Political entrepreneurship - is India ready for it?

(I wrote this back in December 2003 on a group blog, which has since become defunct.)

I sense a feeling amongst many of us today that our only political options are either the BJP or the Congress (with the myriad other parties throwing their weight behind one or the other), and that we have to put up with all their negatives in the hope that the negatives of either of them (or even both) will somehow disappear over time.

If this were a market scenario, I'm sure there would be at least a handful of punters willing to seize the opportunity and bet that starting a new outfit afresh (free from the past baggage, the vested interests and the geriatric leadership) would stand a very fair chance of success over time. There are enough instances of successful late entrants in the business world for us to take heart. Why, there's even an example in politics right here at home - the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) started out quite late to provide an alternative to the Congress and has quite successfully established itself.

The CPI(M) of course fancies its chances of becoming a credible national alternative on its own and states in the political resolution adopted at the 18th Congress of the CPI(M) in April 2005, "The Party is not for the consolidation of two bourgeois formations headed by the Congress and the BJP. The Party will work for the realization of a third alternative as the political situation matures for it."

I think there's much more than a fighting chance for a new and well organised party, starting from scratch, to gain a substantial mindshare and influence the political agenda of the nation. The initiative towards starting a new party - the Liberal Party of India, is one such step in that direction. Of course, it will be a long haul and will take a lot of doing - but are the majority of us aborting action on this front even before contemplating it, overcome by the enormity of the challenge?

We need political entrepreneurs today just as much business entrepreneurs, may be more so. Can (or will or should) some of the successful business entrepreneurs look to turning political entrepreneurs? In many other countries, successful business entrepreneurs have gravitated to politics in their later years - a trend that has been on the ascent in recent years. Narayana Murthy (NM) of Infosys is a name that comes to mind as a possible example of someone who could do the same in the Indian context. NM has built up a very successful organisation from scratch and commands a phenomenal amount of goodwill and equity from the middle classes to be able to ignite the hope that a newly launched political entity can be successful and actually go on to mobilise people towards turning that hope into action. I think he can do it if he chooses to.

If NM were to think about this, he might ask himself if he should focus on business (Infosys) or politics (the nation), going ahead? Are the two options largely mutually exclusive or can he do both simultaneously? One could argue that serving Infosys and continuing to help it grow is itself the best way for him to serve the nation, but is that how he can add the most value, being who he is and given his experience and stature?. Going back over a hundred years, many leading successful (wealthy) lawyers of the day (among them Patel, Rajagopalachari, (Motilal) Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and others) thought it necessary to also be politically active, alongside pursuing their professions to make a living, and eventually managed to help the nation become free. Is it the turn of successful businessmen to do something similar now to catalyse and hasten progress?

In addition to successful entrepreneurs, can salaried professionals from all fields also get involved in politics part-time, in addition to their normal professional activities or does politics absolutely require full-time commitment which is possible only for either the very wealthy who have no need for any other means to make a living or the opportunistic folks who get into politics to make a "living". I think involvement in politics outside of work time is very much possible and quite necessary. A political entrepreneur can count on this huge constituency of professionals if he or she is able to paint an attractive vision for the future along with a plan to get there and convince this large constituency to buy into it.

Comments

[An Rand]

Even today, there are quite a few good people - from Arun Jaitley to P.Chidambaram - who are willing to give public life a shot without the need or the aim to make money out of it. Also add to the list people like Arun Shourie and Sharad Joshi. I think the "not needing to make money out of it" part is important - ie, it is folks who have made enough money outside of politics who are the best suited.

The problem is that these folks need to - or more importantly think they do - ally themselves with one of the major parties. I think it would take just take one of these folks to think "disruptively" and become the nucleus of something around which the other folks can rally around. (This is basically what Gandhi did.)

Even in the recent past, we've had the example of Tehelkha which was able to rally enough people to speak out against the then government, which was trying its best to crush them.

Yes, NRN Murthy is a good candidate for creating this "disruptive innovation". But, he would be no lesser a man in my view if he chose not to enter politics. In my opinion, his contribution to the country is already much more than that any body in politics - past, current, or future - can make.

