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'He was my closest friend in the Congress'

K Karunakaran, former chief minister of Kerala and senior Congress leader, remembers his closest friend Madhavrao Scindia.

I first met him when he was 26.

Now at the young age of 56, he is no more.

It is no age to die, especially when you are Madhavrao Scindia.

Who will carry on his vision for the Congress party and for the country?

His death is not just a loss to the Congress. It is a loss to the nation. We have lost a leader for tomorrow's India.

In the last 30 years, he has been like my son. He met me regularly, whenever I was in Delhi. He called me up regularly whenever I was out of Delhi.

He just kept in touch, wherever he was. It was a rare quality that I found in him. All these years, he greeted me without failure on all my birthdays.

What is happening to the Congress party?

All our young, bright leaders are dying. It is so sad. Our party's bright future was to be led by leaders like Scindia and Rajesh Pilot. The party looked modern and young with those two charismatic leaders. Now with their departure, the party looks old.

The Congress party is passing through a critical phase. It is when we need young, able leaders most that we keep losing them. It is frightening.

He was my closest friend in the Congress.

He always agreed with my arguments and stance on most of the crucial issues confronting the party.

We always stood together for strengthening the party. We always worked together to solve the problems in the party.

There are many memories of him in my mind.

The last time I met him a few days back, we talked a lot about the past.

"You are a young leader. It is your destiny to lead the nation in future," I told him. But it is tragic that destiny came in the form of death for him.

We then discussed the party's failures on various occasions. We talked about the remedies that could further strengthen and bring the party to its old glory.

We were sure that the party was getting revamped under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.

I remember the days when he was passing through a grave crisis -- I think it was 1994 -- when P V Narasimha Rao was the prime minister.

Scindia found himself in the dock in a case relating to the party.

But when I found that Scindia got no mercy under the Congress government, though he was innocent, I felt very awkward.

Those days, I sternly criticised the then prime minister Rao because of the government's harassment of Scindia.

In one of those days, Scindia came to my home to thank me.

"Karunakaranji, I am indebted to you. I admire your ability to stand up and tell in the face of anybody that black is black and white is white," he said.

He too possessed the rare quality of airing his views on any matter without fear and favour.

That made party leaders respect him. It was not just the people of Gwalior who loved him. All in the party, irrespective of their age and region, respected him, loved him and sought his advice.

He was always there to help anyone. He was the most sought after leader in the party.

For me, it is the loss of a personal friend. It is a loss that can never be bridged.

Madhav, I pray for your soul. That is only what I can do now.

Congress Working Committee member K Karunakaran spoke to George Iype

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