R. K. Dhawan played a key role in Kaka’s New Delhi election. Kaka had high regards for him !

Rajesh Khanna never touched the feet of any political leader as far as I know, though he always revered his seniors and old people. However, he considered the former Special Assistant to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and thereafter union minister in prime minister Narsimha Rao’s cabinet R.K. Dhawan extremely significant and next to Rajiv Gandhi in status as the latter played a very prominent role in shaping his political destiny including supervising his entire election when he contested two consecutive elections as New Delhi MP, first losing to BJP heavy weight and stalwart Lal Krishna Advani and second winning against popular film star, his junior Shatrughan Sinha as BJP candidates. Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha were very close friends and Shatrughan never wanted to contest against Kaka but couldn’t resist the party high command’s pressure. Kaka never wanted Shatrughan to contest against him and got badly annoyed. There never talked to each other since then. However the Punjabi connection was the key to credible relationship between the Dhawan and Kaka as it is believed that Dhawan had also played a pivotal role in getting Kaka Congress ticket from New Delhi, thus playing quite a significant role in superstar’s entry in politics, especially when his illustrious days as first most popular super star were dwindling. I was astonished to see Kaka touching R. K. Dhawan’s feet on some occasions when he was contesting from New Delhi. Dhawan was then the chief election agent of Khanna who dutifully managed the superstar’s election first on the instruction of former PM Rajiv Gandhi and then on prime minister Narsimha Rao’s instructions to ensure that Kaka wins the prestigious New Delhi seat by all means. For me watching Kaka paying him such a respect bowing down to touch his feet was a news as I used to hear that Kaka during his hey days as the first Super star of Bollywood who never looked down as there was a saying in Bollywood ” UPER KAKA NEECHE AAKAA”. If reliable sources are to be believed , the one time blue eyed man of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and her Special Assistant for several years RK Dhawan was the person who suggested the then Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to invite Kaka to Delhi in order to make him contest against the BJP heavy weight LK Advani. His role in inviting Kaka in active politics by suggesting Rajiv Gandhi to compensate the loss of losing Amitabh Bachchan who had left the Congress then, clicked the most with the former also thinking that the first Bollywood superstar will also be the best bet to counter the political clout of BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani from New Delhi who will be stagnated in his constituency as well, not able to campaign for BJP nationally. The idea clicked as Rajiv Gandhi was also Kaka’s fan. Therefore, Kaka bagged the ticket bringing him extremely close to RK Dhawan without whose efforts this wasn’t possible, either. When things got finalised and Kaka was given the New Delhi seat as Congress’s official candidate on the directions of Rajiv Gandhi, Dhawan left no stone unturned to ensure Kaka’s victory. It was because of Kaka’s request to Rajiv Gandhi and thereafter PM Narsimha Rao that Dhawan was specifically deputed to manage the entire election of New Delhi parliamentary constituency n ensure the superstar’s victory as the Delhi Congress during those days was in the grip of extreme factionalism between HKL Bhagat and Dhawan groups n other splinter factions as well making it difficult for Kaka to work. However, Dhawan had stood with Kaka rock solid to ensure his victory, even calling Dimple Kapadia and her daughter Twinkle to Delhi to campaign for her husband n father Rajesh Khanna despite the stranded relations between Kaka n Dimple in 1991 , 92. Though despite Dhawan’s best efforts Kaka lost to L K Advani by merely 1500 votes but RKD never relented and helped Kaka to ultimately stand victorious against Shatrughan Sinha, the BJP’s next candidate. New Delhi being the prestigious seat for Congress ever after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination – R. K. Dhawan and others like the Delhi Congress chief HKL Bhagat n all district Congress presidents, especially the then New Delhi chief Dr. Roshan Lal were further instructed to ensure Kaka’s victory from New Delhi giving up their personel differences and by hook or crook. And Kaka won finally defeating his immediate rival n Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha after compelling veteran leader n political heavy weight Lal Krishna Advani go to Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, retaining it, from where too he had won simultaneously having contested from New Delhi as well as Gandhi Nagar. This was like killing two birds with a stone. Capturing the BJP’s stronghold and traditional seat of New Delhi by a Congress nominee Kaka from where stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee n Advani won several times was no less an outstanding achievement. But I ‘d observed that after becoming member of parliament Rajesh Khanna’s meetings and proximity with Dhawan gradually came to a grinding halt. Some silent differences cropped up and I thereafter never saw Kaka visiting Dhawan’s house or office as used to be the case earlier during his first n second elections while he contested against Advani n Shatru of BJP. But there is no doubt that both the prime ministers i.e. Rajiv Gandhi and Narsimha Rao had great charm and respect for Rajesh Khanna aka Kaka and both of them did their best to help him to the core to make him victorious also helping him financially to comfortably manage his two elections in a row. Today no body is alive and all have gone to their eternal homes about whom we are talking in this story but memories of prominent icons like Rajiv Gandhi, Narsimha Rao, Rajesh Khanna and RK Dhawan refuse to fade away.