Nandan Nilekani’s campaign in South Bangalore has been a classic example of ‘parish Pump Politics’.
Before I go into it, let us first have a little background of how Nandan Nilekani came into contesting 2014 general election.
As a reward to the failed project of ‘Adhaar card, the Congress has allotted ticket to Nandan Nilekani to stand for election from South Bangalore.
Why I said Adhaar card scheme has failed, here is some excerpt from the report of the Parliament’s Standing Committee (PSC) rejecting the amendment to the NIA bill to ‘regularise’ UIDAI’s actions and the UID scheme itself.
The seven grounds on which the committee based its report were:
- lack of feasibility study,
- hasty approval,
- threats to national security,
- being directionless,
- using unreliable technology,
- need for privacy and data-protection and
- lack of coordination among government agencies involved.
The committee also questioned the legality and ethics of implementing the scheme without statutory authority. Some of the observations of the committee are scathing.
For example, it said, “The UID scheme has been conceptualized with no clarity of purpose and is being implemented in a directionless way and may end up being dependent on private agencies.”
UIDAI has contracted for biometric technology from a former US company, L1 Identity Solutions, with close links to US intelligence agencies. It is now a subsidiary of Safran of France. UIDAI has not disclosed the terms of the technology contract. From available information, it appears that L1 does the de-duplication of biometric data.
Today, the Supreme Court has virtually junked the Aadhar card by ordering the Central Government to withdraw all the orders passed by them linking the schemes to Aadhar card. Supreme Court has also ordered not to share data with any agency without its approval. I sincerely hope the Aadhar card does not turn out to be another scam by UPA.
This has brought the Adhaar foundation crashing down to earth. Nandan Nilekani has had to resign with no other alternative in sight. However, being true to its legacy to always stand by the persons heading the failed projects, the Congress has rewarded him by Lok Sabha ticket for South Bangalore seat in 2014 general elections.
Coming back to ‘Parish Pump Politics’, let us examine what the term means.
Oxford Dictionary defines ‘Parish Pump politics” as ‘of local importance or interest only; parochial’.
According to Collins English Dictionary, Parish Pump politics means ‘of only local interest; parochial’.
The term "parochial" can be applied in both culture and economics if a local culture or geographic area's government makes decisions based on solely local interests that do not take into account the effect of the decision on the broader community. The term may also be applied to decisions and events that are considered to be trivial in the grand scheme of things but that may be over-emphasized in a smaller community, such as disputes between neighbors.
In pejorative use, the term Parish Pump Politics is used to describe political activity that is more evidently concerned with addressing the immediate needs of the local electorate than with strategy that might affect their long-term well-being.
In a national Election, the issues to be discussed essentially and necessarily are of national level. During his campaign, Nandan Nilekani has not touched any of these national issues laying down the policies of his Party.
The national issues are:
- · Economic Development
- · Defense
- · External Affairs
- · Internal Security
- · Infrastructure
- · Agriculture
- · Manufacturing
- · FDI
- · Healthcare
Nandan Nilekani cannot even dream of talking on any of these issues in his campaign trail. The moment he utters even one word, the actual performance of Congress/UPA during the last 10 years on these issues would fly back on his face with all its ferocity.
The Congress began its election campaign two months ago flaunting Rahul Gandhi as its new, youthful leader. That aesthetically well-crafted campaign is now in tatters and has been so in that state after the disastrous Times Now interview that exposed the heir apparent as a disconnected amateur. