Karnataka’s Calling Card
He came, met and conquered. Last week, all four Congress Chief Ministers were in the capital for the CWC but only one reached out to the capital’s media. Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shiva kumar turned out to be a generous and attentive host as he engaged and bantered with over a hundred beat reporters at Delhi’s Meridien hotel. He made sure he connected with everyone, hopping from one table to another, obliging selfie seekers; though what really clicked was that he already knew most beat reporters either by face or by reputation. “I know you well,” he said to those attempting to introduce themselves to him. Also present were Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, B.V. Srinivas and Rajiv Gowda.
A politician among the politicians, DK told the media that he was open to criticism and scrutiny. “I shall never hold your writings against you. You have a right to criticise,” he said, smiling at a stoic Jairam Ramesh. But there are limits. At a conclave recently when he was asked if he was the Congress party’s Amit Shah, he flatly rebutted the comparison. However, I recall at an earlier meeting two years ago, when we had asked DK as to whether he was the party’s next best Ahmed Patel. That got a delighted smile out of him, though he had shaken his head, saying his Hindi was not good enough (for him to play a headquarter role). But, with a smile he had also pointed out that thanks to the BJP, his Hindi had improved vastly— due to his stint at Tihar Jail. This is one person who knows how to turn a crisis into an opportunity and certainly a politician to watch out for.
A Political Debut Whose Time Has Come
Union Skill Development minister Jayant Chaudhary’s wife, Charu has always been a strong support to the party (RLD) but is usually seen in the background, handling logistics and campaign work. However, her outreach to the women of western UP, specially the health awareness camps where she not only helps rural women get access to medical care but also invites doctors and experts to answer questions on menopause, PCOD and other issues that women do not feel comfortable talking about with the menfolk at home. Recently, one of her speeches at a public rally has gone viral where Charu rebutted the Samajwadi Party’s attack on her husband in a firm and dignified manner. While the media has already begun speculating about a possible political debut, RLD workers also seem to echo the same. Watch this space.
Doing the Walk of Life
Can Sachin Pilot win Punjab for the Congress? He has certainly hit the ground running and is even planning to rent a house in the state so he can be accessible to the party workers. It was after his report that the party leadership undertook a change of guard in Punjab replacing Amrinder Singh Warring as the state chief, with Pargat Singh, the 62-year-old Congress leader and national hockey player. It was a decision that needed to be taken to quell the factionalism between Charanjit Singh Channi and the Warring camp; as the Congress was going into the elections presenting a divided house. Sachin is no stranger to intra-party factionalism and he knows all too well the impact this can have on the morale of the party. Decisive action—one way or the other—is better than no action at all, and this is clear from the way he is handling Punjab barely a month into his new charge.
This is somewhat similar to what happened in January 2014, when he was made Rajasthan PCC chief soon after the party was routed in the 2013 Assembly polls. He immediately packed his bags, signed off from Delhi’s Page 1 (and Page 3 headlines); and took up residence in Jaipur. He spent the next five years touring the state and played a key role in installing a Congress government in the next state elections that followed. When given a task he does his homework and then gets to work. I recall him telling me when I interviewed him for my book on young leaders (“The Contenders”) that he doesn’t even watch a movie without researching it at first. That’s the level of preparation he does. An interesting side note is an Instagram post he put up recently which showed him marching right next to Rahul Gandhi; alongside a picture of his father Rajesh Pilot walking with Rajiv Gandhi. It’s a generational walk of life for the Pilots and the Gandhis.
