Who's afraid of Shekhawat?

When an 80-year old Vice-President becomes an election issue, you know he''s not just another ornamental geriatric hosting official dinners for visiting royalty. He is Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the most political Indian President-in-waiting ever.
There is a very thin line between being politicised and politically inclined. The Congress, that undoubtedly celebrated seeing the last of the man in Rajasthan when he took office last year, is now fuming at what it calls his blatant involvement with the BJP''s political process.
The last thing the party would like to admit is that it is afraid of the Shekhawat factor, but it would like to register its protest anyway.So it turns its nose up and says "pitiable", when Shekhawat makes a worrying visit to Jodhpur.
The man himself denies all electoral association with his party of many years, but goes ahead and celebrates his birthday in Jaipur. He also follows it up with Diwali celebrations there, spurring the BJP''s saffron hopes in the pink city. Of course, the Congress is seeing red.
On the face of it, Shekhawat should be forgiven for asking why the brouhaha if he wants to spend his big day back home. Everyone does that, why should it be any different for the Vice-President? In any case, so decorative is the post usually, most people would be hard pressed to place where the Vice-President is at any given moment. Even a foreign tour scarcely registers.
Shekhawat is different because he can change the shape of election results in the desert state. He has done that before. His gigantic presence – and that is not a personal comment - cuts across parties. There are career Congressmen and women in Rajasthan for whom the routine Delhi pilgrimage begins at Shekhawat''s residence. Party work comes later. And it''s a third generation association.
When Shekhawat ostensibly left state politics for the Centre, it was he that suggested that Vasundhara Raje head the party''s charge in the state. It caused a whole lot of heart burn – and may well be the BJP''s undoing – but no one really questioned him. The man still calls the shots, even his family is well placed in the party.
At the Centre too, Shekhawat is known to be Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee''s man. Yet he is also the person to have won the Vice-Presidential elections by the highest number of votes. An embarrassing number actually – he polled more votes that the NDA''s voting strength. It was Thakur power at its macho best, with the community voting for Shekhawat across parties.
For such a man to get down to the relatively unexciting task of keeping discipline in the House of Elders might be tough. He has already had the Opposition up in arms there too for seeming to openly protect Defence Minister George Fernandes against an aggressive attack.
Now, with the Rajasthan elections a few weeks away, all eyes are on him. The Congress fears he will continue to use his influence to try and ensure his royal protégé does not have to eat crow.
For the BJP, so key is the man''s presence to their campaign, they''ve now decided to wear outraged innocence and attack the Congress for dragging a constitutional office into politics. The Congress would rather he occupy that constitutional office and let Raje bungle her way through the elections.
They have already had a taste of what Shekhawat can do. Popular cricket administrator and Rajasthan royal Raj Singh Dungarpur was all set to join the Congress. Then he joined the BJP. Whispers say he got a call from the VP.
So who''s afraid of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat?