CK Jaffer Shariff Congress loses its prominent Muslim face in Karnataka
Challakere Abdul Kareem Jaffer Shariff was an embodiment of the proverb: Small isbeautiful. A relatively dwarf personality by physical stature but made it big on the national
politics in general and in a dominant manner on the home turf of Karnataka. But no one disputes
the fact of a prominent face of the Congress in the state being withered away with the demise of
CK Jaffer Shariff.
Unfortunately the former Union Minister’s death went unnoticed in the mainstream media as MH
Ambareesh, another former union minister and popular Kannada film personality also passed
away the very same day.
In fact the local vernacular TV channels beamed live the developments related to the actor’s
death and funeral day in and day out but chose to ignore a political leader who had immensely
contributed to the state and nation.
CKJS’s meteoric rise in politics is typical to the rags and riches stories. He hailed from a lower
middle class family with meager educational background. Thanks to the magnanimity of S
Nijalingappa, national leader and also president of the All India Congress Committee once, he
began his career as the personal assistant cum driver of SN.
Perhaps in those days there’s no provision for separate sub staff in the Congress offices and
CK Jaffer Shariff also had to discharge duties of the office boy as well. This new job not only
helped him in taking care of his needs but also gave him a great opportunity of mixing with the
great leaders who frequented the home and office of S Nijalingappa.
At the same time this close proximity with top personalities who mattered and overhearing their
discussions, plans and political moves also became a stepping stone for the small town unheard
person till then to surge into a influential leader in his own right.
The red carpet welcome to CKJS unfolded with the veteran leaders of the Congress party under
the leadership of S Nijalingappa trying to evolve a strategy to ‘teach a lesson’ to the then Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi, while going in the car.
Fortunately for CKJF these developments appeared to be of top priority to be immediately
passed on to the PM. He wasted no time and rushed to the capital and did his job as a loyal
party worker by confiding the minute details of the ‘old guards’ confabulations’ to Madam prime
minister.
CKJS had the last laugh much to the embarrassment of the ‘old men’ and reaped enough
dividends on the way. At the same time he also earned the unique dubious distinction of ‘Mir
Sadiq’ a synonym for a traitor.
The unified All India Congress Party split into two for the first time at the historic session in the
Lal Bagh glass house of Bengaluru during 1969. In the subsequent 1971 Parliamentary
elections CKJS was gifted a party ticket by Indira Gandhi to contest from Kanakapura
constituency.
Then the talk of the town was that CKJS is only a dummy candidate against his rival MV
Rajasekharan, son in law of S Nijalingappa and Congress (O) candidate. But contrary to popular
perceptions the ‘dummy’ candidate trounced the opponent by a huge margin!
He was also inducted in the central cabinet and after that there was no looking back for him in
power and party politics. For being personally handpicked by the prime minister he also enjoyed
the goodwill of most of her senior colleagues as well.
He served in several ministries but his stint in the Railways department gave scope for multiple
accomplishments unheard of in the state so far. Thanks to his visionary thoughts the whole
country got broad gauge railway tracks under the Uni gauge policy.
Likewise he launched several express trains connecting Bengaluru to almost all regions of the
country. The Wheel and Axle plant of the Indian Railways came into being at Bengaluru during
the early 80s’ in spite of opposition from the local Kannada chauvinist organizations.
Although restricted to the national politics he never lost any opportunity to meddle with the state
politics whenever he felt so. He also ensured that one of his son in laws’ regularly bagged the
party ticket to contest from Raichuru and eventually succeeded in making him an MLA.
But whenever there was a Congress government and his words were not taken seriously and
the chief minister was found or felt of going against the party interests he also ensured that the
CM’s term is curtailed hook or crook.
During such junctures ‘communal clashes’ used to take place at Ramanagar,Channapatna and
other such places having sizable population of the minority community. Many party insiders do
admit in private, the Muslim leader’s role in unseating many Congress chief ministers’.
However his loyalty to the party remained intact till his end despite of turbulent wave’s midway.
He refused to go with the late powerful chief minister D Devaraj Urs who formed his own Arasu
Congress after parting ways with Indira Gandhi.
His political career was not devoid of controversies and scams but managed to brave them as
they haunted him now and then. The CBI inquiry on the directions of the state high court
regarding acquiring disproportionate assets than known sources of income cleared him of the
charges.
He was also accused of changing the railway track path itself as the planned one happened to
pass through his farm lands!
Perhaps his political fortunes took the opposite direction once his God Mother lost life by her
own bodyguards. He was denied party ticket from Bengaluru North constituency in 1996 which
he had continuously represented earlier for five times from 1977 to 1996.
Later he bounced back from political hibernation to represent the same constituency once again
in 1998 and 1999.Later he went on losing during the 2004 and 2009 elections and was literally
driven to political wilderness.
At times he had to resort to the extreme step of threatening to quit the party which he had been
associated with for lifetime and such threats became inevitable when his grandson was not
entertained with the party ticket to contest Assembly elections from Hebbal constituency in
Bengaluru city.
Though the blackmailing tactics worked and his grandson managed to get ticket it did not pave
him a safe passage to go to the Assembly. Perhaps he never took it lightly in his stride, his own
party men ditching his grandson.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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