There is scorching heat in the national capital and the ongoing elections haven’t therefore caught the attention of its electorates. There is no doubt that weather plays a prominent role in generating the interest of voters during elections and so are the burning issues. However, there is no dearth of issues like skyrocketing inflation, unemployment, corruption, development , polarisation, appeasement, rhetorics and media taking sides including charges and counter charges by the ruling party and opposition candidates. NCT of Delhi being the national capital always had its say and used to impact the elections and politics nationally.
Therefore everyone’s eye used to be on the national capital political scenario including the hectic political campaigning and the developments taking place here. The election campaigning in Delhi being the national capital and majority of the national dailies being published from here used to file important stories that reverberated in every state impacting elections elsewhere but this time that hectic election atmosphere is missing in the national capital. It seems that there is no election here. No public meetings being seen nor any three wheeler or four wheeler making rounds announcing about their respective candidates including poster war almost coming to end and hoardings and billboards though having their majority say. It seems that the electorates of Delhi are fed up with politicians and the voters rarely remember the names of their candidates.
The election festivity is missing and so is the enthusiasm among party workers and electorates with people not even interested to discuss the political wranglings. This is primarily because people are fed up by the news of political corruption, leaders befooling voters by their assertions, rhetorics and false promises and above all the politicians from top to bottom have lost the trust of the people. While, the voting in Delhi is slated for Saturday the 25 th May, the campaigning in Delhi doesn’t seem to be that hectic as it used to be during the earlier years about two decades before. This takes me back to 1991, 92 era to New Delhi parliamentary constituency when former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and then PM P.V. Narsimha Rao outrightly supported and blessed the first and original Super star of Bollywood Rajesh Khanna.
Rajiv Gandhi who adored Rajesh Khanna too much, invited him to contest from New Delhi parliamentary seat against the BJP heavy weight Lal Krishna Advani. Former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s strategy was to keep the BJP stalwart Advani confined to New Delhi parliamentary constituency so that he is not able to campaign for BJP in other constituencies at the pan India level. This was Rajiv’s well thought out strategy.
(Rajesh Khanna at Hindu Rao Hospital talking to some patients admitted after consuming spurious liquor)
Though Kaka’s desire was fulfilled for which he was longing since long, he was bit confused and apprehensive to counter a BJP heavyweight, himself being a political novice. But Rajiv Gandhi convinced him and he agreed to contest, finally being defeated by merely 1500 votes with Advani opting for Gandhi Nagar seat and giving up the prestigious New Delhi seat.
Rajesh Khanna had not only lost from New Delhi against Advani in May 1991 but had also lost his God father Rajiv Gandhi.
The day Rajiv Gandhi met the tragic end at Siriperumbudur, TN he was with Kaka a day earlier along with Sonia Gandhi to cast their vote at the Norman Bhawan, Health ministry polling station.
What is very important hear to note that on this voting day when a Sewa Dal woman worker was taking the arti of Sonia and Rajiv as a welcome gesture, the thali fell down and Soniaji was bit disturbed, with some newspaper the other day published that this falling of arti thali was a bad omen according to Hindu traditions.
The other day Rajiv Gandhi had met a tragic end sending shock waves all around nationally and internationally. Rajesh Khanna got this shocking news when he was in the marriage of the writer Sunil Negi’s younger brother’s marriage in R. K.Puram from where he rushed to 10 Janpath.
The journalist writing this piece joined him as his media advisor from day one when he offered his services to Kaka his most adored superstar after Kaka’s personal request to him.
New Delhi parliamentary constituency was then a centre of discussion, hectic campaigning and media rush with reporters busy seeking appointments with a superstar Rajesh Khanna and his opponent Shatrughan Sinha including party workers and leaders desperately asking for Kaka’s programmes in their respective areas with Kaka in real mess, not able to cope with the journalists nor with party leaders. There was a mad rush for Kaka’s programmes and time in their respective areas.
In Delhi State Congress committee there were then several factions, one led by H.K.L Bhagat, the then chief of DPCC, another by R.K.Dhawan who was managing the entire election of Kaka, the third group of New Delhi president Dr.Roshan Lal and the fourth of the Delhi State Youth Congress led by Sushil Sharma. However, after being sternly directed by the then PM Narsimha Rao all the factions came together and helped Rajesh Khanna win from New Delhi as this election was Congress’s prestige issue n winning from this important seat was an inevitability.
The first party office of Kaka in Canning lane was initially managed by the nephew of Devanand, Aacha Anand and Stevan Fernandez, his Mumbai friends and the media coordination managed by me. Rajiv Shukla, the renowned journalist and MP initially guided Kaka and was of great support to him. Thereafter Naresh Juneja of Spring Meadows helped Kaka a lot in managing his stay at Som Vihar Apartments in R.K.Puram at the flat of Vandana Luthra of Curls and Curves and later on at Duplex Flat in Vasanth Kunj owned by Naresh Juneja.
After Lal Krishna Advani went to Gandhi Nagar leaving New Delhi vacant Rajesh Khanna re – contested as Congress candidate with BJP giving ticket to the then leading prominent actor of Bollywood Shatrughan Sinha who was Kakas’s good friend.
