Most of them may have become his fans because of his matchless oratory. However, knowing him from very close quarters, I hold that his superb eloquence and masterly command over language only add to his innate qualities of leadership which essentially stem from his deep concern for the country and its people. An earnest commitment to egalitarianism and a poet's natural empathy with the weak and the neglected impart to his individuality qualities that endear him to one and all including those who disagree with the ideology that has motivated him all his life. For the greater part of his political career, Atalji has been on the opposition benches. Most politicians who remain in the opposition for prolonged periods tend to become cynical criticsand chronic castigators.
Negativism often becomes part of their psyche.
One reason why Atalji has succeeded in developing a universal supra-party appeal is that he is singularly free from any such negativism. I have heard him make trenchant attacks on the treasury benches. But his criticism is rarely personal, and even when it is, there is no malice in it. His witty and satirical barbs may make the victim squirm with discomfort, but they do not cause wounds and so leave no scars behind. The final upshot is invariably constructive.