Journalists and politicians—Part I

BY Hiro Shroff| IN Media Practice | 15/08/2008

Recollections of a Scribe

Sack him ! Do you still hate me? Fiver. Am I getting mixed up? Not really. True, these pronouncements relate to three different – and powerful – people: Morarji Desai, Ramakrishna Hegde and S.K. Patil. But the recipient is one and the same person, M.V. Kamath, my journalist colleague and noted columnist. Kamath has a wide and varied experience in the field of journalism and I have got him to go down memory lane with me. Here are a few of his anecdotes.

This was way back in the early ’50s. Kamath was the editor of Bombay’s Free Press Journal. Morarji Desai was the home minister in Bombay’s B.G. Kher ministry, while S.K. Patil was the Mayor of Bombay, as also the chief of the Bombay Provincial Congress Committee.

 In the discharge of his editorial functions, Kamath had occasion to criticise both, Morarji Desai and S.K. Patil, but their reactions were totally different. Kamath recalls: "Morarji was a man of strong convictions. I would write very strong editorials against his policies. But in the years I was in Bombay as editor– 1949 to 1955 – there never was a time Morarji ever asked me about my writing. I met him almost every other day. I would see him at his office or meet him at some party. But never once in all those years did he ask me why I was critical of him. Marvellous."

Then, in 1959, Kamath was appointed Times of India’s European correspondent to be based in Bonn in West Germany. Before proceeding to Bonn, Kamath called on the Times of India chairman, S.P. Jain. Jain suggested to Kamath that before he left India for Germany, he should call on Morarji Desai, who was then India’s finance minister, based in New Delhi.

Kamath: "What do I tell Morarjibhai?"

Chairman: "Just go and call on him. There is a steel plant coming up in Rourkela in Orissa with German collaboration. Indian and German business ties are growing. Just call on him and ask him for his good wishes and blessings."

Kamath: "Fair enough. I went to New Delhi, called up Morarji’s secretary and asked for an appointment – for just two minutes."

Secretary: "Couple of minutes? Sorry. Just one minute."

Kamath recalls: "Morarji left the office punctually at 1 p.m. There was no holding him back. That was his way of life. So, at two minutes to one, I was ushered into the finance minister’s room. It was a huge hall. And Morarji sat at the end of it. One has to walk nearly 20 yards or more to come up to his table. There he was, sitting at his table, signing papers and not looking up while I was walking down those 20 yards towards his desk. I said to myself: ‘Oh God, what do I do?’ The man does not even lift his head. And here I am going to see him after more than four years. Well, I went as close to him as I possibly could. It was a large desk. There were a couple of chairs there. I was not sure I should sit down without being asked to sit down. I stood there hoping he would recognise me and ask me to sit down. After what seemed like ages, Morarji lifted his head, looked at me and said: ‘Do you still hate me?’"

Kamath says: "I would never have thought anybody would ask me such a question after four years since we parted company."

Kamath: "Morarjibhai, why on earth should I hate you?"

Morarji: "Are you not M.V. Kamath?"

Kamath: "Yes, sir."

Morarji: "And who wrote those editorials?"

Kamath: "I wrote them myself."

Morarji: "Everything you said?"

Kamath: "Yes, sir."

Morarji then smiled at him and said: "Sit down."

Kamath: "Sir, but why did you have to ask me these questions?"

Morarji: "You were very critical of me."

Kamath: "And sir, why did you not ever raise the question when I was with you all those years in Bombay?"

Morarji: "Why should I? You do your job. I do mine. If you want to be critical of me, it is up to you to be critical."

Kamath says: "Morarji was tough and honest and respected honesty. I felt that if I had tried to dodge and said that those were not my editorials or that I had written them at someone’s behest et cetera, he would have lost all respect for me."

As against the stipulated one minute, Kamath spent a full 10 minutes. Kamath then compares the attitude of S.K. Patil with that of Morarji Desai. In the course of his editorial functions, he had several occasions to criticise Patil. Kamath’s boss at the Free Press Bulletin, was the legendary S. Sadanand. And Sadanand and Patil were friends.

