Columns: Race Course Road

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India Today, March 29, 1999
March 29, 1999

RACE COURSE ROAD
Lessons in Governance

The prime minister needs a crash course in realpolitik

By Prabhu Chawla

Great ideas don't grow on trees just like that. But sharp leaders know where to pick them. Between the first term of 13 days and the first 365 days of his second term, Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is learning some lessons in realpolitik. Here are a few:

First of all, put your team in place: Even after a year in office, Vajpayee does not have a team of his own. He still depends heavily on Pramod Mahajan, Jaswant Singh, Brajesh Mishra and George Fernandes, each of whom is busy handling his own department. Though the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has over a dozen officials holding the rank of joint secretary and above, Vajpayee is yet to institutionalise a mechanism to keep him abreast of both national and international affairs. One example: Vajpayee still has no idea of the number of important legislative measures which are awaiting parliamentary approval nor the status of the disinvestment process in PSUs.

Stick with people whose personality you are familiar with: Vajpayee has tried to co-opt a few unknown personalities into his inner circle. While some are people he has known personally, others have been thrust upon him by the Sangh Parivar. As a result, few understand correctly the mind of the prime minister on sensitive issues. Most of the ministers have mistaken his silence for approval and have landed him in trouble. The lesson: he now prefers to confide in his old friends who are familiar with his attitude and leanings, though none of them have been formally inducted into any official position so far.

Develop an emotional bond: The prime minister has realised that most of the people with him are there because he is in power. He is also aware that should he lose power, they will be the first to desert him. With over 50 years of charismatic political career behind him, he has to develop an emotional bond with his teammates. The kind that brought both Indira Gandhi and V.P. Singh unflinching loyalty even in the days they were out of power.

Make statements and not deals: Vajpayee has understood that by giving in to the demands of Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee and even some of his own Sangh Parivar members, he has acquired the image of a deal-maker. In the process, he has not been able to market what could have been Vajpayeeism. After all, it was Vajpayee who was hawked as the mascot of the BJP-led alliance. For the past 12 months, he has only been mouthing pedestrian policy statements without offering a big picture.pi/font>

Demonstrate your staying power: Vajpayee's success in the second year depends on his capacity to project himself as a prime minister who cannot be dislodged easily. For the past few weeks he has driven this message home quite forcefully. He has refused to be provoked by the offensive campaign of the Congress, the Left and their media retainers. So far, he has survived the mud-slinging. By reaching out to the people directly, the prime minister has taken his battle to them, knowing that here he is still unrivaled both in oratory and acceptability. So far, the excessive display of euphoria shown by his loyalists has been disproportionate to the quality of governance the BJP has provided. Overenthusiastic followers have chosen infantile jubilation of the Rajiv Gandhi kind to celebrate Vajpayee's first anniversary in office.

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