Tall leader

The nation cannot forget his great contribution.

H.D. Deve Gowda, Janata Dal (S) leader.

IT cannot be easily forgotten that in May 1996 it was Jyoti babu [Basu] who proposed my name for the post of Prime Minister. In May 1996, after the fall of the 13-day-old Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government and when the Congress decided not to form the government, the country could have become politically unstable.

A number of non-Congress secular leaders, including Chief Ministers, met in New Delhi in a bid to form a secular government and to keep the non-secular forces out. Among the leaders present were the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, M. Karunanidhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad respectively. The leaders had wanted V.P. Singh to become the Prime Minister and we went to his house. But he was not there and told us on telephone that there was no need to wait as he was not interested in taking up the role.

Then it was decided that Jyoti babu should form the government and become the Prime Minister of India. He was in agreement but said that he would first have to seek his partys approval.

After two days of discussions, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau decided that Jyoti babu should not accept the post. That is when he mentioned my name. I was then the Chief Minister of Karnataka and was shocked at my name being proposed for the post of Prime Minister. I was very reluctant to take up the post. In fact, I refused saying that I was happy to be in Karnataka. But Jyoti babu scolded me, saying that if I did not take up the role of Prime Minister of India, that too at a crucial juncture of the countrys history, I would be personally guilty of letting communal parties [BJP] come to power in India.

Though I was not happy, I agreed to take up the post of Prime Minister at his insistence. This forced me to leave Karnataka and move to New Delhi.

I first met Jyoti babu in 1973 or 1974 when I visited Calcutta (Kolkata) as the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka legislature. Our relationship was like that of two brothers. He was very senior to me in age and in politics. Our relationship was also very cordial. We also thought alike on a number of political and social issues.

Let me say that there can be only one Jyoti babu. Only one person could have been born like Jyoti babu in this country. You must remember he is the only person to have ruled a State in India continuously for 23 years. Both as a Chief Minister and a towering national leader of the Left movement, Jyoti babu was able to guide the nation and all political parties at critical junctures and when crucial events were played out, like during the [1975] Emergency, and also whenever the electorate returned fractured mandates. The nation cannot forget his great contribution.

In the later years, when I used to call on him, I realised that he was fully aware of what was happening politically not only at the Centre but also in various States, including Karnataka.

He used to constantly advise me to take care of my health so that I can be fighting fit for the coming battles.

Ravi Sharma