Kamath says: "I did not quarrel with Patil. But when I differed with his policies, I wrote the editorials accordingly. Patil did not like this. He did not like it to such an extent that once he wrote a letter to Sadanand saying he should sack me – or words to that effect."

Kamath recalls that he did not know of Patil’s letter directly but what happened was that Sadanand’s secretary came running to him and said: "Kamath. Look, you are in trouble."

Kamath: "Why am I in trouble?"

Secretary: "Patil wants you to be dismissed."

Kamath: "So what do I do now? Have you shown this letter to the boss?"

Secretary: "He said nothing."

Kamath: "Nothing?"

Secretary: "Nothing."

Kamath recalls: "I kept quiet. Twenty‑four hours passed. Nothing happened. With Sadanand one knew where one stood in 24 minutes, not 24 hours. If he was going to sack you, he was going to sack you in an instant. There was no question of his waiting for 24 hours. Several days passed but Sadanand never raised the subject of my dismissal or Patil’s letter to him. To this day, I do not know what happened to that letter."

Then there is this anecdote about Ramakrishna Hegde, the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Kamath has known Hegde for many a year and they chat with each other as ‘man to man’. A couple of years ago, there was a court case against Hegde – known as the arrak case. Hegde won the case, the court cleared him of all the charges but as a matter of principle, he said he was going to resign from the Chief Ministership of Karnataka.

Around that time, early 1986, it so happened that Kamath had gone to New Delhi to attend a meeting organised by the Hindustani Andolan, headed by Madhu Mehta. Along with Kamath and Mehta was Minoo Masani, the

well-known politician, diplomat and author.

Kamath says that Hegde also happened to be in New Delhi at that time and it was felt that it would be good if Hegde could also address the meeting organised by the Hindustani Andolan.

Here was a man – Hegde – who had been cleared but still wanting to resign. This was the kind of man to be presented to the public. A Chief Minister strong on principles. Hegde was staying at the Karnataka House in New Delhi. When Madhu Mehta went to see him and invite him to address the meeting, Hegde said: "No, I have no time." Many legislators from Bangalore had come and had been dissuading him from resigning. But he was being firm – he would resign.

When Madhu Mehta returned and reported on his meeting with Hegde, Minoo Masani said he would go and talk to Hegde. Masani also got the same response: "Sorry, I cannot come. I am very busy. Meeting people. But, I am resigning."

Masani came back and said: "Kamath, why don’t you go and try your luck?"

Kamath recalls: "So I went – the third person to go and see Hegde

within one hour or so. I said to Hegde: ‘Look, whatever you do, you must

come and address this meeting.’" Kamath got the same answer: "No, I cannot come. I have made up my mind and I am not going to go back on my word –

I am resigning."

When Kamath returned and reported on his meeting with Hegde, he was told: "Oh, no. Never trust these politicians. Hegde will go back on his word.

He will definitely remain the Chief Minister."

Kamath: "Want to lay a bet? Hegde will never tell me a lie." And he

would never tell a lie to Madhu Mehta or to Minoo Masani. One of the

friends present told Kamath: "Bet. Five rupees. Hegde will not resign, come what may."

When Hegde got back to Bangalore, the press reports came in that Hegde would be continuing as the Chief Minister and that he would not be resigning. Kamath says he wrote a ‘teasing’ letter to Hegde saying: ‘Thanks to you, I have lost five rupees. As a compensation and as a penance for your sins you have to pay me back those five rupees, duly autographed.’

Hegde duly autographed a brand new five rupee note, dated it 20.2.86 and sent it to Kamath. To authenticate his anecdote, Kamath has left this autographed note with me. I plan auctioning it. Let’s see what Kamath asks me for – in exchange of this note.

February 1988

Contact: hiroshroff@hotmail.com