Despite the fact that the late Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (Retd) was elected as Member of the Lok Sabha for five terms, was a Union Cabinet Minister under PM Vajpayee, and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, the irony is that he was not a politician. This was his strength and his weakness. He can best be described as a frontline leader of the troops fighting to achieve a declared objective. And this is why he excelled as Union Minister of Transport and Highways, efficiently achieving PM Vajpayee’s vision of the National Highways Project, particularly the Golden Quadrilateral, which established the roots of the present BJP government’s road infrastructure expansion under Nitin Gadkari.
He could achieve all this as he was a highly trained military engineer, with an established track record that earned him the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. Despite the fact that he did not have the ability to play politics, he had an illustrious career that witnessed only a single setback when he lost from Kotdwar when seeking re-election after his second stint as Chief Minister. The BJP had hoped he would bring its fortunes back on track, but his efforts did not prove to be enough. This was probably because of his unwillingness to make compromises for political reasons. Even so, he enjoyed another political victory when he won the Garhwal Paliamentary seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
He did, however, introduce reforms in Uttarakhand’s administrative functioning, such as establishing the state’s Lokayukta institution (presently in deliberate limbo) and introducing transparent policy implementation. This was a continuation of a career, from the military to the Union Cabinet, to parliamentary functioning, and to state politics, that was marked by a strictly professional approach, honesty, and commitment to the nation’s welfare.
Those who know him well will shed light on how his character was shaped by a Dehradun and a hill background, but he did command the respect of, both, the common people and the intellectual elite. Perhaps he could have done more, but he did more than enough. Some have even described him as the modern day Sher Shah Suri for his road construction effort – the benefits of which are being experienced in full at the present.
The present day generation of public servants ought to draw inspiration from him in doing work that endures, rather than pandering to populist short-cuts.
His family, party, state and country will salute his service long after his passing. A final Jai Hind to a great soldier!
