Ahmed Patel: The defender departs when crisis-torn Congress needs him most

New Delhi: It’s a coincidence that Ahmed Patel and Tarun Gogoi died in the span of three days. Both were handpicked by prime minister and party president Indira Gandhi as AICC joint secretaries attached to Rajiv Gandhi, when he was initiated into the labyrinth of politics as Congress general secretary shortly after her original political heir Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash. In his over four-decade political career, Patel progressed from a committed Congress soldier to a deft commander and defender of Congress’ faith, establishment and the now-fading durbar of the Gandhis. Hence, it was only natural that when he breathed his last, the immediate worry in Congress circles was the impact his absence would have on the party, torn apart by a lingering mess during its generational and operational shift.
The last mission Patel attempted before he was admitted to hospital was to control the swelling anger and frustration within Congress, which was symbolically manifested in the joint letter many seniors wrote. Using his leverage as a long-standing friend and colleague, he kept appealing privately to the unhappy veterans to hold on, assuring them of a solution and reconciliation through dialogue with the top leader. The demise of a leader who helped Congress negotiate its fault lines leaves the party in a precarious balance.

Sonia Gandhi’s obituary references reflected Patel’s standing: “I have lost an irreplaceable comrade, faithful colleague and a friend”. She had seen her mother-in-law trusting Patel with Rajiv’s debut and he chose Patel along with Oscar Fernandes and Arun Singh as his parliamentary secretaries, when he became PM. She had also seen him as the link that connected Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri establishments with 10 Janpath behind the scenes.

Till Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress president two years ago, Patel was political secretary to Sonia Gandhi for 18 years and were her eyes and ears, negotiating through the intrigues, mutinies and scheming in Congress by working on the intricate Congress software, crafty colleagues and coalition allies. His point men were spread across the Congress map. That Patel was one among the top three winners when elections were last held to CWC, at the Tirupati and Kolkata sessions, demonstrated his acceptability among leaders even before the Sonia era. His departure may give a reality check to Rahul and his wannabe generals on the skills and efforts needed to acquire that ‘AP touch’.

In the decade UPA was in government, Sonia invested complete trust in Patel and harvested total loyalty. It bore testimony to Patel’s selfless commitment to duty even when he was widely perceived as the power behind the throne. Patel shunned limelight and the glamour of office but controlled the power emanating from them. He discreetly remained backstage while controlling the action on Congress front stage: Theatrics were played out at Congress’ 24 Akbar Road headquarters and decisions were formalised at 10 Janpath, but the realpolitik and operations happened at Patel’s 23 Mother Teresa Marg residence, where action and phone calls went on till the wee hours of the day for many years. He emulated Indira and Rajiv’s political secretary ML Fotedar’s style in designing his house interiors where visitors could be simultaneously engaged in ante rooms without one knowing about the presence of the other.

Patel almost matched, and paired with Pranab Mukherjee in mastering the Congress system, management of power politics, politicians of all hue, coalition matrix and resources. Flaunting tales of a ‘personal encounter with AP’ almost became a cottage industry in Delhi’s snob circles which prompted Patel to wryly quip: “kuch log mere nam se dukan chala rahe hain” (some people are running their shops in my name).

To defend Congress interest and neutralise rivals, Patel rose above ego, prestige and reached out to reach pacts, do deals and even compromises. Being the one who controlled the access and inputs to 10 Janpath, Patel also left many with grouses. However, he tried to soothe the feelings of those he could not favour in factional feuds by giving them a patient hearing with a soothing smile to make them happy.

Groomed in the Sanjay Gandhi school, many current seniors were his Youth Congress buddies. Patel made his electoral debut by surviving the Janata Party wave of 1977. He moved to the Rajya Sabha after three Lok Sabha poll victories ended in a defeat in 1989, when Gujarat politics was polarised. Despite keeping away from state politics, Narendra Modi as CM and PM raked up the ‘Ahmed Mian’ factor in every poll in their home state. The ferocity with which Patel’s last Rajya Sabha entry was unsuccessfully sought to be blocked and the manner in which investigating agencies zoomed around him bore testimony to the determination with which the ‘new Gujarati establishment in Delhi’ worked to neutralise the second Gujarati Congress leader, after Sardar Patel, who wielded maximum influence in Delhi. Having watched the new political normal of Gujarat unfolding since the beginning of the century, Patel was one Congress leader who knew how the politics of India would change since 2014. He died a worried man and Congress has been left without its healer when it needs him most.