4 facets of lobbying in India

Being in the industry for over a decade doesn’t give one the status of a veteran. However for an industry, which is on the verge of coming out of shadows 10 years gives a panoramic view of its landscape. The filed of Corporate Affairs or Government Relations or Public Relations has been a part of the Indian economics ever since the days of the British Raj. For over two centuries, the Parsi community brokered business deals between the vernacular local population and the British. Post independence, it was the Marwari vyaparis who thronged the power corridors of a socialist economy, cajoling babus and nudging files. But an open and dynamic economy in the past two decade has cleared the opaque shadows on this business practice, forcing the men in black coats and briefcases to come out and speak their business.

Until 5 years ago, I would have 2 apprentices work with me every year. At times even this help was hard to get. Today, I have 2-3 calls every month from students eager to Horne their skills in the profession, asking for opportunity to work. Growing number of youth are interested in the field of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations. Is it the growing awareness around the industry? Could it be media exposure through popular culture like – House of Cards or Scandal? Or is it, evolving polity through new laws such as the Companies Act 2013 or the act, which would bring lobbying as a legitimate expense for corporations in India? Either way this industry, which was in its maturity in India, will witness a phoenix like rebirth through disruptive innovation.

Those of you who are waiting to jump on to the bandwagon, here is a teaser to the various facets of the industry.

Department Consultants:

Time and tested business model in the unstructured world of lobbying in India; Consultants pop-up by the dozen and usually survive the tides of time. Almost all have micro-expertise (termed as “specialist”) in a certain department or job. Most are retired officials from that department or have some strong connect working with the department; hence they are well versed with the ethos & pathos of the department. Their established network of bureaucracy and knowledge of time lines helps them in tipping the right corners and achieve objectives.

Policy Interpretation

With the change in government and direction of governance comes a plethora of policy changes. Witnessed in 1991, 1996 and now since 2014 new laws related to taxation, administration, regulation etc. will affect different industries in directly and indirectly. The task of policy interpretation is largely taken up by the legal eagles or specialized branches of the “Big 4”. However a small number of boutique consultancies, polito-legal consultants have done commendable work and found their niche.

Policy Formulation

The role of corporate affairs in policy formulation is largely limited to consensus building. This is often undertaken in coordination or under the blanket of industry associations like FICCI or CII. Typically, in this mandate a professional would be required to introduce, propagate and win endorsement of one or more fundamentals of the polity.

R&D

The backbone of every effective corporate affairs practice is a robust R&D. Corporate Affairs requires constant up gradation of skill sets and knowledge. With changing policies, people at various posts, directional changes in governance as well as industry/corporate objectives; it becomes pertinent for the corporate affairs to be up to speed with the latest around everything. As the structured corporate affairs grows out of its infancy, this function of the practice will grow ever more important growing into an industry of its own.

Crosswinds of Crony Capitalism

The NDA government came into power on the platform of defeating corrupt practices of the then incumbent UPA regime. Indecisive governance, lack of tangible growth and crony capitalism were at the core of NDA’s election campaign. During the slugfest leading to the elections, numerous shady deals in telecom, land acquisition, black money and environmental clearances to projects were highlighted by the challengers. The resultant landslide victory had no precedence in the past three decades; India had a stable single party majority in its parliament. This trust was a translation of effective communication of promises – to abhor and abstain from corrupt practices, effective implementation of government schemes and plans to springboard India into the league of economically advanced nations.

Post elections, people expected precipitous results. Changes in bureaucracy and shedding off a few laws would not suffice the unclogging of numerous years of governance backlogs. Change in style of functioning, few campaigns and almost a year later we have come a full circle. India’s premier has traveled extensively in his efforts to attract foreign funds, friendships, technology and talent; however this would all prove nadir if the very plank on which his government was entrusted the majority would implode due to the burden of his decisions.

During his visit to France, Narendra Modi facilitated and confirmed the order for 36 ‘ready to fly’ Rafale brand of fighter jets. The reason behind the decision has been credited to the 8 squadron deficit the air force faces in case it is encountered by a full frontal attack by India’s northern neighbors. The political connotation is to attract French investments in the defense, technology and manufacturing through the back gates of the defense deal. This is where the plot gets interesting. While the finer points of the agreement are yet to be made public; Rafale which is owned by Dassault Aviation has already signed an agreement of collaboration with the Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Group. A mere coincidence?

