The people of India should not have been surprised if the late Shivraj Patil had become the Prime Minister of the country after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Patil passed away today, December 12th, at the age of 90 in his native Latur, Maharashtra. His passing is mourned by a large number of people. Mr. Patil was a versatile talent but also a controversial figure in politics. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the late Mr. Patil lost the Latur Lok Sabha seat. Had he not lost, there was a 90 percent chance he would have become Prime Minister. This was because he was considered the first choice of then-Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. His defeat dashed all chances of his becoming Prime Minister, but despite this, he was appointed Home Minister, considered the second-highest government position in the country.
Mr. Patil was considered a leader who reconciled Hindutva and secularism. Even before the results of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections were announced, it was almost certain that the BJP-led ruling NDA would not win a majority. (Although much of the country’s media was reporting the opposite, giving the NDA a clear majority in the elections, the Punjab Kesari, published from Delhi at the time, was the only newspaper that boldly predicted the NDA’s defeat.) After the election results were announced, the Congress Party emerged as the largest party in the Lok Sabha, and the responsibility of forming the government fell upon it. However, even before the results were announced, the names of potential candidates for the position of Prime Minister were being discussed in internal Congress meetings. Among these, the names of Dr. Manmohan Singh, then Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Shri Shivraj Patil were prominent. The biggest factor in Shri Shivraj Patil’s favor was that he had won the Latur Lok Sabha constituency for seven consecutive terms, and traditionally, a Lok Sabha member becomes Prime Minister. His personality was considered very inclusive, possessing the ability to take everyone along. Since the government was to be formed with the support of other like-minded allies besides the Congress, their opinions also mattered. The other allies had no particular objection to Mr. Patil’s name, but they seemed more interested in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s. This was believed to be due to Dr. Manmohan Singh’s prominent reputation and the reputation of an economist. However, when the election results came in, Mr. Patil lost the election from Latur for the first time. Thus, his name was eliminated from the race. However, Mrs. Gandhi wanted Mr. Patil to be given a major responsibility in the government, so he was given the Home Ministry. Although this Congress decision was widely criticized in the media, I had a personal relationship with Mr. Patil. I wasn’t one of those who criticized him, but he always told me with a smile that there was nothing wrong with following the ethics of journalism.
Mr. Patil was not a member of either House of Parliament, but according to the Constitution, he could become a minister if he became a member of either House within six months. Therefore, during this period, he was made a member of the Rajya Sabha. When the Manmohan Singh government was being formed, Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee’s name was also considered suitable for the post of Prime Minister. However, the Congress high command was initially reluctant to support him, and Congress allies were also apprehensive about his name. This was because Pranabda was considered a very principled and strict leader. When Dr. Manmohan Singh’s name was presented to the allies, they readily agreed. The allies also had no objection to Mr. Shivraj Patil being appointed Home Minister, as they were preoccupied with their respective ministries. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav insisted on taking the Railway Ministry, while Lok Janshakti Party leader the late Ram Vilas Paswan also wanted the same portfolio. It was Pranab Da who later brokered a compromise between the two. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s personal secretary, Mr. Vincent George, had made it clear even before the government was formed that Mrs. Gandhi would not become Prime Minister. He had very tactfully communicated this to select journalists at the time, stating that only two names were being considered for the Prime Minister’s post: Mr. Patil and Dr. Singh. Consequently, due to losing the election, Mr. Patil’s name was dropped, clearing the way for Dr. Singh. When Mr. Shivraj Patil became Home Minister, terrorist activities were rampant in the country.
He faced considerable criticism for this. However, on November 26, 2008, when Pakistani terrorists targeted 167 Indian and foreign citizens in Mumbai, the patience of the countrymen broke, and on November 30, 2008, Mr. Patil resigned from his post. Mr. Patil resigned as Home Minister, taking responsibility for the attack, or rather, he made this decision after facing widespread criticism in the media. During this period, he was even called India’s “Nero,” but Mr. Patil remained undeterred and continued to fulfill his duties as a Member of Parliament. He was a man of very simple nature, a very virtuous, friendly, and cheerful person. He also served as Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. During his presidency, he maintained complete impartiality and allowed the opposition to express its views openly. When the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, he provided the opposition party, the BJP, with full opportunity to express their views openly in the Lok Sabha and conducted the proceedings with utmost dignity. After resigning as Home Minister, when he became Governor of Punjab in 2010, he chaired a committee of governors to address the problems facing India’s agricultural sector. This committee suggested that due to the continuous reduction in the land holdings of farmers, necessary and effective steps should be taken so that the productivity and income of the farmers are not adversely affected. While holding the post of Governor, he displayed exemplary behavior and enhanced the dignity of this post among the general public.
Mr. Patil had a long parliamentary career. He served twice as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, serving as a minister, deputy speaker, and speaker of the House. He entered central politics in 1980 and served as minister of state and minister with independent charge in various ministries, from the Indira Gandhi government to the Rajiv Gandhi government. His death marks the end of a soft-spoken, simple, and gentle political figure.
