The Right Move

Finally India’s one of the largest mainstream political parties BJP declared Mr. Narendra Modi their Prime Ministerial candidate for 2014 national elections. I certainly welcome this move not because I am a big fan of Mr. Modi, but because this a rationale approach in current social and economic situation. As per my last blog, I believe that this move will further help not only BJP but also the voters. Several people, specifically Mr. Modi’s staunch followers, are finding it a fantastic idea but at the same time many political pundits and leaders are calling it a bad move and wrong tradition. The debate is on with people pouring their thoughts from various angles. Lets go through the arguments and analyze these by a different lens  

1. Indian politics is about party and policies, not personalities – This is the most perplex statement that has become the core of all arguments. Leaders and analysts using this argument always forget that policies and parties were created and influenced by leaders. The basic ideology of any party and policy originates from core leadership and later the same policies are carried by their followers. I am not a student of politics but by definition - Politics (from Greek politikos, meaning "of, for, or relating to citizens") is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual level. Clearly, leaders/personalities do play a big role in influencing the policies and thought processes. If Indian politics is not influenced by personalities, then why did we see so many changes in social and economical factors even when the same political party was in power? For example, Mrs. Indira Gandhi followed socialist approach in her economy policies where as her party man Mr. N. S. Rao, who was the Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996, led the reforms opened up the Indian economy. Clearly, personal vision and thought process influence parties and the whole nation.   
2. India should not follow western political structure of presidential nominees – This is another weak argument that is living in Indian political corridors and media. Nominating a Prime Ministerial Candidate for a political party is not westernization but evolution of politics. Presidential elections in USA are democratic and in a way more democratic than Indian political environment as all the parties go through primaries to elect their Presidential candidates. Although Mr. Modi’s nomination did not go through a highly democratic process but at least this is the basic foundation that can help in building the overall process. I also like the idea of AAP party where they select their candidate through a transparent process. True believers in democracy would always welcome this idea rather than few political leaders selecting the Prime Minister behind the walls. 
3. Nominating a person as Prime Minister Candidate shows that person’s political ambition – Politics and ambition are inseparable. Nobody enters politics without an ambition although that ambition could be big or small. Nominating a person Prime Ministerial Candidate shows clarity of thoughts and not just ambition. And if someone is competent, effective communicator, visionary and believes in inclusiveness, then there is no harm in putting her/him in the driver’s seat. Most of the Indian political parties know in advance who would be the Chief Minister/Prime Minister if they come to the power but hesitate to be transparent with common Indians.  
4.  A man’s vision cannot be a country’s vision – It is true that every Indian has a different vision of India in his/her mind. Although India is highly diversified and we take pride in our diversity, we also have a tendency to ignore few arguments because of it. If we have 1.2 billion versions of India, we need a leader who can put all those versions together and come up with an integrated and better version that is meaningful. Otherwise we will keep talking as argumentative Indians and nothing will get done.  From democracy point of view, it is better that someone communicates that version of India to all Indians so that it becomes a single dream across the nation. And achieving one single dream for 1.2 billion Indian will be much easier than achieving 1.2 billion different dreams.   

Politics of Leadership

2014 general elections are not very far and political parties have already started tapping Indians with different sets of agendas. As compared to early and mid nineties when all political parties(even national parties) were focused  heavily on religious and caste based agendas, we are witnessing more emphasis on development and anti-corruption policies (At least it looks like this on surface).  One interesting theme that is noticeable among all national parties is that they are avoiding declaring a single leader early on whose vision and leadership skills can take India to the next level.

The objective here not exploring the reasons why the political parties are avoiding doing so (Moreover all Indians are highly intellectual politically to figure it out so no need to do that) but more about how it is impacting the Indian people, national and local governance and the future of our country. In an ideal scenario, the objective of political parties is to create an ideology and thought process that can be distributed to all party members in order to build a unified thinking force. This helps a political party in getting elected because the more number of party workers you have who can think alike, better chances you have winning the elections. This process of collective thinking is a great tool for winning elections but without a leader who can think beyond elections and who can push the political agenda aside in national interests, it becomes difficult to meet the real objective of getting elected. 

This lack of identifying and grooming right person for top position early on is hurting not only India as a nation but states also. After winning the elections, tug of war among political leaders for the top position is a common sight. This leads to instability, increased corruption, lower growth and demoralized investors. As a result, the winning political party struggles and somehow completes five years rather than executing the vision of an impactful and well accepted leader.

Looking back in Indian history, Chanakya also identified this difference between a great leader and a group of people who can think alike. He knew very well that he needed a strong, honest, influencing and visionary leader to unite the country against the supreme forces of Alexander. He presented Vikramaditya as a leader who can represent the whole country. What if he had decided to create a group of people that can think like him without selecting a person to lead them? History would be very different and Chanakya’s name would not have been mentioned in any history book. Similarly can we imagine that the Congress party (Pre independence) would have made the same impact during the freedom struggle as it did, without the leadership and vision of Mahatma Gandhi? Current political thinks tanks and strategists should learn from these historic examples and follow the practice of selecting the right leader at right time. How can political parties bring confidence in Indians without being confident that they are selecting a right leader? Unless people can connect with the leaders, unless they know who they are voting for and who will be their guide for next five years, how can they think clearly and make the right decision?

Identifying a leader in early stage will also bring accountability in the political arena (Well that lacks in the entire system but changing the most challenging area will also improve the other sections). If you win the elections, you are the one who did it. Otherwise please make way for others. More importantly, if your government does not make an impact or if your subordinates follow wrong practices, the buck will stop at you. If you really make a significant improvement during your tenure, not only people will select you again but history will also remember you as a great leader. This simple concept of meritocracy will provide a great chance to all those who want to prove themselves.

Elections in India are still heavily political parties oriented rather than leaders oriented. We are seeing some debates on this topic recently but much progress is still to be made. Common people and media should also make more noise out there and press the political parties to become more transparent and decisive while selecting the leaders.