He\'s one man who changed the course of the turbulent river Punjab politics is. Endowed with gift of the gab, and capable of matching the rhetoric of Badals, twang by twang, and syllable by syllable, the 69-year-old Maharaja of Patiala, Capt Amarinder Singh, has indeed come of age. Having learnt his lessons the hard way, he\'s now a tad more conscious of those who strut around him. And his vision wears no blinkers.
The past decade has seen Capt Amarinder emerge as an undisputed leader of the Congress party. A suave and unsuspecting politician, he had to struggle hard for more than a couple of years after being sworn-in as Chief Minister in 2002. It was his stature and mass appeal that enabled him to have the better of the political odds, and regain control over the party. Firmly ensconced in the saddle since then, the Maharaja has become a force, and a rallying point for party men, making his detractors shrink into a tactical shell, willing to strike, but afraid of hurting him. They dare not cross his path.
So much so, some of the \'\'black sheep\'\', who had deserted him when he was at the receiving end of the SAD-BJP Government, too, seem to have mended fences with him. Even a political novice knows that before him, none in the Congress could summon the nerves to take the Akalis head-on, as he did. Between 2002 and 2007, the state vigilance slapped corruption cases on a dozen former Akali ministers, but strangely, he did not deem it fit to proceed against any of the BJP ministers.
Was it mere coincidence or a calculated political manoeuvre?
The Amarinder Government earned accolades from one and all for arresting \'\'corrupt\'\' Ravi Inderpal Singh Sidhu, then Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). This action of his earned him the epithet of an \'honest and no-nonsense chief minister\', and sent word out and around that Capt Amarinder was serious about rooting out corruption.
But on the flip side, while the vigilance kept slapping and chasing corruption cases against Akali ministers and Capt Amarinder\'s detractors, some avaricious politicians started indulging in underhand deals, and top vigilance officials began to make a quick buck under the cover of anti-corruption drive. Capt Amarinder had to sack Harbans Lal, one of his ministers, after he was found involved in illegal felling of trees in Ropar district. But this was the first and last time that the Chief Minister took action against his own minister. The reality began to dawn on him that it wasn\'t that easy to root out corruption, and that his anti-graft crusade could push him into a corner of political wilderness. Translating this realisation into action, Capt Amarinder limited the leash of the vigilance to only the Opposition, lending credence to the Akali outcry that the Congress was indulging in \'\'vendetta politics\'\'.
Four-and-a-half years later, the Chief Minister found himself being chased by controversies and charges of corruption. By the end of his term, he had realised how tall was the order to wipe out corruption. \'\'It\'s a Utopian idea,\'\' he confided in me during an interview.
Even his detractors concede that the \'\'Maharaja\'\' could have excelled during his previous stint as Chief Minister but for his \'\'darbaris\'\' who made access to him their business, and often misled him to axe their personal grind. Things improved only after some well meaning bureaucrats found their way into his close circuit, and started giving him free frank advice.
It was then, a wee bit too late in the day that the focus of his government changed from action against Akalis to development Capt Amarinder wanted to do right from day one. Articulate and earnest, he brought some distanced business houses around, to invest in the state and help push development. His historic decision to annul the SYL river waters agreement with Haryana was one of the boldest decisions of his tenure.
He wanted to do a lot and improve the state\'s fiscal health, but what he did wasn\'t enough in people\'s perception to bring him back to power. The government changed, so did the days, and soon Capt Amarinder was made by the Akalis to have a taste of his own medicine. Vigilance hounds were set on him and corruption cases were slapped. He kept stoic silence all through, and the Congress high command, though convinced that he alone could successfully lead the party in the next elections, dragged its feet on appointing him Punjab Congress chief. But finally, after taking feedback from Congress leaders and input from intelligence, the high command anointed him PPCC chief last year. Strange indeed are the ways of Congress high command politics!
A voracious reader and keen observer, Capt Amarinder has a penchant for quick decision-making, likes to talk straight and his drinks neat. Wisened by the mistakes of the past, he has covered a lot of ground. Those who had counted him out after he lost power in 2007, have now begun to count on him. The Maharaja of yesterday is no more the same simple-hearted and trusting leader. He\'s changed forever, and for the better.
Capt Amarinder is a politically wise man today. But, they say, not as wise as Parkash Singh Badal is!
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BY MANISH TIWARI ,Editor-in-Chief DAILY POST,Chandigarh DEC.26,2011 ( The views expressed in the article are own views of writer)),
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