ISSUE 30 SUMMER 2014

10

A View From India

The landslide victory for Narendra Modi
and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the
recent parliamentary elections will herald
a substantive politico-cultural change.
Keen watchers of this scenario have
been quick to attribute this phenomenal
victory to superb managerial skills of
Modis campaign. The recent elections,
expertly managed by Indias election
commission and closely monitored by the
international media proved yet again that
neither money, nor muscle-power would
persuade an electorate as diverse and
far-ung as the Indian people.

The Political Scenario

Indias run-up to the elections was interesting
for many reasons, not least because of
the Indian political parties trading charges
among themselves and their election-allies,
sometimes even on a personal level. Take,
for example, an opponent calling Narendra
Modi a chaiwallah (derogatorily, tea-seller).
In point of fact, Modi began as a tea-vendor
on trains.
Modis team of 100 like-minded young
professionals in Citizens for Accountable
Governance (CAG) turned the tables on
their ruling detractors. The BJP gained
huge capital by launching a public Chai
pe Charcha (chat over tea) campaign. And
what enormous hit it was with the urban and
rural folks alike! It struck more than the right
chord with millions of tea-n-snacks shacks
throughout India. On top of this, the Modi
team harnessed the power of social media
and technology to relay their visionary
agenda. But what really paid off was Modis
amazing rhetorical panache, honed to such
exemplary finish by his managerial cohort.

In rural India, Modis Hindi (Indias national

language albeit awkwardly accented by his
Gujarati) connected. What people heard
was not a Gujarati speakers Hindi, but a
prime-ministerial candidates earnest appeal
and message, rhetorically and ideationally
adopting English rhetorical strategies
and orientation reminiscent of the US
presidential campaigns.
Very shrewdly, Modi sold this humble story
to the large audiences across India. His
success was scripted by a very professional
PR team comprising young MBAs. Brand
Modi is now touted as a case worthy of
attention by Indias business schools.
Another unusual Chief Minister, this time
around, struck work protesting against his
own administration. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal of
Delhi is no Modi. His demonstration against
the Delhi police and the central government
lasted 33-hours. Kejriwal was protesting,
he claimed, in order to command the Delhi
police which, presently, is under the Union
government. Kejriwal, now the ex-Delhi
Chief Minister, leads a new political outfit
called the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), literally,
the party of man in the street. His election
symbol, the broom, signifies the clean-up of
the Aegean stable of Indian politics.
Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, emerged
victorious in the recent state elections
because the widespread public anger
against corruption. In cities, AAP offices
are jostling with MBAs who want to
make a difference. The AAP website
calls for internships with the political
party which would give MBAs a sense of
accomplishment and not just a formality.
AAPs politics is largely social-media
campaign, branding analysis, besides
research directed at exposing scams.
Specialist MBAs in marketing, finance and
strategy are crucial in AAPs success. AAPs
grassroot model, driven by ethical values,
seems perfect for scalability. AAP, however,
was not able to replicate its success on the
national level because of inexperience and
infighting among its members.

Hemant Chandran
Global AMBAssador
MBA graduate,
Strathclyde Business
School, Glasgow

Hemant Chandran is an alumnus

of and the Global AMBAssador
for Strathclyde Business School,
Glasgow. He is a finance
professional with five years of
experience in a BIG 4 specialising
in US Real Estate and securitization.
Hemant enjoys writing and has
contributed regularly to The
Independent and his business
schools admission blog. He is also
an academic mentor for students at
the business school. The opinions
expressed in this piece are his own.

The Economic Scenario

Not too long ago, Chidambarams
finance ministry claimed to reverse
Indias downturn and an imminent
ratings downgrade. Before his time,
Indias Current Account Deficit had
been ballooning. Stagflation apart,
India was unable to meet its targeted
fiscal deficit of 4.6%. Raghuram Rajan,
his appointee as the Governor of the
Indian Reserve Bank, took immediate
steps to steady the balance of payments
and cut back government expenditure.
Interestingly, both Chidambaram and
Rajan are MBAs from Harvard and
IIM-Ahmedabad respectively.
Many observers feel that India has a
bright future if Modi, a business friendly
politician, implements his Gujarat Model
of governance at an all India level. While
it remains to be seen if Modi can walk
his talk, I am sure that he believes in the
great Indian Story. A large number of the
workforce in India comprises MBAs from
the IIMs and universities abroad. Another
decade down the line, India ought to tap
the optimism, energy and talent Indian
MBAs bring home.