From the Archives

Rajiv Gandhi and his Perspective

• P.V. Narasimha Rao

The Indian polity is vastly different from what we find in many other countries. Here the relation between the leader and the follower is not merely one of intellectual comprehension but also that of deep emotion. Somehow the attachment is so strong that a feeling of oneness pervades between the leader and the follower here. This is a qualitatively different characteristic of the Indian political revolution. I visited Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1992, that place holds the most tragic paradox; one of the holiest places where one of the unholiest imaginable acts was committed more than a year ago. How could this happen, except as a result of human perversion which surfaces when hatred takes the place oflove, where rationality gives place to anger and the base instincts of man? Our nation saw in Rajiv Gandhi the emergence of a man of youth and vision, a man who, through the strength of his conviction, overcame inertia and opposition to set this country on the path of new opportunity and progress. As the inheritors of his ideas and vision we should act together to bring them to fulfilment and thus provide a more lasting and durable tribute to his memory. In the first few shocking days after the May 2l, 1991, it was difficult to accept the fact that Rajiv Gandhi’s youthful presence would not be with us – a man who stood tall, not only amongst the men of political life in India, but also amongst the statesmen of the world. This was something out of the ordinary. We are too close to the time to be able to have a perspective of the personality of Rajiv Gandhi in world affairs.The profound respect and affection which the leaders of the world had for him and still have, is something to be seen to be believed. Recently, I received almost a tearful letter from President Yasser Arafat. I was not even able to formulate a reply to that for days together. It was so emotionally surcharged because the man felt it; and I felt, perhaps he was shedding tears while he was writing it or dictating it.

Rajiv Gandhi’s short but brilliant political life has left its indelible mark on the polity of our times. The era of Rajiv Gandhi was the era of great activity and excitement, of new ideas and of experimentation. He brought the freshness and vigour of youth in the administration of the country and generated a whole new set of ideas, whose expression is being seen today and will be evident for many years into the future.

Rajiv Gandhi gave up a satisfying career to assist Indira Ji after the tragic death ofhis younger brother. It was quite clear that he was not tempted by the lure of office, nor was he burdened with received ideologies. Though he was a new entrant into the political arena, he was able to assimilate very quickly, the essential elements of our political life. When under tragic circumstances, the burden of office fell upon him, he was able to overcome his personal tragedy to assume, witharemarkable fortitude the responsibilities that were assigned to him by a shocked and grieving nation. Indications of his greatness were seen from the very early moments of his career in office.

He believed in action; he believed in not waiting for events either to become suitable for you, or to overtake you, because one does not know that if you wait, the events may not turn otherwise. May be, now is the time to face the facts and solve the problems. Who knows, by tomorrow it may become more intractable. He used to say that to wait for a problem to become easier was to invite a situation where it could also become more difficult. Thus, he had a sense of urgency, built into his character, built into his methodology. We were quite taken aback when he plunged headlong into the Punjab and Assam problems. He started talking about it, even during the election campaign. The pace at which he went ahead with his programmes, the pace he set for others, the pace he set for the whole nation was of a very high order and that was the pace which made him achieve things, which would have normally been very difficult to achieve. He plunged into work headlong from day one. In less than a month of taking over as Prime Minister, one could see him in and out of the huts of the tribal people. It looked so incongruous; this person trying to bend so as to be able to enter that small short door, get into the hut, talk to them, try to understand their difficulties. That was Rajiv Gandhi! In fact, he was taking the first lessons in public life. Perhaps before that you and I may have entered huts. Many of us may have started with huts. But he was not. He was a Prince in a way. But, he did not lose any time in taking the first lessons that are needed for the leader of a nation of poor people. The leader must know whom he is leading. This is how Rajiv Gandhi started. One could see that he was a very diligent student and diligent learner; very attentive and very responsive. When we had him, amidst us, we once saw him talking to school children, and being very carefree; one wonders hownaturally he became one of those children. It was so impressive to see that Rajiv Gandhi was a statesman among statesmen, a farmer among farmers, a poor person among the poor people and a child among the children. This was the kind of adaptability that he had learnt within that very short period. We have lost a person who was a class by himself. One could not replicate Rajiv Gandhi. This is a fact with which both his friends and opponents will have to agree. History will have to record this as an indelible fact.

More than a year has since passed without our realising what has happened. We did not realise the passage of time. It is said that when you are in the midst of happiness, time flies, but when you are facing adversities, every small moment becomes long, But, this time also it would have become long, but for the fact that we had to do the fire-fighting all the way. Probably, this fire-fighting has come in handy because it has not disturbed our equanimity. It has not destroyed our resolve. This is the greatness of the people of India. They understood what was at stake. And that is where, again, India differs from many others. We are the proud inheritors of this legacy and we have to keep it up. Such as we are, we have to do our best to continue this tradition, to continue the task which this youthful leader of ours left unfinished and entrusted to us.

We should like to take a pledge not by words; perhaps that would be too formal, that would be too hackneyed a way of doing it. Probably a resolve within oneself and being true to oneself is what is needed - we should make this resolve within ourselves rather than express it just for the sake of the record. We are not creating any record; we are creating a new strength in ourselves. That is our attempt.

Let us hope that God will give us the strength to do whatever we want to do, to do whatever Rajiv Gandhi would have wished us to do as his successors.

Article published in Rajiv Gandhi and Parliament