Rajinder Kumar Dhawan: Once a powerful lieutenant to Indira Gandhi, veteran Congressman's death signals end of an era

The obituary of a political leader, more often than not, runs on a familiar script – rise and fall of a career. Rajinder Kumar Dhawan is no exception. In Indira Gandhi’s time, he rose like a meteoric and practically grounded to dust after her assassination. In his stint as Rajya Sabha member during PV Narasimha Rao’s term, Dhawan could be seen loitering around Parliament and was a pale shadow of his past even though he briefly held a ministerial post in the government. Of course, Dhawan’s past was not so glorious but he could easily be termed as one of the most powerful “chosen bureaucrat” the country had ever seen. He was from the ranks and did not belong to the coveted civil services. [caption id=“attachment_4911881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rajinder Kumar Dhawan. PTI[/caption] As a private secretary to Indira Gandhi till she assumed the post of prime minister, Dhawan was seen as her shadow. He teamed up with infamous Yashpal Kapur and wily chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Dwarka Prasad Mishra to ensure toppling of inconvenient governments. In later part of the 70s when a coalition of socialist parties substantially ousted the Congress from the larger part of Hindi-speaking states, Dhawan emerged as a key linkage between Indira Gandhi and those assigned the task of toppling state governments. Those were the times when Yashpal Kapur introduced the brief-case culture in Indian politics. Dhawan was not only a willing and active collaborator in this political scheming but he later took centre-stage in this game of thrones. Though he never could aspire to be a king, he played the role of ruthless king-maker in the 70s and the 80s. For instance chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh like ND Tiwari, VP Singh or Bir Bahadur Singh were believed to be more deferential to Dhawan than any other central ministers in the cabinet. He clearly derived his power from his proximity to Indira Gandhi. Similarly, regional satraps of those times were seen making a determined attempt to be on the right side of Dhawan. Dhawan’s influence in the government peaked during the Emergency when he found himself quite at ease with Sanjay Gandhi and his brand of politics. In all acts of indiscretion during the Emergency, Dhawan figured prominently and his role was examined through a judicial inquiry. In the post-Emergency phase, he faced a difficult time but bounced back with the return of Indira Gandhi. But this period did not last for long as Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash and Indira Gandhi created a Frankenstein in the form of insurgency in Punjab led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. This led to the ultimate assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October, 1984. Dhawan accompanied Indira Gandhi when she was fired upon by the two Sikh security guards. Political careers mostly end in failure. That was exactly what had happened with Dhawan. Even in the judicial inquiry that followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination, he found himself in the dock. Rajiv Gandhi was not particularly fond of him and virtually marginalised him by removing his crucial political work. He was completely marginalised for a long time till he recovered some lost political ground in the 90s when he was brought in as Rajya Sabha member and later elevated as minister of state in the PV Narasimha Rao government. Despite his elevation as a minister in the government, Dhawan could not regain the stature and clout which he enjoyed during Indira Gandhi’s time. In the Congress circle, he had practically become a relic of a past that is unworthy of being recalled. For a new generation of Congress leaders, his death would signify nothing. But old-timers like Pranab Mukherjee know it too well that in Dhawan’s passing, it is curtains for an era.