Bhaskar Parichha
Sixteen up-and-coming Indian leaders, a political columnist and a book called ‘The Contenders’ – that can be a wholesome blend. Mark also the timing of the book. Election 2019 is approaching, alliances are being cobbled up and the incumbent Prime Minister is struggling to retain power. In the brouhaha of election-year politics, making known the politicians who could become prime ministers, cabinet ministers and chief ministers is an intelligent job. That’s what Priya Sahgal has done in this 250-page book.
Says the blurb rather unhesitatingly: ‘Each profile takes you right into their bed rooms! Almost as if you were there, sipping a cup of tea. It chronicles conversations and draws out characters with all their strengths and vulnerabilities.’ The book essentially says who will actually be next in charge and why. It chronicles the middle-aged politicians from across the political spectrums who are already on the path to power.
This is a book of ‘under-55’ Leaders Club – the netas to look out for as the curtain rises slowly and steadily over the political sphere. The author has reasons for this cut-off. India is a country that ‘honors old often at the cost of the young.’ Age-wise India is at least a decade behind western democracies and older politicians continue to reign supreme here. One of the loudest cries often heard in the political gatherings all across the country is that the youth should play a more prominent role in politics and public administration. But the fact is that despite the presence of youth wings in all major political parties, the charm of the adolescent males in national politics is inadequate.
Even so, in the past couple of years, the centre of gravity in Indian politics has shifted towards middle-aged and young leaders. Undeniably, Indian politics today looks very different from the sedate, monotonous, disconnected and disparaging years preceding the 2011 Anna Hazare movement.
The rise of a vibrant working class leveraging the power of technology and social media, the increasing focus on development narrative, and the shift away from caste and a new consolidation of religion have been key features of this political shift. Over the next 10 years, India is poised to witness a massive generational change that will churn more than 100 million people into the workforce and will see senior politicians make way for new blood.
The present volume ‘The Contenders’ has profiles of Rahul Gandhi,Akhilesh Yadav,Ram Madhav,Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Asaduddin Owaisi,Himanta Biswa Sarma,Sachin Pilot,Yogi Adityanath, Milind Deora,Arvind Kejriwal,Kanimozhi Karunanidhi,Jayant Choudhary,Anurag Thakur, Tejashwi Yadav,Omar Abdullah,Jtotiraditya Scindia and as an addendum Dharmendra Pradhan.
In the Foreword, Vir Sanghvi calls the book a ‘best guide possible to the India of the future and to the men and women who will guide the fortunes of this country.’
Priya Sahgal’s delineation of the prospective centers of power is simple, straightforward and perceptive. For example, her estimation about Asaduddin Owaisi is he is no 21st century Jinnah and has always argued against ‘ghettoziation’ of Muslims while also arguing that every community in India has progressed except Muslims.Similarly,calling pracharak-turned politician Ram Madhav ‘the Saffron Evangelist,Priya places him in the category of ‘thought leaders’ who always are above the ‘policy executors.’ Or take Yogi Adityanath who she calls the ‘Not-So-Reluctant- Fundamentalist.’ Quoting Siddharth Varadarajan, Sahgal debunks the much-touted theory that PM Modi had no choice but to appoint Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2014.Rather, yogi has been put there to polarize and he is performing the task perfectly.’
What about Rahul Gandhi – the numero uno in the lot? Priya’s coverage of Rahul since 2004 offers a glowing account of the PM –in- waiting who always refers to management guru Michael Porter in his conversations. In some twenty pages, you get a full picture of the Gandhi scion who, as Priya says, is not seen as a Pappu anymore.
Interestingly, Akhilesh Yadav (with the punch line The Bicycle Thief) gets maximum coverage in the book. ‘The Contenders’ chronicles other young leaders who have an influential political background to back them up like the three term MP from Hamirpur whose political entrance in 2008 was paved by his father, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal – known locally as “sadak wala mukhya mantri”, the politician who made the roads. So also Jyotiraditya Scindia – one of India’s richest politicians and descendants of the Scindia royal family that ruled Gwalior as a princely state until Independence in 1947.
When she was a Senior Executive Editor of NewsX, Priya Sahgal, with her years of experience and journalistic knowledge used to do ‘Cover Story’ which brought sharp political analysis and insight into the backroom of politics. The show featured key newsmakers making the headlines and profiled their political as well as personal lives. She engaged with the Cabinet ministers, Chief Ministers, and senior political leader in a candid conversation. This book is an extension of that feat.
As they say, there is a story behind every story. By unveiling the hidden facets of India’s emerging leaders from South to North and East to West with all the vivid details, Priya has done an excellent job. The sketches of tomorrow’s power centers are not only revealing, they provide an insight into the leaders and their thoughts.
This book about India’s next generation politicians is a must-read for those who take more than average interest in today’s opinionated environment.
‘The Contenders’
Priya Sahgal
Simon & Schuster India
818, Indraprakash Building
21, Barakhamba Road
New Delhi 110001
Rs 399
(The Writer is a Senior Journalist and Consulting Editor of odishaLIVE)