If make in India was the motive behind encouraging the deal; why wasn’t the Swedish manufacturer of fighter jets Gripen considered for the task? After all the company had offered to produce their jets in India completely. Maybe the Swedish defense company was not able to find an ‘A-list’ (Ambani’s or Adani’s) suitor for their proposition to the Indian government. Even though the Defense Minister tried valiantly to digress the topic by raking up the issue of tenders being scrapped even after Dassault was the lowest bidder. The politicization of the issue creates more doubt on what the government is trying to hide behind the noise. While the government tries to justify its decision; whispers have started in the corridors and questions being asked. Only time will tell if the NDA would survive the onslaught of crony capitalism or succumb to the very evil it was elected to fight. 

Political gaffes and PR faux pas

The election tamasha irrespective of the country in which it is played is filled with its share of fun, chaos and entertainment. As the US democracy heats up to elections, political drama and mudslinging is at its entertaining best. One of the recent high points of the elections for the media was the inappropriate comment by Republican. Todd Akin, the US Senate candidate from Missouri who spoke about ‘legitimate rape’. Off course, we don’t have to go far to witness such comments, Congress spokesperson, Manish Tiwari while speaking to the media during the northern power grid failure stated firmly, “there is no power crisis”. Known as ‘foot in mouth’ phenomenon; political gaffes are common all around the world.


Politicians and their PR consultants constantly battle odds to avoid or ensure minimum such gaffes. Following are some of these blunders which may prove detrimental or cause sudden death to a political career.



1) “What was that…?”

Long tiring days, surrounded by public constantly and a zillion things to think about are a perfect recipe for word mix-up or temporary memory lapse. Often politicians tend to speak out wrong names, numbers, words causing major embarrassment and a good laugh on youtube. However, these blunders have not yet claimed anyone’s political career. The understanding heard of voters, is always ready to forgive the mispronunciation, slip of the tongue of their leader.


2) Say something stupid:

After 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh was quoted attributing Mumbai ATS chief, Hemant Karkare’s death to RSS. A rumbustious accusation, which propelled him to news headlines, also got him out of party favors for longer than anyone envisaged. Such gaffes are unpardonable, if one still manages to continue in politics they are often tagged or branded with their unpopular comments and have to carry the baggage throughout their careers.


3) Testing 1, 2, 3…

A true leader among politicians is assessed by his ability to hold the Janata by his every word. Nothing is more sacred for the politicians than hogging the microphone to speak to Janata. However, these microphones could well be end of one’s journey in politics. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress’s President, Manikrao Thackeray was caught on microphone speaking of party’s finances. Even though Thackeray was able to save his scalp, his partner in the dialogue had to loose his position in the party and eventually dropped out of politics.


4) Kinsley Gaffe

Named after famous journalist Michael Kinsley, the Kinsley gaffe in Michael’s word is, "A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth - some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say.” However, now days it is a potent tool for politicians to maneuver journalists into reporting, unsubstantiated articles about their political rivals.


5) Sleeping on camera, and off it

Politicians are caught napping during parliamentary sessions, debates and discussions or during public functions. It is humanly impossible to put in long working hours with minimal sleep and rest. Former Indian Prime Minister H.D.Devegowda was infamous for his public naps at various domestic and international summits. However, politicians are used to getting into more trouble when they sleep off camera; most are not able to sustain their careers after such expose. Bill Clinton was able to hold on to white house, however Indian politics is a different animal. Seasoned campaigners such as Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mahipal Maderna, and N D Tiwari paid the price of primal instincts by sacrificing their public life.

Social media and Samaj

LK Advani - The Iron man of India created storm waves in Indian polity by suggesting the sixteenth elections to the Lok Sabha in 2014 would bear neither the Congress nor the BJP at the helm of Indian politics. Advani had paraphrased his discussion with 2 senior cabinet ministers from the UPA. The day this news broke out, electronic channels spared no political calculation unperturbed, everyone was talking about a national leader of India’s alternate political alliance conceding defeat before the war bugles were blown. The news caught front pages in most newspapers and was the topic of opinion pieces for editorial spaces. LK Advani had successfully utilized a social media platform to convey his message to the target audience. The timing for the blog was well calculated, as millions of Indian viewers across the nation would catch fancy to the Sunday breaking news. Staying away from the conventional press conference or mundane press release; Advani was able to pull a large readership to his blog at the same time inviting comments and feedback from the readers. Advani at 86 has proved to be on a learning curve, a classic example of “never too late”.


