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THE NATION: PRAMOD MAHAJAN
PM'S POINT MAN
Sidelined two years ago, he has bounced back to
become one of the most powerful ministers in the NDA
By Prabhu Chawla
Pramod Venkatesh
Mahajan was already the Union minister for information technology (IT)
as well as the Union minister for parliamentary affairs when Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee called him over last weekend and dropped one more
portfolio in his plate-the Ministry of Communications. A long line of
57 ministers had occupied the office in Sanchar Bhavan since Independence;
nevertheless, 52-year-old Mahajan couldn't hide his enthusiasm. So on
Sunday, September 2, appropriately dressed for the occasion in a flashy
suit and tie, he drove to the Communications Ministry headquarters to
assume charge of his latest-and dream-department. Then, he was off to
Japan to sell India as an emerging it superpower.
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DEEP TIES Mahajan's
closeness to Vajpayee has brought its rewards |
Vajpayee's cabinet expansion the past weekend-the
third in as many years-handed Mahajan more than just an additional portfolio;
with three plum ministries at his command and the eyes and the ears of
the prime minister, it was clear that Mahajan, who was banished to the
political woods just two years ago, was back in the running. Mahajan seems
to have acquired the No. 3 position in the Vajpayee Government. No other
minister in the 33-member NDA Cabinet wields the same sort of clout and
influence as this irrepressible RSS man from Maharashtra. Almost overnight,
he seems to have become the new mascot of the NDA Government and the favourite
of the ruling establishment.
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WAY TO GO Jaswant, Mahajan, Vajpayee, Fernandes:
the decision-makers
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This was not accidental. It was related to the
evolutionary tale of Brajesh Mishra, once upon a time Vajpayee's voice
and mind. Actually, their destinies in the Vajpayee regime are interlinked:
when one Mr M is down, the other M is up. And for some time, they were
the speakers of the prime minister's unspoken words-they were the prime
ministerial media. But in 1999 Mahajan was sidelined as he had become
rather controversial. Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister,
became his singular-and unchallenged-pointman. He was present at all the
important meetings where sensitive decisions were taken. He was the master's
most authoritative voice. But the last six months saw the retreat of a
diminished Mishra; and Vajpayee was losing his voice much to the surprise
of the nation. Now he has found it in Mahajan, a tested and trustworthy
ally.
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METTLE DETECTOR
Advani's 1990 Rath Yatra proved Mahajan's organisational skills |
Mahajan's growing relevance and clout were reflected
right from the time the prime minister decided on the latest reshuffle.
It was to the MP from Maharashtra that the triumvirate of Vajpayee, Home
Minister L.K. Advani and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh entrusted
the task of extracting resignations from the four ministers who were dropped.
Newcomers to the Council of Ministers too were informed about their new
assignments by Mahajan-in the past such privileged communication went
either from Mishra or from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mahajan evidently was no
longer just one of the ministers. His friends described his elevation
as the return of the prime minister's Man Friday. But his critics dubbed
him the "PM's PM".
The first indication of Mahajan bouncing back
to centrestage came on August 30, when Vajpayee called him over to Race
Course Road to attend a meeting to discuss the impending cabinet expansion.
The others present were Advani and Jaswant Singh. Again the next day,
he was present when the BJP brass discussed the reshuffle with NDA convener
George Fernandes. At the meeting, Mahajan was informed that he was also
going to be handed charge of the Communications Ministry. Overnight, the
man who was best known as the official spokesperson of the Union Cabinet
had emerged as one of the most powerful ministers in the Government. Under
his new charge comes not just big PSUs like VSNL and MTNL but also policy
formulations which could influence an industry worth over Rs 30,000 crore.
To top it all, he presides over a ministry in which states have no say
at all.
It wasn't quite that way two years ago. A front-runner
in the race to replace the BJP's current crop of ageing leaders, Mahajan's
fall from grace was rapid after a series of indiscretions, including a
tasteless personal attack on Sonia Gandhi during the 1999 general election.
Punishment was swift. From the high-profile Information and Broadcasting
(I&B) Ministry, he was moved to the less glamorous ministries of parliamentary
affairs and water resources. It is said that he had to be persuaded to
come to the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Though he was-and
still is-a favourite of the Vajpayee household, the prime minister was
forced to take him out of the limelight. In the end, that proved to be
a blessing in disguise for the beleaguered Mahajan.
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