Joshi's teachings

C P Joshi, former Union minister and newly appointed by the Congress to oversee Assam, Bihar and Bengal, had been a college lecturer teaching psychology at Udaipur, before he took to politics full time. But hints of his earlier profession come to the fore from time to time in various didactic pronouncements. For instance, while addressing party workers in Guwahati recently, Joshi used the metaphor of the baelgadi (bullock cart) to send out a strong message against factionalism. "There can be only one person holding the reins of the baelgadi, something which has to be appreciated and respected. The same is the case with the leadership. Similarly, one cannot question the wisdom of decisions taken by a leader," he said. Last week, in his home state of Rajasthan, he had a word of advice for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his arch-rival. "He must be like Bhagwan Shiva and swallow the poison for the greater good of the party." The "poison" to which Joshi was referring was Gehlot's ego.