Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Vijay Kumar,
That was a good one.

1. But what is the use?
2. Do we have a solution to this?
3. We think of politicians and
4. Do we have the guts to stand against those criminal candidates

Of late, people of India, common man, and salaried class, don’t care to
follow the parliament sessions / assembly proceedings, as our politicians
aren’t doing much there. Hot shot discussions happen over our country’s
current political scenario in the bachelors rooms - During the lazy Sunday
afternoons. These discussions could be over a cup of tea or a couple of
rounds of alcohol. This may help them to kill the time but no take away from
those discussions. Come Monday morning everyone is lost in his own world.

People, who have a family, may curse the government and politicians when
ever they find time. This happens between the months of February till April,
because that’s when the salaried class feels the heat - Tax Deducted at
Source is at its peak! After that everyone is back to his / her routine.
They have their own problems to worry about.

The middle class of India which comprises 20% of the population is fast
loosing its faith on the elections. This is evident from the voter turnout
for every election. It hasn’t shown a significant rise after 1967! It still
hovers around the 60% mark. We don’t even bother to exercise our franchise
as we feel that our one vote is not going to make a big difference. But it
does if every one in the remaining 40% of the population thinks positively.

~ Udanx

More and more management graduates enter politics

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) This is not a decision taken in haste or forced
by the current economic recession. More and more management graduates are
entering politics, saying this is their way of serving society.

'While being in the corporate world, one can't serve society completely.
Politics is an area where you can do a lot for the society,' said Ranjan
Kumar, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Lucknow.

Contesting from the Mohanlalganj constituency on the outskirts of Lucknow in
the Lok Sabha elections beginning Thursday, Kumar told IANS that he hopes to
change the country's 'corroded' system.

'Most politicians have not done much for the country. The majority of the
people sit outside and criticise the government. But if one wants to change
the system, one has to be a part of the system,' said Kumar, who recently
left the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Asked why he switched loyalty, Kumar said: 'I have seen the Congress very
closely. When Rahulji (Rahul Gandhi) joined politics, people thought a
transformation would take place. But despite the Congress revival plan in
Uttar Pradesh formulated in June 2004, nothing has moved.'

The 38-year-old IIM graduate is also an elected vice-chairman of the
Mansarovar Cooperative Bank, Lucknow.

Harsh Vardhan Chhaparia, a graduate from IIM-Calcutta, will be interning
with the BJP before he switches to his high-profile job.

'I chose politics and especially the BJP because I am impressed with their
vision for youth. Moreover, I want to learn how public management works.
What better place can I find than in politics,' Chapparia said.

The trend is not new to this industry.

Some five years ago, Sachin Pilot, an MBA from Wharton Business School,
University of Pennsylvania, joined politics, winning on the Congress ticket
from Dausa in Rajasthan.

'It was a well-thought-out decision and not taken in haste. Whatever I have
learnt could be best (given back to society) through politics,' Pilot said
on telephone as he campaigned in his new constituency of Ajmer.

Pilot is happy that more and more young people with professional backgrounds
are embracing politics.

'It's time the system changes... There needs to be self-regulation. Muscle
and money power should be done away with,' Pilot said.

Of all the newcomers in politics from the world of management, the prize
catch for the BJP has been its IT cell chief Prodyut Bora. An IIM-Ahmedabad
graduate, Bora joined the BJP in 2004.

'Politics can be a platform to do some good work. The political system has
failed to attract youngsters in public service,' Bora told IANS. 'The image
of a bad, ugly Indian politician needs to change.'

So why did he opt for the BJP? Bora answered: 'Well, I am a nationalist.'

What are his future plans? 'It all depends on my party.'

IIM graduates entering politics can take inspiration from Meera Sanyal, who
made a transition from a banker to a politician. Sanyal, the country head of
ABN Amro, decided to give up her banking career and contest elections from
the Mumbai South constituency as an independent candidate.

It was the Mumbai terror attack that led her to join politics. She is pitted
against Milind Deora of the Congress, a business and political science
graduate from Boston University.

Another prominent management graduate in politics is Jyotiraditya Scindia,
who studied in Harvard and Stanford. He said he chose politics over the
corporate world to 're-energise the system and do well for society'.

(Pupul Dutta can be contacted at [email protected])