Shivraj Patil, former Union Minister, Governor and Speaker, who passed away on Friday, was an exceptional politician, perhaps the only one from his state to have been elected to the Lok Sabha seven consecutive times. He was suave, soft spoken and a perfectionist, who adhered to rules and regulations and expected everyone else to do so as well.
The Parliament Library is his contribution to our democracy and as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996, he created certain benchmarks which shall always be remembered by his contemporaries. He was a phenomenal presiding officer who carried the Opposition with him. He did not shy away from consulting political adversaries and bringing them on board to resolve contentious issues that confronted the House.
I was covering Parliament for the Hindu those days and was witness to some of his outreach exercises. He would always swear by Kaul and Shakdher’s book on “Practice and Procedures of Parliament”, considered to be the final word on how the House should be run by observing the highest traditions.
It was not uncommon to see him engage with L.K. Advani, the most prominent Opposition stalwart of that time and discuss difficult matters. Advani was also very well versed with the procedures and processes and would give his opinion, which would go a long way in running of the House. P.V. Narasimha Rao was heading a minority government and it was imperative for him to ensure that no political hiccups took place in the Lok Sabha. Patil made sure that things were always smooth and streamlined. The examples he set were something which would have gone a long way in guiding all the presiding officers who followed him but unfortunately that has not been the case.
Shivraj Patil was always well turned out. The stories that circulated in Parliament were that he would always get two identical suits stitched from the same cloth; one he wore before lunch and the other in the second half. That explained the neat crease on his clothes. His overall appearance gave ample proof of his commitment to be always extremely presentable. This added to his very dignified and polite personality.
Shivraj Patil was someone who was admired and held in high esteem by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In 2004, when the Congress won 145 seats as against the BJP’s 138 and thus wrested power along with its alliance partners from the Atal Behari Vajpayee dispensation, Shivraj Patil’s name figured amongst the losers. He had been defeated after seven straight wins from Latur, his constituency, by the BJP. However, in Sonia Gandhi’s scheme of things, he was always going to be a prominent player and was thus appointed the Union Home Minister and brought into the Rajya Sabha along with P.M. Sayeid, another top leader, who had surprisingly been also vanquished in the polls.
When the process for deciding the nominee for the 2007 Presidential election commenced, it is said that Shivraj Patil was Sonia Gandhi’s first choice. There was a discussion on his name with allies but his candidacy was shot down by an adamant and insistent A.B. Bardhan of the CPI, who had probably some old score to settle with him. The Congress and Sonia Gandhi wanted him to be the head of the state but could not bypass the allies.
The second Congress choice fell on Dr Karan Singh but he too faced stiff resistance from Bardhan, whose argument was that his election would send a wrong message to the people that an erstwhile Maharaja was going to occupy the august office. So, Dr Karan Singh too was off the list.
At this point, there was a break during which Sonia Gandhi thought of having a woman as the President. She had Ambika Soni, her close aide in mind, and called her up. Ambika Soni, then the general secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir was about to board a chopper with the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The sound of the rotors made Sonia Gandhi’s voice inaudible and Ambika told her that she would call her as soon as they reached the next destination. This was sufficient for Ahmed Patel, who got wind of what was going on to thwart Ambika Soni, and he proposed the name of Pratibha Patil, then the Rajasthan Governor. Thus, history was made and Pratibha Patil’s name was declared as the UPA nominee for the Presidential election. Shivraj Patil, Karan Singh and Ambika Soni had lost their chance.
However, there was a political fallout of Patil being Sonia’s first choice. Power politics took over and knives were out for him within the party to somehow sidetrack him. The opportunity for his adversaries came when 26/11 took place and Patil had to resign as Union Home Minister. He was accused of failing in his duties.
Patil stepped down but the fact remains that he had, on multiple occasions, sounded the then Maharashtra government about intelligence reports indicating a strike in Mumbai from the sea route. This was conveyed to the then Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil in the presence of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and senior officials of the government.
The public uproar over the terrorist attack was used by rivals to ensure that Shivraj Patil went into political oblivion. He was subsequently appointed the Governor of Punjab but his best days were behind him by then. Shivraj Patil shall always be remembered for his conduct and dignity. Something present day leaders should emulate. Between us.
