AT 77, successful people write their memoirs and remain relevant. Unsuccessful people need to become governors. So goes one of the less unkind asides about Kailashpati Mishra. His hands may tremble and his thoughts may go wander, but Mishra is convinced he’s fit for a penultimate innings as governor of Gujarat.The appointment is said to be as much a reward for his contribution to the expansion of the BJP’s social base in Bihar, as acknowledgement of his proximity to the Deputy PM and his long years as a pracharak for the RSS. Thanks to the three factors, Mishra will spend his most inactive years as constitutional head of the critical state of Gujarat.Even within the Sangh Parivar, the septuagenarian is known more for his geriatric obduracy than his leadership skills. A former state BJP president counts 72 senior leaders who had to part ways with the party because of Mishra’s alleged biases and mismanagement. ‘‘It’s tough to find anyone as unimaginative as Mishra,’’ says a former BJP leader who has known him for 50 years.Others say it is impossible to negotiate with Mishra, a bachelor, once he is convinced of a point, rightly or otherwise. ‘‘Recently, when Babulal Marandi was compounding the crisis in the Jharkhand BJP, Mishra continued to believe Marandi was the best bet there. Finally, the BJP central leadership sent Rajnath Singh to replace Marandi,’’ says a BJP source.The sad part of the prolonged public life is that the current innings may well overshadow his glory days in the 1950s, when the RSS counted him among the more ideologically firm activists post-Gandhi’s assassination. In 1977, when the Janata wave swept the country, Mishra became finance minister of Bihar. After the Janata split to spawn the BJP in 1980, Mishra became its first state president in Bihar. From 1984 to 1990, he was member of the Rajya Sabha and at one point, as BJP national vice-president, he was responsible for as many as seven states.Proficient in swimming, volleyball and hockey, his political performance, though, was said to be less impressive. Simultaneously, the power he wielded ensured the growth of people he liked in the BJP. Many accuse him of handpicking people — often on irrational criteria — and promoting them. Caste was said to be a major factor. ‘‘He was nakedly biased in favour of Bhumihars. Of the 34 districts in Bihar, 19 have Bhumihars as district BJP presidents. Mishra is responsible for this,’’ says a former state president of the BJP. Mishra’s appointment as Gujarat governor is more reward for loyalty than for performance.
