RR Patil: Aaba worked only for his people

During an election campaign in early 2000, Pramod Mahajan refused to campaign for the BJP in Tasgaon, against RR Patil. He believed that a clean conscientious man like RR Patil was an asset to the Assembly and good for democracy. Maharashtra needed him. That’s the kind of respect and adulation he enjoyed across political parties. Everyone was his friend on a personal level once the official discussions, debates and challenges were over.

In his first Cabinet role, as the rural development minister, he started the swachchta abhiyaan in the villages of the state. He introduced innovative programs such as the tanta mukti abhiyaan. The village was the centre of his political career. Sometimes, his initiatives didn’t work but that was because of the compulsions of coalition politics. He always worked with a clean intention.

The village was the focus of his political work. RR Patil was a man who worked selflessly only for the uplift of the downtrodden and poor. His personal integrity could never be questioned. No matter how staunchly we opposed his policies, even as the Opposition, we could never make a personal attack on him. Because there was nothing to attack!

RR Patil was simple and straightforward. Ministers bring their families to Mumbai; their children go to the best schools. But Aaba, as he was popularly known, never brought his family to Mumbai to enjoy the luxuries and facilities that could have come with being the family of the home minister of Maharashtra. His children studied in simple schools in the village. That’s because he never wanted to misuse his position.

The Congress and the NCP politicians, all have cooperatives and play their politics through dairy and sugar cooperatives. But RR Patil never ran a cooperative. All he did was set up village schools for the poor. Money never interested him. It was never a criterion for him. It was this simplicity that connected him to the people. Therefore, despite immense competition within the NCP, Sharad Pawar handpicked him for important roles. He was the main connect of the NCP with the people. He was the face of the party in Maharashtra. He was the vote puller because people loved his integrity and his selflessness.

Above all, he was a large-hearted person and a friend to people across parties - especially to me. When I was the Leader of Opposition, I would attack his policies and the government in the assembly. I remember we had a heated debate over law and order in the state. It went on for two hours and I had attacked the government sharply. That night, RR Patil called me and said, that was a fight between the LoP and the home minister; not between us as individuals. That is the mark of an evolved mature politician.

When there were troubles within the party, he was my sounding board and friend. He always helped me. We used to have long discussions on politics, our role as political activists and people’s representatives. He was always generous with his inputs. Our target, as the opposition, was always the home minister’s chair; never RR Patil.

His genuinely warm relations across parties ensured he was often the mediator. He tried to give his best to every ministry and every role that he held. He was a multifaceted man; an admirer of the arts, crafts and literature and always promoted those. As an administrator, he brought development to Tasgaon, a drought-prone area. He brought irrigation, encouraged agriculture and gave people a livelihood and development.

An issue that he was extremely sensitive about was the crimes and exploitation of women. He was particular that women should be safe in his state. And that’s why he took that very controversial decision of shutting down dance bars. The problem was with one particular dance bar in Panvel but he, as the home minister, shut down all. This decision created immense problems for him within his party and the powerful lobbies that run dance bars. But he showed the strength of character by not relenting to pressure, even from within his party. He never succumbed to pressure on such issues. In his political life, RR Patil picked up the broom and the gun. And he used both weapons only for the betterment of his state, for his people that he loved being among.