I remember, soon after the split verdict in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, Devendra Fadnavis had held a yagna in the early hours of the morning to continue residing at Varsha, the chief minister’s official residence. He was sworn in the next morning but within 80 hours of that secretive oath taking, an atheist called Sharad Pawar had ousted him from office without the aid of any paath or puja but with just a wily mix of Machiavelli, Chanakya and some old-fashioned Indian jugaad. Congress leader Digvijay Singh also lost an election despite the same priest from Madhya Pradesh performing a similar puja for him before the polls. Both are highly educated individuals but their belief in tantra-mantra than statecraft was more disappointing than amusing.When it comes to my leaders, I prefer the stoic statesmen rather than the clownish comic entertainers. And I much prefer sober restraint to the shrill hysteria that is more often than not on public display these days.Oh, how I long for a leader of the stature and dignity of Mrs. Gandhi who refused to dismiss her Sikh bodyguards despite knowing they could be a security threat to her person. How I long for a leader like Rajiv Gandhi, who charmed the world press with his one-liners despite his initial media-shyness and turned his smile on the statesmen of his time without having to hug them to our national mortification.How I wish even for someone like Rao, whose wisdom impressed even if it did not charm. And how I long for the return of Manmohan Singh, who kept the economy afloat through hard times and lifted millions out of poverty instead of pushing us into penury.How I wish for a leader who would have rather more to his repertoire than fake news and high drama and more courage than communal rhetoric. And who could write home about more than just security breaches and so-called Khalistanis.How I long for a leader with political savvy, sophistication, civility, refinement and, above all, a record of doing something for the people instead of obsessing about one community, one party or even just one leader. How I long for a leader who was truly nationalist and not just a poseur who cannot even protect India’s borders.
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