One of the latest entrants in social media platform is our brand new President, Shri. Pranab Mukherjee. Pranab Da is not India’s first president to have an active online presence. In 2004, former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam launched an email access to the President of India. It is said, Dr. Kalam would personally reply to most of these emails received from far corners of the country. This outreach ensured a meteoric rise in Dr. Kalam’s popularity amongst the educated middle class, making him one of the most cherished Indian Presidents. Pranab Babu, however seems to be more conservative, instead of launching a presidential portal or a direct email access, the new president has opted for a Facebook profile, an obvious choice given over 50 million Indians are registered on Facebook. Irrespective of the efficiency of Pranab Da’s new online presence, this image building exercise would try to distance Pranab Da from an image of a seasoned politician (congressman) to being a national unbiased leader. (Read: 3 Public Relations Tips for President Pranab Mukherjee)


Narendra Modi’s optimum utilization of social media is exemplary. After 2002 Godhra riots, Modi appointed various Indian as well as international image building agencies to help distance him for the carnage episode. A vital part of the strategy was Modi’s online presence and his direct communication to the people of Gujarat through social media engagement. The strategy has borne rich fruits for the leader, with massive domestic and international following to his blog and twitter account. Meticulous Selection of agenda and topics for online comments is just as vital, as proved by the case of Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor whose tweets got him booted out of the office.

The power of online media is immense, and growing. In the west, there is a paradigm shift in readership patterns, with most people switching to read their daily news on their laptops, tabs or mobiles. Print editions of newspapers may seize to exist in some years. Online media is also more powerful as it follows the fundamentals of fission; once online there is no control over the reach and spread of messaging as it tends to go viral, crossing international boundaries and languages.

The Indian PR industry however is caught in the rut of chasing print & electronic coverage; after all it is these sources of coverage (evaluations) which determine the next pay cheque. Most consultants push their releases in the media through relations developed over the years. Clips of releases carried word-for-word are proudly displayed during review presentations and received by clients with a twinkle in their eyes. But we are well in the 21st century; our media has expanded from just the conventional radio, print and electronic to the world at my fingertips opportunity of “internet”. The step-child treatment is due to an adequate/efficient evaluation procedures and internet penetration in the country.

As leaders, PR consultants should and would soon realize the role social media could play in political campaigns. From helping in mapping electoral preferences to helping in strategizing an effective outreach program, Social media is the next big wave in India’s politics. PR consultants, campaign managers and political aides have to recognize the fact to counter the challenges and utilize the opportunities of future elections.

UP 2012

In the middle of the electoral chaos and mayhem, the stomping of elephants and oiling of cycles; Uttar Pradesh is trying to find its “Mustakbil”. An Urdu synonym for future, the word means – food, shelter, and security for over 19.6 crore people of Uttar Pradesh. Though India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh contributes mere 8.34% to National GDP. The state has managed to grow at the national average growth rate thanks to several packages announced by the Congress led UPA government in hopes of claiming the state.

Mayawati has been in absolute power in the state since the last election, whipping bureaucrats, breaking political bridges, resurrecting statues of her and emptying the state coffers. Her autocratic working might have borne results in the form of Noida development and growth in state infrastructure. However, social development took a beating with the government not being able to deliver on secular administration promise. Initiatives such as Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal proved to be her downfall amongst the upper castes, minorities and educated.

BJP’s import from Madhya Pradesh, Uma Bharti was a suicide attempt by Nitin Gadkari. Such ignorance from the president of a national party should be punishable by sacking. Gadkari’s focus on Bundelkhand has alienated vote banks in North, West and East Uttar Pradesh. It is clear signal of his focus on a region of the state rather than targeting the state itself. Such micro agenda’s would bear meager returns for the party.

Congress prince is yet again put to the acid test. His performance in the last election was termed as victory, however securing 22 seats in a house of 404 seats sums up to little more than 5% of the house. Appointment of 45 observation officers to assert congress Raj in the state is similar to Gadkari’s strategy of focusing on part of the cake. While the national parties aim to play second fiddle or King makers in the state it leaves wide way open for the only opposition left in the state.

Mulayam Singh’s successor and Samajwadi Party’s latest offering to the state, Akhilesh Yadav has caused more than ripples during this election. Loaded with blackberry, ipads and all electoral technology, the SP rising star depended on the party symbol cycle to make a deep impact with the voters. Akhilesh’s Yatra through different districts have been widely acclaimed by political analysts as it showcased the difference the Delhi scion and the son of the soil.

