One of the most influential figures in Indian politics in the 90's began his career as street drummer for the Indian National Congress. Kesri distinguished himself in the independence movement, being jailed during at the age of 12 as an accussed in the Ranchi conspiracy case.
Like several of the INC's High Command Sitaram Kesri was a stranger to electoral politics, the only time he ever became a Lok Sabha MP was in the 70's when he was running on a Janata Party ticket. Kesri was also one of the canniest politicians in India and he steadily advanced through the ranks gracing the Rajya Sabha and successive union cabinets.
Narsimha Rao's growing upopularity and the Congress's drubbing in the 1996 led to a haemorraging of leaders from the party- Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mamata Bannerjee, G.K Moopanar, Madhavrao Scindia, Arjun Singh, Jayanthi Natarajan, P.Chidambaram, many of whom floated their own political parties (Tamil Manila Congress, Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress, Trinamool Congress), so when Rao finally fell there were few leaders around to claim the mantle. Kesri, as party treasurer for 16 years could claim the "senior statesman" and emerged as the consensus candidate.
Political scientists have blamed the demise of the Congress, not to the growth of the BJP, but due to its inability to handle the changing caste equations in North India. Kesri was one of the few Congress leaders who had supported the Mandal initiative and enjoyed warm relations with Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh and Mayawati.
Kesri was instrumental in bringing down both the Deve Gowda and I.K Gujral led United Front governments and led the country to successive elections in the late 90's. It was his mismanagement and the fear that he was leading the party to its demise that drew Sonia Gandhi out of political seclusion.
In 1997 Outlook magazine dubbed him Villain of the Year. An extract from the story was reproduced reproduced on Churmuri
"Take a look at Exhibit 1. It is a moment of rare quality. Three men have reduced themselves to a classic abjectness in the face of the formidable Indira Gandhi. One in particular shines through, the man in dark glasses, with the Gandhi topi. He has hit the critical mass of sycophancy: one jot more and he is in danger of dissolving into a puddle of slime.
“Now flip the page, and assess Exhibit 2. More than a decade-and-a-half has passed. But with the stamina and resolve of the finest long distance runner, the man—topi still in place—has saved up enough sycophantic energy for a strong kick down the last stretch. His head is at Narsimha Rao's knees, and Rao is holding on to his hands to keep him from plummeting to the ground. In glorious servility, in a total surrender of the self.
“Now check out the colour picture on top. The glasses are no longer opaque, and the slit eyes visible through them have the casual menace of an alligator’s. The liquid lower lip for once has coagulated into some fuzzy kind of determination. And the wagging finger has the authoritarian quality of an executioner, condemning those at his mercy to the electric chair."On March 1998, the Congress Working Committee led a coup and for the first time in its 100 year history deposed their elected President and appeal to Soniaji to take over the leadership of the party. During the tussle over the leadership, Kesri was beaten up on live TV by certain party workers at the party office.
With the return of the Gandhi's, Kesri was reduced to a political footnote and died mostly unnoticed in March 2000.
