A BJP worker remembers Munde: He reached out to those on lowest rung

By Keshav Upadhye

How do I pen my thoughts in the aftermath of the untimely demise of Gopinath Munde? Especially when I still feel that at any time now I’ll get a call on my mobile and I’ll hear that familiar voice asking me, “Keshav, what’s the latest?”

In the last decade or so, not a single day has gone by without Munde_ji_ and me having a chat. Whatever the circumstances, be it the huge success in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, his own relatives turning their back on him, or the harsh criticism that his one-time loyalists hurled at him as they left the party… At every juncture, he’d issue one simple instruction to whoever was accompanying him at that point of time: “Put me on to Keshav."

What began as an exercise to ensure that the right stand was articulated before the media went on to became an inseparable part of our lives. A strong bond developed between us that was far beyond the realm of news, issues and incidents.

The latest chat was just last Monday, the day before he left us. He was to go to Beed for his felicitation function after the victory. “Saheb, I was thinking of coming to Beed,” I said. He instantly replied, “Why are you thinking? You must come." I kept my word and did go to Beed, but the reasons were entirely different.

Before that, just the previous week, I unexpectedly got a call from him at 9.30 pm one night. “Keshav, where’s your attention wandering?” I was hesitant and asked quietly what was wrong. He said, “There is something that has appeared on Facebook regarding my education and I came to know from outside sources. You do not know anything.” I told him the first post on the social media site had been at around 7 pm. “I tried to call you to convey it to you, but your phone was switched off." He replied saying I should reach him anywhere and at any time, no matter where he is.

Today I recall this statement Munde Saheb made, because I’m searching for him today. Where do I look now?

How serious would the mis-spelling of the college from where he got his degree become, he asked me. I said, “Saheb, not much. We shall submit the copy of the degree certificate and all the criticism will end automatically. People will realise that what happened was just a typing mistake.” He called up Pune MP Anil Shirole and asked him to organise a copy of his degree certificate.

Today the controversy over his educational qualification has ended, not with his degree certificate, but with his death certificate.

My association with Munde saheb goes well beyond a decade. Through my background as a journalist, I began to work with the BJPs Media Cell and was with him for 45 days at a stretch in 2003 during his 2nd Sangharsh Yatra. At the time I was new in the BJP and unaware of many things. There were many leaders accompanying him. The only task entrusted to me then was to host accompanying journalists and take care of their lodging, boarding and food and also draft Munde Saheb’s news updates and send them to various media houses.

In BJPs terminology, I was a small worker in the system. Munde sahib would hardly have reason to know me but one day as I was having lunch, he came into the room. I stood up immediately, a morsel of food still in my hand. I was tongue-tied, didn’t know what to say to him. He put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly and said, “Keshav, sit.”

He pressed my shoulder and made me return to my food. I was seated and he remained standing and thus began our conversation. “How are things going? Has the press note been sent?” I said, “Yes, it’s been sent to the Pradesh Karyalay Saheb, I’ll show it to you.” He replied, “Don’t worry. I just wanted to know if it had gone or not. Are you facing any problems in your work? Are you facing any problems in making ends meet? Your accommodation and your food, everything is okay?” He showed me so much concern, I was floored.

I was just a worker, at that time on the very lowest rung of the system. To ask that last worker on the lowest rung if he was doing okay was reflective of the vast army of dedicated workers he had built and who backed him. It was his quality and ability to do away with the intermediary steps and establish a direct contact, whether with the ordinary party worker or with the common man.

Many journalists would ask if Munde Saheb had any addictions. I would reply that he did. “He had a liking for people and that was his addiction.”

The sight of a crowd made him open up. He had given strict instructions to his office staff to allow all people direct access to him, rich or poor or from any caste or creed, and he would meet each and every one of them. Ravi (Ravi Anaspure, his personal assistant) would get worked up as he had to maintain appointments. People would come with all kinds of requests, from having no job to domestic issues.

In the latter case, Munde would immediately pick up the phone and warn the erring husband. “Your wife is my daughter, take care of her,” he’d say. Such words would bring tears to the eyes of the girl’s father who had no direct relation with Munde Saheb.

This was Saheb’s true wealth that he had amassed. It was because of this that party workers and the masses supported him, and he was inseparable from them. He never looked at the watch while taking care of party workers. When people found out why Munde Saheb was always late to arrive, their love and admiration for him grew even more.

Saheb was famously always late to arrive. But he faced death before his time? I cannot resolve that question. Today Maharashtra needed him the most. Farmers of this country needed him, there were so many schemes and ideas he had in his mind… The time had come to give concrete shape to those schemes.

But Saheb, you got up from the dinner table without eating a morsel. You have orphaned many like me.

Keshav Upadhye is spokesperson for BJP Maharashtra and was a very close aide to Munde for several years. Follow him on @keshavupadhye.