Here are my predictions for the UP poll result:

1. BSP 120 - 150
2. SP 160 - 200
3. BJP 20 - 30
4. Cong 40 - 50
5. Others 20 - 30

Trading horses than run

GB road, Thane is a growing suburb of Mumbai. GB stands for Ghodbunder – its literal translation means Port of horses. While driving through the area as a kid, my father would point out to a hillock by the creek where horses were traded during festive season from 16th – 19th century. He would then go on to explain the trading trick of holding hands under a cloth to press fingers indicating price for the stud. I always thought this as horse trading at its best.

Centuries later, not too far away horse trading takes place with higher stakes and bigger traders. As the Municipal elections come close, parties have nose-dived into poaching leaders from each other. The saffron brigade drew first blood when Shive Sena welcomed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislators and a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). To add insult to injury, when NCP founder and president sent across a white flag seeking moral higher grounds, the Saffron supremo shot down the offer suggesting it was his son and the executive president who presided over these issues.

Hurt, disgusted and revengeful the old farmer from Baramati summoned his local satrap for action. What transpired then was mystery and its result has made history. A saffron torchbearer, one who was a thoroughbred sought asylum in the shades of NCP giving similar reasons as echoed by Raj Thackeray in 2007 when he left the party.

Standing at a distant corner during the press conference I saw Sharad Pawar smile resonated an image from Sarkar Raj. In the penultimate scene of the movie, Amitabh Bacchan explains to Aishwarya Rai the labyrinth of conspiracies bound around his power house. The antagonist Rao Saheb, played by veteran Marathi actor Dilip Prabhawalkar is exposed as Sarkar figures out the plot.

This isnt the first time, poaching took place in Maharashtra politics, it certainly wouldn’t be the last time. But what stood out this time around was the vengeful venom that went into each bite that the two parties took at each other. Strangely, Ajit Dada had nothing to do with this deflection; while Supriya Sule and Sameer Bhujbal were happy to stay away from the limelight. The only gain from this development is to Jitendra Awad, NCP’s MLA from Kharegaon-Mumbra belt, who has emerged as a horse trader himself

Hues of Indian politico’s

Jai Prakash Narayan always tapped the micro phone twice before starting his speech and former president APJ Kalam used to touch the microphone several times during the course of his speech. Character traits or habits, the media doesn’t only listen to words of the speaker, it also reads the body language and the personality of the speaker. Following is an analysis on the types of personalities in India’s current polity:

The Mavericks:
Media feeds on this type of politicians; their words provide the best breaking news and headline captions. Their remarks create ruffles in the government as well as out on the roads. They are media darlings as they shoot up the circulations and send TRPs through the roof. Confident of their statements (irrespective of its popularity or consequence) these leaders take the camera like Amitabh Bacchan of the 70’s.
E.g. Lallu Prasad Yadav; Raj Thackeray

Gen Y:
All the young blood that runs in the central hall of the parliament, the BB generation with a barrage of backroom researchers, image managers and constituency planning committees. These politicians with international degrees and political exposure since their formative years (since either/ both parents are in politics) are extremely tech savvy. They have tapped into the potential of social media networking to reach out to their vote banks, blogs, online forums, tweets are a daily routine.
E.g. Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Naveen Jindal

The Doctors:
These are the types who have a doctor effect in their interactions; they could make you feel calm and peaceful even in the most dreadful situations. Their speech is doctored and often comes from eons of experience in political and media management. Ironically most of these “speech doctors” come from a law background; either by learning it, or by breaking it. Their command over the choice of words and verbosity has guided them to their current elevated stages.
E.g. P Chidambaram; Salman Khurshid, Arun Jaitley

The Teachers:
Politicians who fall under this category seem to have been around since the start of democracy and lived it all. Most of the current COB, Editor-in- chief’s would have been studying journalism when these politicians were caught with oath taking ceremonies in their respective state cabinets. Journalists dare not challenge their replies and cross question their credibility; these are the sprinkles on the cream of Indian Polity.
E.g. Pranab Mukherjee; AB Vajpayee

The Hidden Treasure cove:
No media interactions and no media liaison – not because the media is disinterested, it is a conscious choice out of a meticulous career mapping. Only one of his kind, no one knows who will hit the jackpot and have his first exclusive interaction. As of now, the prince of Congress is truly a well guarded secret.