Workers remember George Fernandes who passed away on Tuesday as a firebrand union leader
Workers describe George Fernandes as a Na bhooto na bhavishyati neta - an unprecedented leader
Mumbai's veteran taxi drivers, railway, municipal, BEST workers, and displaced mill workers, still swear by their firebrand union leader George Fernandes, who breathed his last on Tuesday. They describe him as a 'Na bhooto na bhavishyati neta' (unprecedented leader). No other leader commanded the collective might of the blue-collared force in the metro that continues to be the growth engine of the country, as he did.
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"We didn't know which political party Fernandes belonged to, but he was a leader who fought for our rights on the streets. His family background, caste and religious belief did not matter," said Laxman Singh, 70, who drove a taxi in the city when Fernandes was a trade union leader.
Fernandes arrived in Mumbai in search of a job and later became a trade unionist, a socialist leader, and the defence minister of the country. Pic/PTI
Senior editor Yuvraj Mohite said Fernandes was an angry young man to the masses. "We, as college students, would walk miles to listen to him. Men, women and children were in love with him," he said, adding that late Sharad Rao, whose son Shashank led the BEST strike, was mentored by Fernandes. Mohite said Fernandes made the workers realise issues other than wages. A die-hard socialist, Fernandes came from Karnataka in search of a job in Mumbai, and soon found a place of honour in trade unionism and took the plunge in politics. Initially, he successfully contested a civic poll. And then he tamed an invincible Congressman, S K Patil, in Lok Sabha polls.
Fernandes scaled up his political career that proved dramatic and controversial. He formed parties like Samyukta Socialist Party, later joined Janata Party, and started Samata Party. He contested several Parliamentary elections from Bihar. Denied a ticket by his mentee Nitish Kumar, Fernandes, if elected, could have made a record 10th entry into Parliament. He allied with friends in non-Congress parties to share power in Delhi. His anti-Congress stand put him behind the bars during emergency. He fought the post-emergency elections in absentia and won.
The Janata Party government drafted him as industry minister and he sent multi-nationals like Coke and IBM packing from India. As railways minister, he ensured that the Konkan corridor was constructed without delay. The late Balasaheb Thackeray was his best friend, and had joined hands with him to form a government in the BMC.
Did Fernandes's flip-flop in policies trigger the downfall of the socialist movement? Mohite agreed that Fernandes who once questioned the Jan Sangh over its dual loyalty when the JP was in power, changed his stance.
"What JP (Narayan) started then, was scaled up by Fernandes. But then Fernandes surrendered to the saffron forces. The man who exposed the Jan Sangh, joined the very party to share power. He caused the downfall of the movement," said Mohite.
One may draw many parallels between Fernandes's life and that of a messed up rockstar's. Corruption charges made him quit as defence minister. His personal life had all the ingredients of a failed relationship. His political career ended abruptly, thanks to the dhoka by a mentee.
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