Party Person

He began by throwing out of official bungalows, chairmen of boards and corporations who were suspended from the party for siding with Bharati, not even giving them time to breathe. This, when he got the new assignment by sheer luck. He got the job only because Bharati wanted to remove Gaur and the party did not want her to reclaim the throne.

CHOUHAN may have reason now to smile but it8217;s not often that you will catch him expressing delight. Nor will you see him rushing to express his views. During the entire political crisis he neither spoke openly or 8216;off the record.8217;8217; An organisation8217;s man, he was the party8217;s natural choice. From ABVP to Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha to heading the state unit of BJP, he8217;s held several key posts in the organisation.

Not for nothing Advani recalled at the swearing in how Chouhan has toiled for the 8216;Sangathan.8217; He avoids off the cuff remarks, measures his words and is always careful before the media. 8216;8216;I am a disciplined soldier of the party and will carry out this job as any other job given by the party,8217;8217; is his refrain.

A gold medalist in MA philosophy, he grew up in a family of farmers in Jait village of Sihore district. Chouhan, still the BJP state president, had luck plucking for him even in 1991 when Atal Behari Vajpayee vacated Vidisha. He has been an MP since then and will have to get himself elected to the assembly within six months. He has never been a minister and has proved his skills only in the organisation. Formation of ministry would be his first major test. But then like an obedient RSS worker he was in the 1970s, he rushed to Delhi with a list of probables.

Given the confidence of the high command that he enjoys, not many are likely to create trouble for him. When asked how his ministry would be, he answers, 8216;8216;santulit,8217;8217; balanced. He avoids answering uncomfortable questions by reciting 8216;shlokas8217;.

With Bharati gunning for him from outside and another chief minister, whom he just replaced keeping him company, Chouhan will have to always look over his shoulder. Shivshankar Pateria, one of the chairmen he threw out, warns for obvious reasons, 8216;8216;people will be disappointed. His personality is hollow and he has nil administrative ability.8217;8217;

Strong words like these will keep him on his toes, and he won8217;t need Congressmen to utter them. His own partymen are calling him a puppet of Pramod Mahajan but Chouhan is unlikely to answer that charge. Or maybe he will rattle off a long Sanskrit shloka if asked whether he was happy or unhappy over Bharati8217;s suspension.