Once upon a time North Block was home to the second most powerful man in the government. Traditions may have already been subverted in the current hierarchy of power but never before has the aura of the Home Ministry dimmed as much as it has under Shivraj Patil. Some of his uncharitable colleagues are even speculating that he may be replaced in the impending cabinet reshuffle.

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GOD SAVE HIM: Under Patil, North Block loses its edge

The 69-year-old Patil has heard the rumours. Bracing his padded shoulders, he asks with a weary smile, "Should I react to them?" It is a script he needs to perfect because the whispers are getting louder. There is a sense of desperate urgency in North Block as the minister himself swings into damage control. Suddenly, there is a press conference almost every third day, during which Patil's aides distribute cucumber sandwiches and well-crafted statements. The immaculately dressed minister has even started cracking jokes with the media and reminds them, "No distortions please."

But Patil has reason to worry. Whether it was a much delayed trip to Manipur two months after a flare-up, his flip-flop on the Hurriyat talks or the 2001 Census fiasco, the Home Ministry has seen a lot of "distortions" in the past four months-none of which has helped Patil's image.

Patil's place in the cabinet was made apparent when the prime minister was away on his US trip. The cabinet secretary was asked to issue a note appointing Pranab Mukherjee as the No. 2. According to the note, Mukherjee would take all important decisions in case of a national emergency and chair the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. During A.B. Vajpayee's time, L.K. Advani was the undisputed No 2. And even earlier, whether it was Indrajit Gupta who was the home minister in the United Front government, or S.B. Chavan under P.V. Narasimha Rao, the home minister was second only to the prime minister.

From the very beginning, Patil was at a disadvantage. The Lok Sabha loser was a compromise candidate as it was felt installing Mukherjee in North Block would be akin to fostering another pretender to the throne-and creating the Congress version of the Vajpayee-Advani bipolarity. His troubles began on July 10 when 32-year-old Thangjam Manorama was allegedly raped and shot dead in Manipur by Indian Army soldiers who claimed she was a rebel. Even as the state imploded, it took Patil two months to visit Manipur. And when he did go, L. Umakanta, spokesperson of the Apunba Lup, an organisation of 32 groups lobbying to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, met Patil and later told the media, "The minister is arrogant and insensitive."

PATIL'S PROBLEMS

MEANDERING ON MANIPUR: Shivraj Patil finally visits Manipur two months after tension escalates. Negotiating groups find him "arrogant and unresponsive" during the talks. KASHMIR DEADLOCK: First insists that peace talks with the Hurriyat should be "held within the four walls of the Constitution". After Hurriyat is incensed, says he meant "unconditional talks but within the Constitution". CENSUS CONTROVERSY: The census falls under Home Ministry. But Patil claims the census commissioner did not clear the religion survey with him before going public with growth figures. INEFFECTUAL AIDES: While one MoS Jaiswal debuted with a bloomer in Parliament, another, Reghupathy, is rarely seen in office.

The minister, however, differs. "It is not in my nature to be arrogant. I don't like people who are unnecessarily tricky," he told India Today. But he is quick to add, "It is not that they were tricky or arrogant to me." At a press conference he once stated that things were going smoothly in Manipur and that his Government had established a "meaningful intercourse" with the insurgent groups. Part of the foreplay was to send his mos Shriprakash Jaiswal to Manipur to assess the situation. Nothing wrong with that except that the Northeast is not part of Jaiswal's portfolio. Another MoS, S. Reghupathy from the DMK, is in charge. But then Reghupathy is rarely in Delhi, preferring instead to cater to his vote bank in the south.

Jaiswal was the man who made his debut in Parliament by stating that as many as 1.2 crore Bangladeshi infiltrators had entered India. He had to issue a clarification later, and the prime minister himself had to deny these statistics. Jaiswal since then has kept his comments in Parliament to the bare minimum. Still, Patil claims that North Block is functioning in a mature and balanced manner.

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DISASTER ZONES: Patil's handling of Hurriyat and Manipur went awry

Patil's predecessor, Advani, had made two rounds of dialogue with the Hurriyat into a media event. Patil is yet to initiate talks with the Kashmiris. He began the process by insisting that the talks would take place "within the four walls of the Constitution". While this is the correct stand to take, it is debatable as to whether Patil should have stated the obvious. When the hawks among the Hurriyats took exception to this, Patil said he was willing to hold "unconditional talks". He reasons, "If any reporter asks what are the parameters within which one will talk, should one say we won't have any parameters? Did the previous government talk beyond the Constitution?"

North Block officials say Patil is being unduly targeted. According to them, the media fawned on Advani who also did not visit Manipur when insurgents burnt down the assembly building in June 2001. "Those who want to criticise and want to be partial to someone may pick up any statement and present it in any form they like," philosophises the minister.

This is going against Patil who prides himself so much on his cultivated image that his colleagues call him a "clotheshorse" behind his back, a reference to his impeccable carriage and well-tailored suits. He may still get to keep his job at North Block, but is losing the battle in one area he cares about: the public image.

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