'The Raja' Gets a Throne: Finally!

The inclusion of Himachal Pradesh strongman,Virbhadra Singh, in the Union Cabinet has come as a shot in the arm for the poilitically insignificant hill state of Himachal Pradesh. That Singh deserved to be in the Cabinet was beyond doubt, but his inclusion seemed uncertain in the shadow of perceptions about his political leanings within the Congress. In the faction-riven Himachal Congress, Singh was talked about as the one belonging to the 'anti' camp. The relationship co-ordinates, of course, are in context of one's standing with respect to 'Madam'Sonia Gandhi. Virbhadra, however, had always rubbished such talk as 'concoctions of twisted minds'.

Personally, I have had the chance to observe Virbhadra's political journey over the last 15 years from upclose, first as an Executive with the CII and later as a journalist. Singh comes across as an intelligent individual, with a good grasp of the Indian reality. He has a sharp memory and prefers to stay informed about the latest in a variety of fields.

While posted as the CII Shimla Office Head, in-charge of Himachal Pradesh,I found that Singh was open to new ideas, and once convinced of the merits of a case, would go all out to see that the idea turned into a reality. It was during his this term that CII got the one-time go ahead to organize its first Shimla Trade Expo - right on the Ridge! To this day, it remains the most prestigious venue ever for any CII event across the country.

Virbhadra is open and accessible (especially when out of power). I remember the varied discussions, on lazy summer afternoons in the lawns of his Jakhoo house in Shimla, when the Congress party was in opposition in the state the last time. I was working as the State Correspondent for The Financial Express at that time. Despite the designation I was a rookie in terms of experience and Singh was the perfect resource for any thing and everything about Himachal Pradesh. I was amazed by the extent of his knowledge of the micro aspects of almost every part of the state.

The fact that he is the only Congress candidate to win a seat in the 2009 Parliamentary elections, speaks volumes about his mass base in Himachal Pradesh. The state has a history of voting with the ruling party in the Parliamentary elections (with BJP in power in HP, the party was tipped to win all four seats as has been the trend in the past). Of course, Singh has been charged of wrong -doings by the opposition and some of the individuals of his own party, but none of the charges have stuck. Singh has his weaknesses, and has been in the midst of controversy on more than one occassions. People say he is arrogant at times, and relies too much on the advise offered by his loyalists, without looking into the merits of the issue. His supporters, however, say that none of his shortcomings are of the kind that would make people reject him outrightly. This, perhaps, has been one of the major factors behind his dominance of the Himachal Pradesh politics over the past 25 years.Virbhadra is an Old Cottonian (a product of Bishop Cotton School, Shimla) and a History honours graduate from St Stephen's. Prior to his political innings he had worked as the ADC to the President of India.

Credit is due to Sonia Gandhi, who has once again acted in a statesman (or is that stateswoman?) like manner, by including a politician of Singh's vintage in the Cabinet. The lady appears inclined to do the right thing, within the given constraints. As a former journalist, I must confess that I have ingrained a certain degree of cynicism in my approach, especially when it comes to matters involving politicians. I have left the profession behind, but I would be tracking this one, with fingers crossed twice over.

Lets see how it unfolds....

Elections remain a low key affair in Chandigarh: Windy Kumar of the Con Party Likely to Scrape Through


The Great Indian Election juggernaut rolled through the city on Wednesday. And we must thank heavens, specially the city god (we have so many of them, I am sure a city god too exists) that the marauders spared the city from turmoil, a worst kind situation, which generally comes with Elections. In fact, electioneering in the run up to the voting day has been a low key affair this year. Though party flags, flyers, buntings and other promotional stuff had been put up on the rooftops, the mad imagery of posters was missing.
I actually have a serious issue with Banta Singh's poster overlapping that of Santa Singh and Ghatiya Chand trying to sneak in between the two, as if the positioning of the posters were to decide the elections. In the past, as we got closer to the voting day the posters displayed at all prominent places, including Conveniences and zoos presented a grotesque collage of images, with Santa's moochh covering half of Banta's face and Banta's long nose jutting into the 'Vote For'slogan of another small timer. However, I attribute my dislike to the disdain shown by my three year old kid. This kind of imagery literally popping out from every nook and corner of in the city leaves the little fellow bewildered and is enough to give him creeps of the worst kind.
The polling day being a holiday, I dusted my old faithful, a Yamaha 350 cc, and set out for a small spin (or geri as it is known in colloquial) around the city - just to capture the general mood. The city was unusually quite for an election day with paid party workers being the only ones trying to attract attention. However, I soon found that it was not only me, but almost every other guy who was on a spin. The spin in their case, though, was of a different kind, what with steel glasses filled with liquor to the brim doing quick rounds at most of the places. I noticed disapproval and a look of disgust on a few faces,  and I wondered whats could be wrong with people having liquor? After all, looking at the dismal outcome of the last few Parliamentary elections, these no longer command the kind of respect, which is the hallmark of a great democratic tradition . At that moment it occured to me that the guys had every right to take a swig or two or even polish off full bottles. Afterall, isn't the The Great Indian Election the baap of all tamashas?
As for the candidates, once again it is a straight contestt between Jhootha Mal Shastri of the Bhago Jaldi Party (BJP) and Windly (Pun)sell from the Con Party. Of course, the Quixotic Sharamheen Dhawan too is contesting:  as usual from a new party.
I stopped for a smoke near one of the polling stations, thought I could caught the buzz. I overheard and too a disinterested part in a few conversations and I sensed that Windy may just about scrape through, with the slightest of margins, to have another five-year go at the free government accommodation, govrnment sedans powered by my hard earned money, and various other privileges.
Windy had his aides campaigning hard for him. It didn't come as a surprise at all, when I learnt that one of the youth leaders was in the news just an year back, after his wife was caught red-handed stealing dresses from an upmarket boutique in sector 8. The lady was pretty enterprising, and had lured one of the showroom staff to hand over the loot when the showroom remained shut on holidays.

Cut to the present. Amidst the general confusion, I watched the guy in question. He had an impressive demeanor, appearing as if an incarnate of truth itself had landed in our midst. The guy had his best smile on (despite the crooked tooth, which was acting as the only spoiler to the otherwise pleasing stretch), stood with hands permanently folded, back slightly bent, and showed off an ultra fast mouth trap that yapped away incessantly, uttering niceties to all and sundry; as if he was meeting relatives back from dead. And why shouldn't he? For he knows his time will come, and if he plays his cards right, he could be the leader supreme of City Beautiful.

The day that happens,we will adjust,'coz thats the Indian way of life. But I am sure Le Corbusier for one would be doing some furious turning in his grave. Looking at the way things are deteriorating in the city, I won't be surprised if he springs out from his grave and have a nice go at the public servants or netas, whose only agenda has been to serve themselves...and leave the city to deteriorate at its own pace! 

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