MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

With his ability to connect with the masses, cadres, colleagues, competitors and opponents, Rajnath Singh is the go-to person for the BJP and the RSS

- NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA & SANJIB KR BARUAH

IT IS HARD not to like Rajnath Singh. He is affable while dealing with colleagues, bureaucrats, aides and political opponents. At a time when relations between the Union government and the opposition are frayed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a colleague in Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who can still extend his hand across the aisle and win concessions. So, it is hardly surprising that Modi has entrusted Rajnath with the responsibility of heading the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs which decides the government’s legislative agenda and formulates strategy to counter the opposition in Parliament.

Always quick to acknowledge his team leader and teamwork, Rajnath heaped praise on Modi, when asked about making friends across the political spectrum. “Modi ji has good friendship with everyone and talks to everyone. There is not a single person in the opposition with whom Modi ji has not spoken to,” he told THE WEEK.

But if you ask Rajnath about his most treasured moments as defence minister, he would say those were in the company of soldiers. “The confidence and bravery of the armed forces is a matter of pride. I think their confidence levels have risen manifold,” he said. Life came full circle for Rajnath on March 24, when he celebrated Holi with soldiers in Ladakh. On June 3, 2019, he was just four days old as the new defence minister when he enjoyed hot jalebis with jawans on the icy heights of Siachen. It was his first visit to the world’s highest battlefield at around 20,000 feet. In his earlier stint as Union home minister, Rajnath used to proudly narrate how paramilitary men would welcome him whenever he went to their camps in Naxal hotbeds or on the borders with Pakistan or Bangladesh.