lesson for all of us. And he had an uncanny knack to foresee problems too. I remember we were all celebrating the BJP’s massive victory in Gujarat in the last Vidhan Sabha elections. He told me in his inimitable style, “We are happy today. Who knows, we may have to lose the nation because of whatever unfortunately happened in Gujarat.” Surprised, I took his observation with a pinch of salt. The rest is well-known.
It was said that he was arrogant. Arrogant no, but he was impatient at times. Any dynamic person who believes in a big goal and is willing to work hard for it is bound to be.
(The writer is MP, former Union Minister & National Spokesperson, BJP)
