By Law Kumar Mishra
Ajit Pramod Kumar Jogi, a great fighter in politics and personal life, would be remembered as a visionary who steered otherwise backward Chhattisgarh into a development model of 21th century.
Nava Raipur, the upcoming world-class capital city of Chhattisgarh, was his dream. The man who had several characters to his credit. A gold medalist in mechanical engineering, Jogi as a young boy had started working at Raipur engineering college as a lecturer from where he had passed and covered the streets of the city on his bicycle.
At the age of 22, he qualified for the IPS and two years later cracked the Union Public Service Commissioner (UPSC) to join the IAS in his home state Madhya Pradesh, where he was the topper in his batch.
Around 1980, the youngster returned to Raipur, this time as the district magistrate of the politically and economically crucial district. Twenty years later, he was back in Raipur – as the first chief minister of the newly created state of Chhattisgarh. His stint in bureaucracy helped him in controlling the system as the chief minister.
It was he as Chief Minister who set the target of transforming Chhattisgarh into a sound and viable economy within the next decade. A plan titled ‘Vision 2012’, laying down the priority areas of action and initiatives to this effect was outlined. Slated to be implemented in time bound phases, the plan sought to set the pace of socio-economic development within the state for subsequent decades.
As outlined in Vision 2012, the state would address the following issues on a priority basis: Rapid human capital development, unlocking natural wealth and building world-class infrastructure within the coming ten years. To achieve these, specific initiatives such as strengthening the principles of good governance for complete transparency, efficiency and accountability and developing partnerships with national and international agencies are already underway.
The process started during his tenure though that lived short. It was his vision that if the plan did not work, change the plan but not the goal.
A successful administrator, qualified politician has a large following and the most beloved leader of the common man with whom he communicated in chaste Chhattisgarhi. He had many enemies in politics, but outnumbered followers and admirers too.
Jogi was punctual to the core. Once he reached Delhi airport from Chhattisgarh Bhawan at the time given by state plane pilots. As pilots delayed, he started his morning walk at the tarmac. He cared for the pilots and he used to share his lunch with them. Once he arrived at a function at Raipur much before the host Editor could come.
Being a member of the civil service, it added to his advantage. His first chief secretary was two years senior in the IAS batch. Once he publicly chided the then DM of Bilaspur for not being in the field.
Two IAS officers were made to marry the girls with whom they flirted. The IAS officers were non-Chhattisgarhi, and girls were locals. It was raised before the CM in the cabinet meeting by two ministers and CM intervened, made the flirts to marry and not exploit and enjoy.
A young DM was taken to task in Surguja for misleading CM on deaths due to malaria at Wadrafnagar, 40 KMS from the district headquarters. CM had pucca information through his political contacts, but DM was ignorant. He was shifted the same day.
There was smooth rapport between then Governor D N Sahay and the Chief Minister with the two families exchanging even dishes of Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
He survived many crises, but on this day a year ago, he could not overcome a massive cardiac arrest and passed away at an age of 74. A Tamarind seed had choked the respiratory system on May 9. His wife Dr Renu Jogi, MLA and son Amit Jogi, a former MLA will carry the political legacy of Ajit Jogi.
The Titan in Chhattisgarh politics is gone.
(The author is a senior journalist and has worked as Times of India Correspondent in Chhattisgarh)
