The CM keeps people guessing

Tiwari got a whole new lease of life when the Congress won in Uttarakhand in its first ever assembly elections in 2002. He became the state’s chief minister. Ignoring a sulking Uttarakhand Congress chief, Harish Rawat, who had led the party to victory, Tiwari ruled the state over the past five years with ease, winning over most of the party legislators. Despite ruling Uttarakhand, his heart clearly was somewhere else. But being a wily politician, he took care neither to spell out his real desire nor to suppress it. His abiding regret was his defeat in the 1991 parliamentary elections, which also ended his dreams of becoming the country’s prime minister, following the death of Rajiv Gandhi. Even as chief minister, Tiwari wished to play a larger role at the Centre. But most senior Congress politicians at the national level are wary of him and want him out of the way. On numerous occasions, he attempted to catch the attention of the party’s leadership but failed. This is probably why he decided to hunker down and choose the opportune moment to strike.

Meanwhile he cited his age — he is 82 — and indifferent health as the reasons why he wished to retire. But old habits die hard. One of the senior-most Brahmin leaders of the Congress, he commands respect and admiration amongst the Brahmins of both Uttarakhand and the plains of Uttar Pradesh. And none could better vouch for this than his political rival from his own Kumoan region, Harish Rawat, the Uttarakhand Congress chief. Being pitted against Tiwari in Congress politics has cost Rawat dearly. He has lost four consecutive Lok Sabha elections himself, and his wife Renuka Rawat lost the last one in 2004 from Almora — and only because Brahmin voters deserted him because of their allegiance to Tiwari.

While, Harish Rawat has been waiting for the top job in the state endlessly, Tiwari wants to play his next innings as vice-president or president of the country. But he does not want to talk about it, knowing fully well that the moment his ambition becomes widely known, there would be opposition to his candidature — starting from within his own party. In fact, during the five years of his chief ministership there have been several rumours about an imminent gubernatorial assignment. But they have all been proved wrong.

Meanwhile, the chief minister himself has taken to asking everyone he interacts with, “Have you seen a chief minister of my age?” But he has never answered this question himself. Asked what was stopping him from quitting, he would reply that he was a loyal soldier of the party and would act only as per the orders of the high command. He has even kept his most trusted political aides who are with him for the past four decades, guessing about his future role. A large number of his detractors in the party believe that the innings of Tiwari has come to an end and, if Congress comes to power, someone else would be asked to lead. He himself has said that he would like to confine himself to an advisory role. But his followers are of the opinion that if the Congress comes to power again, nobody can stop Tiwari from becoming chief minister again unless he himself desires to step down, given his good governance record.

Tiwari has excellent relations with opposition parties, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This could come in handy when the opportune time to bargain for a high post arrives. Till then he will keep everyone guessing.