HVK Archives: From khakhi to saffron
From khakhi to saffron - The Observer
K V Lakshmana
()
January 3, 1998
Title: From khakhi to saffron
Author: K V Lakshmana
Publication: The Observer
Date: January 3, 1998
Former IPS officer Anadi Charan Sahu came into contact with the
BJP during the November-December crisis that consumed the Inder
Kumar Gujral Government.
New in politics, Sahu was among the Congress members who were in
the forefront of a campaign to save Lok Sabha from dissolution by
securing enough support for a Vajpayee-led Government at the
Centre.
As a sitting member to have quit Kesri's Congress and embrace his
nemy number one' - the BJP, amidst favourable breeze that the
BJP and Biju Janata Dal has worked up in Orissa, Sahu's
realisation that Congress was perhaps not the best party to be
able to serve the people, may help the Sangh parivar transform
this breeze into a wave in its favour.
In one of the very few states still with the Congress and Orissa
Chief Minister J B Patnaik entertains the ambitions of repeating
1996. Congress had won 17 out of 21 seats.
Elated was the BJP central leadership as Sahu walked into the BJP
headquarters on last Monday to formally join the Sangh parivar.
And why not. The former Inspector General of Police too launched
into a stinging criticism of Kesri's style of leadership and
likened the Congress to a body of "selfish self seekers who
ignored the poor and downtrodden".
Sahu had contested and won from Cuttack beating former Orissa
Chief Minister Biju Patnaik in the 1996 general elections. He is
sure to fight from Cuttack on a BJP ticket. His detractors point
out that Sahu would have been denied a ticket by the Congress and
hence avoiding rejection crossed over to the BJP.
Sahu will be joining Biju's son Navin Patnaik's BJD, for his
attempt to seek a re-election to Lok Sabha. Sahu himself made
light of it saying that he had all his life considered Biju as an
elder statesman who had saved him from persecution by state
ministers.
Sahu also considered it natural to leave the Congress, after
"reading its ghastly book of politics in the past 18 months. Now
I am in a proper position to judge the Congress, having served it
long enough to discover its weaknesses".
The former cop also pledged his complete faith in the BJP
policies and programmes, including Hindutva and Swadeshi.
"The BJP is the only party that can give stability and Atal
Bihari Vajpayee is the only leader who can lead the nation
judiciously," Sahu said moments after his entry into the BJP in
the presence of party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj.
That he was getting vicarious pleasure when Swaraj was at her
sarcastic best against Kesri was visible through his broad
smiles. But will he have the last laugh, only time and Cuttack
voters can tell, after Sonia Gandhi campaigns through Orissa.
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