A day after RR Patil returned as Maharashtra Home Minister, former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil praised him as a “young” and “enthusiastic” man who did all “he could have done” during his time in office.

Faced with a firestorm of outrage following the Mumbai terror attacks, Shivraj Patil resigned on November 30, 2008. RR Patil, 52, followed on December 1, after having said only a day earlier that there was no possibility of his resigning. RR Patil had drawn flak for having said of the attacks, ‘In a big city like Mumbai, the odd tragedy keeps happening’.

“He (RR Patil) had resigned because in the given political situation, because of public opinion, the government thought it would be better if he was not there. So, you cannot hold the minister or the government responsible for an incident. You should consider in totality the performance of a minister or a government to come to any conclusion,” Shivraj Patil told The Indian Express on Monday.

“In my opinion, RR Patil is a young, educated, and enthusiastic man with a clean image. As home minister, he had done what a home minister could have done in Maharashtra. One incident apart, his performance was good. I am sure he would strengthen the security apparatus to provide better security to the state,” said Shivraj Patil.

Asked if the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections had called into question the general impression about the impact of terrorism on electoral outcomes, Shivraj Patil said people make assessments “in totality and come to correct conclusions”.

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