Vijay Tirath is a man of rare mettle. He not only allowed his political mantle to pass to his wife, Union minister for women and child development Krishna Tirath, he also gave up his job to become her 24-hour support system as she went about hers.
Mr Tirath’s is a political family. His father, T Sohan Lal, was a freedom fighter and worked with Mahatma Gandhi. After Independence, he became an active member of the Congress. He became the municipal commissioner of Delhi (back then the post was for an elected representative) at the age of 25. He also represented the Karol Bagh LS constituency that voted his daughter-in-law to Parliament.
Vijay Tirath chose to let his wife inherit the mantle. He recalls: “We both had government jobs. I decided to stay put and take care of the family. She decided to resign and get into into politics.”
Krishna Tirath's rise in Delhi's political circles was meteoric. From being a metropolitan councillor, she went on to become an MLA, an MP and a Cabinet Minister. When she became a minister in Sheila Dikshit’s cabinet in 2000, Vijay resigned as a bank manager. He recollects, “I wasn’t able to help her full-time because of the job. Now I can spare time. From political rallies to making poll strategies, I am always with her.”
The husband takes care of each and every detail of her campaign and other responsibilities. He even counsels her at times on political matters. But as far as her ministerial duties are concerned, he keeps a safe distance. His area of expertise, says Mr Tirath, is electoral strategy.
Asked whether he has any regrets that he gave up his natural political inheritance and lost the opportunity to be a Union minister, the soft-spoken Mr Tirath says, “It is our joint venture. Therefore, there is no room for such thoughts.” And has he changed in the wake of his wife’s success? “Not an iota,” he replies.
Mr Tirath’s is a political family. His father, T Sohan Lal, was a freedom fighter and worked with Mahatma Gandhi. After Independence, he became an active member of the Congress. He became the municipal commissioner of Delhi (back then the post was for an elected representative) at the age of 25. He also represented the Karol Bagh LS constituency that voted his daughter-in-law to Parliament.
Vijay Tirath chose to let his wife inherit the mantle. He recalls: “We both had government jobs. I decided to stay put and take care of the family. She decided to resign and get into into politics.”
Krishna Tirath's rise in Delhi's political circles was meteoric. From being a metropolitan councillor, she went on to become an MLA, an MP and a Cabinet Minister. When she became a minister in Sheila Dikshit’s cabinet in 2000, Vijay resigned as a bank manager. He recollects, “I wasn’t able to help her full-time because of the job. Now I can spare time. From political rallies to making poll strategies, I am always with her.”
The husband takes care of each and every detail of her campaign and other responsibilities. He even counsels her at times on political matters. But as far as her ministerial duties are concerned, he keeps a safe distance. His area of expertise, says Mr Tirath, is electoral strategy.
Asked whether he has any regrets that he gave up his natural political inheritance and lost the opportunity to be a Union minister, the soft-spoken Mr Tirath says, “It is our joint venture. Therefore, there is no room for such thoughts.” And has he changed in the wake of his wife’s success? “Not an iota,” he replies.
