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Maharashtra governor Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander was the front-runner
in the run-up to July 15 to elect a new president to the world's largest
democracy. With Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee strongly pitching for the man who he once called "Rajguru", all eyes were on the low-key former bureaucrat for some time. But he lost out owing to the political compulsions of the ruling combine. |
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Alexander,
81, the father of four - two sons and daughters each - is the country's
most senior state governor today. The Kerala-born Christian is no
stranger to governance and realpolitik. He was quite a bit of an
insider in federal decision-making during the tenure of prime ministers
Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao. While serving in the UN in Geneva, he was invited by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to serve her as principal secretary in 1981. She was very much impressed by Alexander's efficiency. His credentials were also enhanced by an intimate knowledge of the Indian constitution and international affairs. In less than two years, he was wielding unchallenged power in Indira Gandhi's office and became her political confidante. After her assassination in October 1984, he continued to serve in the prime minister's office, working for Rajiv Gandhi. In the process he became a friend of the Gandhi family. In 1985, he was sent to London as India's envoy. On his return to India two years later, he was appointed the governor of Tamil Nadu. In 1993, he was made the Maharashtra Governor. He was reappointed again after the expiry of first term. He is the first governor in history of Maharashtra to be appointed for a regular second term. In a career spanning half a century, Alexander has earned a name for neutrality, and different shades of politicians have seemingly had no problems in dealing with the man. An accomplished writer and orator, he had gained early recognition in school for his debating skills and won prizes in inter-school and inter college competitions. Among his talked about books are "My Years with Indira Gandhi", "The Perils of Democracy" and "India in the New Millennium". He is one of the most distinguished and respected public servants of the post-Independence era, distinguished and respected because of the high standards of efficiency, impartiality and integrity he had tried to maintain throughout his career. As governor of Maharashtra, he has maintained equidistance from all major political parties, including the rightwing Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the now ruling Congress and its ally the Nationalist Congress Party |
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