'I had no money to contest poll, contractor helped me'

 “It looks like it was yesterday,” a relaxed S M Krishna said reminiscing about the political path he travelled for the last 47 years. It was in 1962 that foreign-educated Krishna became an MLA as he launched what would be an eventful political life. He contested the poll soon after he returned after completing studies at the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA, and at the George Washington University as a Fulbright scholar.

Speaking to Deccan Herald after addressing a press conference — his first as the external affairs minister — Krishna went nostalgic. “I was a PSP (Praja Socialist Party) member then when I was first elected as MLA. Later, in 1968 I became an MP through a byelection for Mandya which saw strong leaders such as Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil, Ramakrishna Hegde, Shankare Gowda campaign against me. This was soon after I was defeated in Maddur Assembly election,” the suave politician recalled. He did not forget to remember a contractor who helped him in contesting the first election. “I did not have money then to contest.”

Krishna laughed when pointed out that he may have to celebrate 50 years in politics in three years’ time. “Yes we should. I was not in favour of a celebration when my well-wishers wanted to organise a function when I turned 75. Yes, we will celebrate my golden jubilee in politics,” he remarked.

Deccan Herald reminded Krishna of his statement that the new ministry came unexpected. “Look, the same thing happened in 1983 (when he became Union minister for the first time). I was then in Hyderabad, returning from a trip to Tirupati. I was at the Ritz Hotel. M L Fotedar (senior Congressman) called my house in Bangalore. My wife told him I was in Hyderabad. He kept calling the hotel but there was a telephone connection problem between the operator and my room. I could not be reached. Finally, he spoke to me at 2 am and asked me to come to Delhi at once.”

After they met in Delhi, Krishna cracked a joke, “Fotedar, you almost created problems between me and my wife when you told her I could not be traced at the hotel!.” Next day, he took oath as Union minister of state for finance. Krishna said this time, too, he was caught unawares. Though he had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week, he was not aware of his inclusion in the Cabinet, that too for a the plum post. “I got a call in Bangalore and I had to hurry to the airport to be in Delhi at the time of swearing-in. Luckily, I keep two suitcases of clothes in Delhi which have come in handy now. Even what I wore yesterday and what I am wearing today are straight out of the suitcase.”

Having been elected to Lok Sabha in 1968, Krishna is the most experienced parliamentarian. “Is it? I didn’t know that,” he said even as he was told that by virtue of his new ministry, he would become member of the all-powerful cabinet committee on security and cabinet committee on political affairs. Krishna agreed that he had a big task on hand as he was taking over a ministry at challenging times.