WHEN Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray decided to launch a Hindi afternoon paper in 1993 to appeal to Mumbai’s cosmopolitan mix, he was looking for a north Indian face. Son Uddhav recommended Sanjay Nirupam, a senior sub-editor with Jansatta. His first meeting with Nirupam was brief but left Thackeray impressed. Not only did he appoint him executive editor of Dopahar ka Saamna but falling, under the spell of his oratory, entrusted him the task of promoting the Shiv Sena in Uttar Pradesh. For Nirupam, a product of A.N. College, Patna University, this was a twin challenge, one that he was eager to take. Nirupam’s association with politics began long before he joined Thackeray. Soon after college, he joined the communist movement in Bihar but it was a shortlived association. He moved to Delhi to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh mouthpiece Panchajanya. But that too didn’t last long. He felt his talents were underused and migrated to Mumbai. Once in the Shiv Sena fold, Nirupam, now 39, had no complaints of being underworked. He became the party’s spokesman at large. More recently he came to be identified as the man who introduced Chhat Puja to Mumbai, a festival little known outside Bihar. He was also the link between the Thackerays and the film and sports world, laying meeting ground. In just three years of knowing him, Thackeray decided, in 1996, he was the right choice for the Rajya Sabha. Shiv Sena leaders protested, arguing that it was political harakiri to appoint a Bihari to the Rajya Sabha at a time when the party was promoting its son-of-the-soil brand of politics in Mumbai. Thackeray, of course, went ahead and Nirupam’s spirited speeches in the Rajya Sabha vindicated his choice. When his first term came to an end, there was hectic lobbying again. But he was the winner once again. FOLLOWING his renomination, Nirupam’s power grew. While top Shiv Sena leaders had to wait for hours to enter Thackeray’s residence, Matoshree, Nirupam could breeze in. Such was his access to Thackeray senior and Uddhav. Emboldened perhaps by this, Nirupam launched his first attack on the saffron combine, alleging that top PMO officials were involved in the multicrore UTI scandal. Following the intervention of L.K. Advani and Thackeray, there was a patch up but as it appears Nirupam could not be silenced for long. A month ago when there were media reports on some apparently questionable Reliance Infocomm share allocations, Nirupam decided to join the argument. Without naming Pramod Mahajan, he gave enough indications saying a top leader of the BJP was associated with the deal. Going a step further, he submitted a set of questions in Parliament, asking for details on telecom policy and whether certain companies had benefited. When Mahajan reportedly objected, Thackeray responded by asking Nirupam to resign. Says former Sena chief minister Narayan Rane: ‘‘The very existence of Nirupam was because of the Shiv Sena. Otherwise he’s just another person.’’ As Nirupam explores his options (‘‘Except BJP, I have an offer from all parties’’), he has not had his last word yet. Expect the Bihari Babu to fire a few more salvoes.