PS: Are you sure you want we need more entrepreneurs in politics? Aren't most of the folks out there are already that - attracted by the huge "market opportunity" and "return on invested capital" :-)

[An Rand]

"If a poll were taken asking people which services they are most satisfied with and which they are most dissatisfied with, for-profit organizations (supermarkets, computer companies and video stores) would dominate the first list while non-profit organizations (schools, offices of motor vehicle registration) would dominate the latter. In a free economy, the pursuit of profits and serving people are one and the same. No one argues that the free enterprise system is perfect, but it's the closest we'll come here on Earth."

From "The Entrepreneur As American Hero" speech by columnist Walter Williams

[Satya]

An Rand, a couple of thoughts on your comment.

I would say Arun Jaitley and P. Chidambaram take after Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Rajaji and others - much sought after lawyers who can command fees for their legal expertise. So losing an election or other temporary set backs won't matter for them - they can always fall back on their robes.

I agree with you that if one of Jaitley or Chidambaram were to think disruptively, they could become the nucleus. But I'm afraid that is quite unlikely. They take after Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Rajaji and others but not Gandhi, in that they're only followers preferring to align with an existing leader, and are incapable of themselves becoming a leader of leaders like Gandhi, or even attempting to do so like Subhash Bose and Ambedkar. I'm not belittling what Patel, Rajendra Prasad and Rajaji did or what Jaitley and Chidamabaram are doing - that is important in its own way. Rajaji, it can be argued, was more than a mere follower, considering his ideological break with Gandhi and the Congress (though he returned to the fold) and also his involvement in starting up the Swatantra Party. His failure to be a leader of leaders in the Swantatra Party could be attributed to his age, which could have prevented him from becoming the galvanising nucleus that the Swantatra Party needed and sorely missed.

I hope to expand on the theme of spawning a new political formation in a separate blog post.

I think you also hit the nail bang on the head in your comment on what you said on NRN Murthy. His contribution till date is phenomenal, but I wonder if, going ahead, his contribution at Infosys, can come anywhere close to what he has achieved so far. Instead, if he chose to enter politics and spawn a politically active culture, could he contribute as much, or more, in the future as he has in the past? I think so.

Wrt to your remark on entrepreneurs who are already out there in politics attracted by the "market opportunity" and "return on invested capital", I wouldn't term them as entrepreneurs. They're just opportunists riding on a bandwagon that's already rolling. Entrepreneurs are builders who can build a following and a lasting organisation not based on their personality alone, but by communicating an inspiring ideology and vision to their followers and getting them to live up to it.

[Goutam SAHA]

Can any body tell me how a career can be made in the field of Ministry Of External Affairs.
Thanking you

[littlemoney]

i hope i can help you or someone outtheir may help you.......plzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[ughosal]

Are we talking about political entrepreneurship (taking enterprising initiatives in politics) or entrepreneurial politics (participation of entrepreneurs in politics)?

I think it is a three step restructructuring of Indian politics which is needed:
1. Break down all red-tape rules and motivated pyramid structures to deal with corruption;
2. Sow, nurse and grow a participatory empowered culture to try out working rules in political organisations at all level;
3. Formalise the tried and tested rules, which are in the best interest of the people of the nation.

Who can break the existing red-tapes in govt organisations? Must be the people in it or those in control over it - politicians or ministers - someone powerful or influential;

Who can encourage and execute a controlled distribution and randomisation of power to form rules of operations? Someone who has already done it - leaders in enterprises; Who can form new vibrant rules of operations and service? Someone with fresh ideas and will to change - new entrants and existing enterprising youths with honest motives aspiring for a successful career.

Who can formalise the new rules of operation and service? Law with help from above classes.

Hundreds and thousands of youths with the right willpower is perhaps ready to storm their mind and toil to implement the change. A joint movement from honest and able politicians and corporate executives, with legal support, is required to bring about a change. Where are the leaders of change?