LIKE SOLDIERS, Young Turks never die. Neither the march of time nor the vagaries of politics could temper the image of the angry (young) man Chandrashekhar first created for himself as a member of Indira Gandhi's Congress in the Sixties and Seventies.
Even his short stint as prime minister in 1990-1991 against the backdrop of the 'mandal' and 'mandir' agitations, and the oil crisis could not soften that image.
But in personal relationships, he was exactly the opposite: warm, loyal and full of charm, almost to a fault. Barring exceptions like VP. Singh whom he could not stand, Chandrashekhar had a wide circle of friends cutting across parties and ideological divides. If he counted among his friends Nepal's Koirala family, BJP's A.B. Vajpayee and Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, NCP's Sharad Pawar or RJD's Lalu Yadav, those on the fringes felt privileged to be invited to his retreat at Bhondsi and his kutiya (cottage) in Delhi which, for a long time, was the hub of opposition meetings.
Recently, aware that his days were numbered, Chan-drashekhar held a "farewell" party for his friends and colleagues. Almost everyone came. He then returned to the hospital, leaving it on a bier on Sunday as Ballia, the seat he represented eight
times in the Lok Sabha, mourned.
Born in the dustbowl of Uttar Pradesh's Ibrahimpatti on July 1,1927, the 80-year-old leader witnessed the freshness of the Nehruvian era, the loss of innocence between the 1960s and 1980s — when the Chinese and Pakistani attacks took place, Indira Gandhi declared Emergency, the first non-Congress government came to the Centre in 1977 and as the hope and despair that marked politics from 1980 onwards.
Popularly called 'adhakshji' for his leadership qualities, Chandrashekhar was a man of many parts and perhaps as many contradictions; he was respected and ridiculed but never dismissed.
He revolted against Indira's authoritarian style of functioning but did not hesitate to flout established norms himself. Unmindful of the boost it would give criminals, he adopted mafia don Surajdeo Singh as a friend.
He was praised for his six-month 'padyatra' in 1983 but slammed for acquiring land for his Bharat Yatra Kendras and indicted in the public eye for mortgaging India's gold in 1991.
Making no secret of his ambition to be prime minister, Chandrashekhar split the Janata Dal after the VP. Singh government fell and formed a government that was propped up by Rajiv Gandhi. But he refused to be patronised, resigning when the Congress accused him of spying on Rajiv.
A socialist, Chandrashekhar began his political career in 1951 and was, over the years, associated with the Praja Socialist Party, Congress and different Janata groups, including the Samajwadi Janata Party of which he was the lone ranger in the Lok Sabha.
He was the fourth non-Congress prime minister, after Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and VP. Singh.
Ballia Remembers its Young Turk
by
Ishwaran Shree
THE DEATH of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar on Sunday stunned Ballia, the eastern-most Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh, which he represented continuously since 1977, barring one term, from 1984 to 1989.
The town was plunged into grief as the news of his death reached here. People remember him as a "fearless and courageous" leader. "The 'Young Turk' of Ballia has left an indelible mark on the Indian politics", said Govindji, president of the local chamber of commerce.
"Chandrashekhar never liked slogans like 'zindabad' raised in his name. He used to snub listeners if, during his election rallies, they interrupted his speech with slogan shouting. But no one minded. The people loved him for his out-spoken and straightforward attitude," he said.
Many Ballia organisations, including the chamber of commerce and traders' mandal, passed resolutions condoling his death. Chandrashekhar was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962. In 1977, he fought and won his first Lok Sabha poll from Ballia. Only once was he defeated, by Jagganath Chaudhury of the Congress in 1984, during the 'Rajiv wave' following Indira Gandhi's assassination which won the Congress all but one of UP's then 85 seats.
Chandrashekhar was not one of those leaders who use their positions to grossly pamper their own constituencies. When asked about the slow pace of development in Ballia, he would reply: "I am not here to clean drains and build roads. I am busy with the larger issues concerning the Indian public." This attitude did not change even when he became prime minister. "I am the prime minister of India, and have to look after the whole country" he would say.
