In every frame that nailed Dilip Singh Judeo, there was one man, dressed in white, who did most of the talking, the cellphoning, the pouring of the whiskey, the bragging: the Union Minister’s shadow. But ever since TV networks began unspooling The Sunday Express expose and his Boss lost his job, Natwar Rateria, Judeo’s closest aide, has slipped from view: it seems he has simply vanished. Judeo, when contacted by The Indian Express today described him as a ‘‘close friend for 18 years’’. But Rateria is untraceable. Calls made to his cellphone go unanswered. For someone who wants to lie low at the moment, Rateria seems to be doing it rather well. Ask Judeo where his aide is and he waffles. ‘‘He’s very much around,’’ said Judeo. When asked where, he sidestepped the question: ‘‘He is a seasoned person, efficient and honest.’’ That may not have been the only reason why he chose to make Rateria a member of his personal staff in the Environment ministry. Gifted with ‘‘managerial’’ skills, it was Rateria who used to arrange Judeo’s meetings and tours. In short, he used to take care of his boss’s itinerary. Judeo supporters concede that he was heavily dependent on Rateria even before he inducted the man into the ministry. Rateria is said to have cleared the meeting in the hotel room, which was recorded on the VCD to leave his Boss undone. Rateria played a significant role in allotment of BJP tickets to Judeo supporters in Jashpur and Raigarh districts. One of them is Vijay Aggarwal, the party candidate from Raigarh who replaced Judeo’s nephew Ranvijay Singh Judeo, a day before the filing of nominations. Aggarwal lost the 1993 elections by a margin of nearly 11,000 votes. The Rateria family, with roots in Rajasthan, moved to Raigarh to further business interests. In Raigarh, a childhood friend of Rateria recalls: ‘‘He was very ambitious, always in a hurry to climb the ladder. Even as an undergraduate at the P D College of Commerce, he would find time to handle key functions of the family business.’’ Armed with a commerce degree, Rateria began expanding the family business. Although he moved to Delhi eight years ago, younger brothers Kamal and Vimal stayed behind to handle automobile dealerships in Ambikapur (Sarguja) and Raigarh. Rateria’s business and political connections ensured his proximity to Judeo. But he is now being blamed by Judeo supporters as the man responsible for their leader’s fall from grace. Vijay Singh Thakur, a trusted Judeo aide who died in an accident during his leader’s rath yatra, never did approve of Rateria. But in this new blame-game, what’s baffling everyone is why the trusted aide isn’t seen next to his Boss on a day he lost his job.
