Every journalist will tell you of how media-savvy Pramod Mahajan was. That he surely was. Indeed, Pronnoy Roy publicly commended him for a superb interview he gave to Barkha Dutt after the NDA lost the 2004 election, when none of the BJP's "second rung leaders" had the guts to show their faces.
But the man also had a fine sense of humour. When Khushabrau Thakre's name was being mentioned as possible BJP chief, Mahajan told some of us in the media that "Thakre is going to be the new president".
"Bal Thackeray?" asked a confused scribe.
"Nahin yaar," said Mahajan with a twinkle in his eye, "Bina-Bal Thakre! (the hairless Thakre)".
Rest in peace.
India lost a charismatic leader
As in life Pramod Mahajan fought the battle for his life but he lost in the end. It is ironic that he should have been the victim of sibling rivalry while he had wryly commented about the break-up of Ambani brothers. A bigger battle awaits the BJP for in the death of Mahajan the party seems truely orphaned for Mahajan held the promise of filling the void as a charismatic leader of leading the nation. The fact that the the political stalwarts,both adversaries and admirers, corporate leaders and film personalities trooped to see him only empahsised what awesome rapport he had built by his flamoyant personality who could spread his charm bridging the gulf of differeces of ideology, attitude and beliefs. He combined in himself the rare combinatioin of a superb manager and adminstrator, architect of party’s finaces, an orator par excellance and was computer savy far ahead of his flock who either admired him or felt jealous of him. If only his brother Pravin knew that when he fired those three bullets he was aiming not at his brother in sibling rivalary but at the very heart of a throbing and pulsating nation and at one fell stroke removed a charismatic leader who could have led the nation as the supreme leader ushering a new chapter in the life of our nation presently wharacked by religious bigotry, casteism, corruption and nosediving to nadir bereft of political ideology and values.