A Saga of Courage—A Tribute
by
Yashwant Sinha
KARPOORI THAKUR was not well and was admitted in AIIMS. Since I had worked with him as his principal secretary when he was chief minister of Bihar in 1977-79 and was very close to him personally, I went to see him.
Chandrashekhar also came to see him about the same time. It was my first meeting with him. He knew I had put in my papers to quit the IAS. He invited me to meet him. I visited him a few days later at the residence of a common friend, Dayanand Sahay, MP. We talked for an hour. Chandrashekhar wanted to know my future plans.
I told him I wanted to do socio-develop-ment work in some village in Bihar. He had just returned from his epoch-making 'padyatra'. He shared with me his thoughts on what he had seen and the need for change. At the same time, he emphasised that if I wanted to be an agent of change in society, politics was a better option. We parted company without reaching a conclusion.
A few weeks later, Indira Gandhi was assassinated and Delhi witnessed the horrible massacre of Sikhs. Chandrashekhar plunged wholeheartedly into providing relief to the suffering Sikhs. I joined him in this effort. I remember how when we went to a relief camp in the trans-Yamuna area, the Sikhs there were belligerent and would not allow any political leader inside the camp.
However, when we informed them it was Chandrashekhar who had come to commiserate with them, they readily allowed him to enter the camp. Such was the goodwill he enjoyed with the Sikhs after the courageous stand he had taken on Operation Blue Star.
I entered politics at Chandrashekhar's persuasion. I joined the Janata Party because of him. He gave me all his affection and support, made me general secretary of the party and his finance minister when he was briefly in government. I can never forget him and his contribution in moulding my life.
Chandrashekhar was a statesman. He had a complete grasp of the country's problems and clear views about their resolution. He had the courage of his conviction and remained undaunted in the face of the gravest challenge.
He was a powerful speaker, his speeches often bringing tears to people's eyes. Above all, he was a great human being, considerate, compassionate, friendly, courteous and extremely helpful to friends and critics alike.
At the time of the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, I was a greenhorn in politics. The Janata Party decided to field me as its candidate from Hazaribagh constituency. I withdrew a few thousand rupees from my bank account to finance my election. Dayanand Sahay was aware of my plight.
He told me there was some money lying with him in the party's account and if I requested Chandrashekhar, he could give me a part of it. I met Chandrashekhar at the Jantar Mantar office of the Janata Party, but could not bring myself to raise the issue of money. He guessed that something was troubling me and asked me about finances for my election. I told him I had withdrawn a few thousand rupees from my account.
He at once telephoned Dayanand Sahay and instructed him to give me the whole amount. Both Sahay and I were surprised at this generosity. He collected 'chanda', even small amounts of Rs 10 and Rs 20, to help political workers in need. His generosity knew no bounds. I can write a whole book on such incidents.
He was extremely courteous. One summer afternoon, I had gone out for lunch with my wife and Mohammad Anwar, a close friend, and his wife. On the way back, I told them I would drop by Chandrashekhar's place briefly for some urgent work. I drove to his residence in South Avenue Lane, parked my car outside and went in.
After the meeting, he came out to see me off and asked where my car was. I told him I had parked it outside as my wife and friend were in the car. Chandrashekhar was very annoyed and scolded me for not bringing them in and leaving them outside in the heat. He did not even have his chappals on. He rushed barefoot to the car outside and told my wife and my friend that I was an ahmak — a fool — to behave that way. My friend could hardly believe his eyes, such a great leader being so humble and courteous.
A few months ago, when I fell ill, he came home to visit me, although being sick himself, he could barely walk, or talk.
Chandrashekhar's life is a saga of courage. He did what he thought was right and never cared for consequences. Being a member of the ruling party then, he was under no compulsion to stand by Jaiprakash Narain and go to jail during the Emergency. He has left a trail which must be traversed if we want to build an India of "Gandhi's dreams and JP's aspirations."
