For the past over a year, separatist-turned-mainstream leader and lawmaker Sajad Gani Lone is a ‘bhakt‘ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janta Party, alike. And, he religiously proves his admiration for the right-wing party. It seems that except for dancing like a fan to the tunes of the title track of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan, Sajad has done almost everything to keep Modi in good humor.
In the latest, Sajad hailed the BJP even for issuing him a passport. All this perhaps has one simple reason. It is only because of Modi that Sajad, who heads his Peoples Conference, is a minister in the state.
Two years ago, when the Peoples Democratic Party allied with the BJP to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP had no intentions to take Sajad onboard in the council of ministers. This was evident from PDP President Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks when she equated him with “rowdy.”
In February 2015, in an exclusive interview to a leading national daily, Mehbooba said: “There is some keenness from the BJP that Sajjad Lone be included in the government. My father had no objection to this even though some felt Sajjad was too rowdy.”
In fact, a day ahead of the oath-taking ceremony in Jammu on March 1, 2015, Sajad Gani Lone was sitting back in his Srinagar home. For the helpless man praying for stars to change, it was time to invoke his maiden meeting with the PM, when had he termed Modi as bada bhai.
Sajad reportedly managed to have a word with Modi on the phone. The big brother’s intervention worked. Later in the evening, Sajad received a formal invite to take oath as minister from BJP’s quota.
Joy had no bounds, but there was a challenge. The would-be minister couldn’t fly to Jammu as the airport timings were over. Reaching Jammu gave him another sleepless night as he drove his sedan on the 300 km highway.
Though Sajad was subsequently inducted as a minister, there was some distaste. He was assigned an “unimportant” portfolio of animal husbandry department. A graduate of the University of Wales in UK, Sajad looked uneasy to head what was ridiculed by many as “pashu palan” ministry. But then he reconciled.
After Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s demise, came another twist. Though inducted in the second innings as a cabinet minister, he was again assigned “unimportant” ministry, this time social welfare.
For around a week, Sajad stayed away from his office as a mark of protest. But then he reconciled, hoping to get his choice of ministry in the next cabinet reshuffle, something now expected in the coming weeks.
If Sajad Gani Lone loves something, he does it religiously. In 2009, addressing press conference he swore by Quran that he had no connections with mainstream elections. In 2017, he swears to remain a Modi fan.
