Secularism's Old Soldier

A review of the second volume of former Congress politician Mani Shankar Aiyar's memoirs highlights how his nonconformism and too great a loyalty to his ideals found him on the 'wrong' side of history—devastated but unrepentant.

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From civil service to a completely different milieu, Mani, as we affectionately call him, refused after moving to politics, to change with the times, or accept that India had changed. He liked his time capsule and unlike Dr Who, of BBC fame [a British science fiction programme produced by the BBC], refused to emerge from it. The consequences were clear and revealing and frequently tragic.

An example was his position on the Babri Masjid, outlined in fascinating detail in Chapter 3, 'Life as a National MP'. As he writes: "I went with a Parliamentary delegation to the site and... declined the prasad distributed by the pujari of the makeshift temple of Ram Lalla virajman...I adamantly held that prasad cannot be distributed in a Muslim place of worship".

Later, Mani decided to do a Ram Rahim Yatra but was summoned back by the then PM PV Narasimha Rao from Behrampore. As narrated by Mani: "The PM began by telling me that while he had no objection to my yatra, he didn't agree with my definition of 'secularism'. Why, I asked, what was wrong with my definition of 'secularism'? The PM said: "You don't seem to understand, Mani, that this is a Hindu country"! Mani responds honestly. "But Sir, that is exactly what the BJP says".