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Frequently Asked Questions
Which was the happiest day in your life so far?
The day when Atalji (Atal Behari Vajpayee) was sworn in as the Prime
Minister of India. I was lucky to be witness to the Swearing In
Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Which was the most difficult issue for you to tackle?
The Enron project. I had spearheaded the BJP campaign against the
project, when we were in the opposition. After we came to power, I
prevailed upon the cabinet to scrap the project. As the state Energy
Minister and chairman of the project review committee, I was entrusted
with the responsibility to re-negotiate with the Enron in a manner that
would benefit the state and consumers. Those two-three months were
agonising for me since I had to negotiate and sign a new agreement with
the same people whom I had opposed until then. Fortunately, we came out
with an agreement that was transparent and beneficial to the people of
Dabhol and Maharashtra.
Saddest day in your life?
September 30, 1993 when I rushed to the tremor-hit Killari town in
Marathwada. I was the first leader to reach there. It was a
heart-rending scene as scores of villagers were dead or were moaning;
trapped under debris. These were the same people who had felicitated me
in their village a few weeks earlier.
Who has influenced you most?
Atalji and Lal Krishnaji (Advani), and I can not say who among them had
bigger influence on me. Another person who had lasting impression on me
was Vasantrao Bhagwat. He groomed me into social and political life
when I was a college student. He gave me the affection of a mother and
toughness of a father. I am yet to come across a person who is so
gentle and so transparent as Vasantraoji was. He had the knack of
getting things done from people around him. He would preach only what
he himself could practise. Then there was Uttarmraoji (Patil), who was
President of the state Jana Sangh and BJP for over three decades.
Pramod Mahajan (brother-in-law, now Information and Broadcasting
Minister) impresses me for his grit and determination to complete even
the most daunting assignment. Friends like Jayasing Gaikwad and
Dharamchand Chordia have given me love and affection without expecting
any returns from me.
Special likes?
I like to watch Marathi dramas and read biographical novels. But now a
days, I do not get time for these things. I like to be alone for an
hour or two in a day to contemplate. This is not possible anymore,
because of my hectic political routine. I like to eat groundnut. But
the family members, on the advice of my doctor friends, keep a strict
watch on me when I go for the groundnuts. Bhindi (Lady's fingers) and
Karela (bitter gourd) are my favourite vegetables.
Who brings back your mood?
My youngest daughter, Yashashri. I turn to her whenever I am depressed
or worried. Playing with her for some time restores my energy and zeal
to tide over the most complex political or administrative problems. And
she is very dominating. She forces me out of my work and compels me to
eat with her when she can not wait any more.
Who has influenced your oratory?
I know I am not a great orator. To tell you the truth, I was a
miserable failure when I made my first speech when I was in college.
The speech was written down on a piece of paper, but even that I could
not read. That was in my second year of college. Before that, I did not
hold mike even to propose a vote of thanks. I learned to speak as and
when occasions came up. I do not plan my speech. I avoid reading
prepared speech. If people indeed like my speech, I think it is because
of my spontaneity. Any way, to answer your question: I enjoy oratory of
Atalji, Pramodji and Bapusaheb Kaldate and Shivajirao Bhosale.
What are the things you wanted to do for your constituents, but couldn't as yet?
I wanted to set up an estate of the Maharashtra Industrial Development
Corporation and a lift irrigation scheme in my constituency. I had a
dream to start an Engineering College attached to the college from
where I have graduated. It's true that those who run the college have
maintained control over the institution in spite of my attempts to
remove them from its management council. I do realise that they must
have been sore over my politics, yet I feel they should develop the
college into a major education complex competing with the best in the
world. And I want to construct a stadium with all the sports
facilities.
Any programme for the state of Maharashtra which you wanted to undertake, but couldn't so far?
I want to do some thing concrete for the dry land farmers. Enough has
been done for the farmers with irrigated land during the last 50 years.
Some thing must be tried to develop dry land farming.
How much time you can devote to your family?
Not much. It is an injustice to them. I feel helpless. Hordes of people
encroach on my time, any time of the day in a year. Even on birthdays,
when I want to be with my family, some people had barged into my house
well past midnight with a request to solve their problem. I presume
this is part of the life for any politician with a mass base. Yet, I
regret that I can not be with my family as much as I want to be.
How is politician Gopinath Munde in the midst of the family then?
I keep mum, because I know they do not get share of my time. When I was
the Deputy Chief Minister I could not spend any holidays, Sundays or
festival days with them.
How do the family members react to this injustice you mete out to them?
Most of the time, they bear with me patiently. Only the youngest
daughter, Yashashri, revolts. Some times, she manages to succeed. I do
not complain when she succeeds. She has this nature to fight back
injustice, just as I have.
What would you love to do with your family?
Tour the world and show them the best things on this planet. We have
seen most of India, but I have not been able to go abroad with my wife
and children.
Does any of your daughters want to enter politics?
Not that I know of. If they want to, I will expect them to be on their
own. I have left the choice of their career to themselves. I do not
want to perpetuate family rule in BJP.
How were your relations with your childhood friends, when you became the Deputy Chief Minister?
Same as in our childhood. Some of them are commoners. Still, we share
joys and sorrows whenever we can meet. I have friends in various towns
of the state. Even now, I try to stay with them in their small houses
when I visit these places. We are still on first name basis.
Are you proficient in any of the Arts?
No. I have acted in a couple of plays during my college days. Beyond
that, I have no inclination in performing arts, drawing or paintings
etc. For me, politics is an art, not a business as in the case of many
of my contemporaries.
Can you site some instance from your childhood that showed that you had the streak to do things your own way?
I would protest when my younger brother would get more share of sweets.
I would not let anyone in the family to do anything else till I was
given equal share. My grandfather would thrash me whenever I threw
tantrums, but I would not budge till I had my way. I remember the day
when my father, Pandurangrao, and my grandmother took me on foot to the
nearby village. There was a flooded river to cross. My father sought to
hold my hand lest I should be swept away. I felt insulted that I was
not allowed to walk freely and was being protected as a child, which I
was. I brushed aside that protective hand and returned to the riverbank
even though we had already crossed the flood half way through. I hurled
stones at him in fits of anger when he tried to cajole me. Ultimately,
they gave in and allowed me to wade through the floodwater on my own.
Any regrets?
The agitation against authorities of my college. It had sparked off
violence that led to police firing. I feel I was not at fault, others
may not feel that way. I do not know who was wrong. Yet, it pains me
when I remember the day of the violence.
Happiest moment in your life?
When Pradnya said yes to my proposal to marry her. We knew each other
for quite some time. We did anticipate that many people around us would
not like our marriage since we belonged to different communities that
lived in the tradition-bound rural set up. You can not imagine how
elated I was when she responded to my proposal against this background.
Does your wife actively participate in your political activities?
No. Far from it. She is a perfect housewife looking after the daughters
and me. Her entire universe is our family. She reads newspapers only to
find what appears about me. She does not try to influence my
administrative or political decisions. She does not interfere in my
work. This is particularly significant when you consider that Pradnya
had politics in her family. (Her brother Pramod Mahajan, now I & B
Minister, has been in active politics since his Jana Sangh days.) For
me, she is today as she was when she said yes to me.
What was your preference during the ministry formation process when Shiv Sena-BJP government came to power?
Revenue and Cooperation. That is because I believe these two ministries
are very important for the overall development of the state. However, I
agreed to look after Home and Energy since there were challenges facing
these departments.
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