When BJP proposed his name, initially , Shatrughan Sinha refused to contest against Rajesh Khanna but after the insistence of BJP stalwart and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee Shatrughan has no option but to accept the offer. Shatrughan Sinha don’t want to annoy his super star friend Kaka who were in very good terms and was also apprehensive of losing from New Delhi at the hands of Kaka.
Shatrughan Sinha’s acceptance of BJP proposal to contest from New Delhi against Rajesh Khanna, though at the behest of Atal Bihari Vajpayee made Kaka badly annoyed and he since then never talked to his old “JIGRI DOST” even after winning from New Delhi. The once strung friendship no more existed.
When Kaka restarted his campaign he commenced it from Hauzkhas Jagannath Temple wearing a fresh designed yellow enlightened Dhoti and Kurta on Srikrishna chariot with hundreds of followers, die hard fans, party leaders and workers raising slogans hailing him, following his chariot.
It was in the late evening and the media rush was incomparable to cover the superstar commencing his campaign.
Kaka’s first election in 1991 when he contested against Lal Krishna Advani was during peak summers in the month of May.
Delhi was extremely hot like it is now. Kaka was not being cooperated by the Delhi Congress leaders being faction ridden.
Kaka took the decision to start the campaign from Connaught place starting his Padyatra on his own without seeking any leaders permission or waiting for senior leaders like HKL Bhagat, R.K.Dhawan etc to arrive.
The moment he started his Padyatra under scorching sun people in hundreds lined up on both sides of Minto Road and Connaught place circle including Congress leaders started pouring in in large numbers making his campaign a great success followed by padyatras, jeep yatras and Massive public meetings in every assembly segment of the constituency, everyday.
Kaka was so popular during his election campaign that his register was full of programmes from RWAs, J.J.Clusters, organisations, Congress leaders and College student unions including teachers n principles.
Kaka’s opponent Shatrughan Sinha too was hectically busy campaigning with his wife and former beauty queen Mrs Poonam Sinha helping her husband tremendously by mobilising women community.
The involvement of Shatru’s wife in helping her husband tremendously compelled Rajesh Khanna call her star wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinki from Mumbai to campaign for him.
However, during the first election against Lal Krishna Advani Rajesh Khanna’s star wife Dimple Khanna was conspicuous by her absence.
The superstar turned Congress candidate used to visit Gurudwara, temples, mosques n churches during his padyatras including visiting residential colonies , JJ clusters and villages in his constituencies . He also visited several colleges to seek support from youths. He also danced to the tunes of his popular Bollywood films’ mesmerising songs on stage during campaigning to please his electorates. I vividly remember when Kaka hand danced on the demand of his fans at Aiwane Ghalib auditorium function at Rouse Avenue to the tunes of the song ” GORE RANG PAR ITNA GUMAAN NA KAR.. GORA RANG DO DIN MEIN DHAL JAYEGA”, Kaka’s histrionics on this song were fabulous inviting thunderous applause from the audience.
He attended birthday, marriage functions and also on shocking occassions of deaths of the local people.
In one of such death occassion when Kaka visited a house at Minto Road clusters with the then Councillor from the area Ramesh Dutta to express his anguish, the family instead of sitting in silence for some time rushed to Kaka for photographs with the first superstar. When Kaka asked them to wait, as this is a moment of grief, the family members of the dead won’t relent and compelled him to let them pose for photographs with him. They had already arrange a photographer for pics with their star hero when they came to know the Kaka is coming to their house to express his cindolences.
Kaka attended lots of Uttarakhandi cultural functions in and outside his constituency at Sewa Nagar, Kidwai Nagar, Prem Nagar and Mafatlal Mills, Shakti Nagar etc. He also participated in a programme to pay tributes to Chandra Singh Garhwali , Peshawar Hero at Garhwal Bhawan Panchquin Road accompanied with the writer.
(Rajesh Khanna at Prem Nagar with Uttarakhand’s folk artists with the former Delhi Commissioner B.R.Tamta n author on the mike)
I fondly remember Kaka having met the then Finance minister Manmohan Singh and also then PM urging them to raise the income tax exemption limit from Rs 50 thousand to Rs one lakh on the demand of government employees association. This demand was fulfilled later on. The government employees who were dominating the New Delhi constituency were impressed by Kaka’s cooperative gesture and voted for him in good numbers.
The New Delhi star studded election was extremely hectic with people from other constituencies of Delhi and even from NCR coming to watch their superstar at Lodhi Estate at his election office. After Kaka had win several MPs also used to meet him as they too had been his ardent fans who watched lot of his movies while in schools and colleges.
This election was moulded as a contest between a Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna and Bollywood villain Shatrughan Sinha by Congress.
(KAKA at the annual function of Moti Lal Nehru College in South Campus)
Obviously people preferred Rajesh Khanna who gave back to back 15 super duper hits from 1969 to 1972 to Shatrughan Sinha who acted more in negative roles than as a hero, as was Kaka, mesmerising one and all through his fabulous histrionics in his more than 175 movies.
Rajesh Khanna aka Kaka defeated Shatrughan Sinha by a margin of 29000 votes.
Rajesh Khanna at a fair at Kidwai Nagar grounds then in 1992 opposite AIIMS
