The Leader Without A Party
But there are not more than two or three leaders in the opposition benches who do not have to try hard; they merely have to make a slight gesture to make it known that they would like to speak, and a hush descends on the often unruly gathering. One of them is former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, who is respected across the political spectrum even though the ruthless politics of numbers has ensured that his is a solitary voice: heard but not followed --and heard, more out of respect for the mans point of view than anything else.
It is a reflection of the measure of the man that Chandra Shekhar continues to make himself relevant in the cut and thrust of politics in the age of cynicism. After a series of twists and turns in his political fortunes over the years, today he finds himself in the position of being an undisputed leader but without a party to lead. The joke doing the rounds when the Congress was gripped with a leadership crisis after P V Narasimha Raos downfall was that here was a party without a leader, and here was a leader without a party. It amused Chandra Shekhar a former Congressman himself no end. No, I have not been approached by the Congress. I would have solved the leadership problem if I were in the Congress, he quipped at the time.
For a person who, for all political purposes, is on the periphery of the politics of the day, Chandra Shekhar is remarkably busy. His habitat on South Avenue is a beehive of activity, with visitors of various political hues calling on him. He is one politician whose appeal cuts across the political spectrum, and is known to have close friends in all parties. But that is all; there is little possibility of his regaining the prominence he had during the experiments involving the Janata Party/Dal.
But he plods on, making himself available to friends including the unsavoury kind wanting to forge an alliance against the establishment of the day. Thus, today he is helping Laloo Prasad Yadav get Rajput votes even though he decries the degeneration into caste-based politics.
I know nobody listens to what I say today. But the day will come when everyone will have to listen to me, he says while criticising the ongoing economic reforms, and the parties that willingly obey the diktat of the Bretton Woods institutions.
Known for his rusticism and plain-talk, Chandra Shekhar is credited with a deep understanding of the Indian genius and Indian conditions. When the entire opposition was excited about Sukh Rams telecom scams, he said it was a non-issue. He similarly dismisses the Bofors issue, terming it a police inspectors job to find the culprits. After Operation Bluestar, he was perhaps the only leader who criticised it, and termed it a Himalayan Blunder. He rues that politics in India is no longer concerned with such basic issues as food, shelter, employment and drinking water, but around emotive issues like caste, religion and regionalism.
Such is the stage we have reached that we as a political class have been totally exposed before the real rulers the bureaucracy, the police, administration, judiciary. Our only saving grace is that India is a vast country and both the bureaucracy and the army are not intoxicated by political views, he says. It is perhaps because of his strong views that he finds himself in the backwaters of India.
Better known as Adhyakshji among his close friends, Chandra Shekhar has always been a rebel with a cause, even when he was a student in Allahabad, and led agitations against such issues as hikes in student fees and for autonomy to student unions.
Over the years, the sobriquet of Young Turk has stuck. A diehard socialist, he was one of the three Congress leaders who formed the ginger group in the mid-sixties to promote a leftist, but anti-communist line. The other members were Krishna Kant, now the countrys vice-president, and Mohan Dharia. But Chandra Shekhar is also known to be a loyal friend, mainly of controversial persons like Dhanbad mafia don Surajdeo Singh and Chandraswami. He has no qualms about extending a helping hand to such people, and explains it with: I tell my friends not to indulge in anything wrong. But if they do, I am not one who will not stand by them.
Chandra Shekhar holds a record in Indian politics: he has never been a minister, but was pitchforked straight into the prime ministers chair in 1991, thanks to the dissension in the Janata Dal and Rajiv Gandhis support. Never mind that his tenure lasted only four months, and was widely considered to be one of the most corrupt. The government was pejoratively called Chaar mahine banaam chalees saal (four months against 40 years), indicating that there was as much corruption during the four months as during the previous 40 years of Congress rule. But Chandra Shekhar highlights the positive aspects like a better rupee-dollar rate, managing the economic crisis and sincere efforts to resolve the Ayodhya dispute. His Ayodhya initiative was helped by his friendship with top RSS leaders like Bhaurao Deoras.
Chandra Shekhar dismisses talk about changing his constituency from Ballia: If the people of Ballia do not understand that my presence in the Lok Sabha is necessary, why should others understand it? In the heat and dust of campaigning, he finds time to meet the deadline of his editorial in his weekly,Young India, with which he used to torment Indira Gandhi in the early seventies. Its publication ceased during the Emergency, and has recently been revived. Since few journalists meet him these days, he quips that he has been forced to revive the weekly to air his views. He may be just one of the many out-of-job politicians who have taken to the media as an alternative profession, but if insiders are to be believed, sales are climbing.
Chandra Shekhar differs strongly with the Bharatiya Janata Party, but says it is wrong to consider the party an untouchable. His speech in the Lok Sabha after the Ayodhya demolition is ranked as one of the most memorable in recent times, but that has not dimmed his appeal even among constituents of the Sangh Parivar, particularly of the swadeshi variety. There is a commonality of views, which makes him readily agree to play host at his retreat in Bhondsi to brainstorming sessions involving BJP-RSS leaders too. As one of his aides puts it: The only hope Adhyakshji has of becoming prime minister again is if a national government after this election too throws up a hung parliament. He is one of the rare leaders who is acceptable to all, and has the sagacity and experience to lead a coalition. We will soon know if that is a possibility.