Nawalji Rose From Grassroots To Become “People’s Prince”

Rajendra Bora

                                         

With the passing away of 87 year old veteran congressman Nawal Kishore Sharma one more link to the bygone era has been broken when ladder of politics was climbed gradually from the grassroots and ideological and political differences did not affect personal relations as also probity in public life reigned supreme.

Born in 1925 at Dausa in a middle class family Nawal ji, as he was fondly called, started his political life at a very young age working with dalits fighting against untouchability.  Embarking into electoral politics he first successfully contested municipal polls and became chairman of Dausa municipality and later elected as Pradhan of Dausa Panchayat Samiti.

Nawal ji catapulted into national politics when fate pushed him to that direction. Congress had fielded Radhe Shyam Morarka as its candidate in the 1968 by-election from Dausa Lok Sabha constituency and Sharma was the dummy candidate. Feeling that it would be futile to fight poll against formidable opposition candidate Maharaj Kumar Prithvi Singh, son of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh, Morarka refused to contest at the last moment virtually fleeing from the scene and Sharma was left with taking on the electoral challenge.

His grassroots work paid dividend and the poll battle turned into fight between a “rajkumar” (prince) and a “janata ka rajkumar” (people’s prince). The slogan changed the scenario and congress wrested the seat from Swatantra Party sending Nawal ji to the Lok Sabha with a bang.

Playing fine innings at the national politics, Nawal ji served as joint secretary and general secretary of the AICC and also as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). 

He held the portfolio of minister of petroleum and natural gas at the centre as also chairman of NAFED and Khadi and Gramodhyog Commission with grace keeping probity in public life intact.

The era of politics from which Nawal ji belonged helped him serve as governor of Gujarat without causing any controversy and winning respect even from ideologically opponent Narendra Modi, the chief minister. Nawal ji’s  adherence to Gandhian philosophy in his own party won equal respect for him from Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

An interesting incident will suffice to show how the old generation of politicians of diverse ideology behaved in their private lives. It so happened that another doyen of Rajasthan politics Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, serving as Vice-President, was in Jaipur and Nawal ji, who was serving as Gujarat Governor was too in the town. He dropped in to Shekhawat’s house to exchange pleasantries.  Besides the two the only person present in the room was writer of this piece. Talking casually Shekhawat said “Nawal ji Ahmedabad aana hai. Gujarat ke kai musalman aake mujhse Dilli mein mile hai. Ve kahte hain hamaara Modi se jhanjhat khatam kara do”.  Nawal ji said “Aap aaiye swagat hai. Magar aapka ‘Raja’ (he used the term raja for Narendra Modi) abhi maanega nahi. Chunaav abhi sir par hai”. Shekhawat nodded and the conversation ended there and the two started joking about paan and gutka of which both were fond of enjoying. It showed maturity of the two leaders of old generation.   

Although Nawal ji had strong political and ideological convictions and was congressman to the core but that did not deter him making friends from diverse political parties. He also seldom showed his anger in public against his new generation opponents in his own party who did not allow him to play pivotal role in state politics. 

(The piece appeared in The Hindustan Times)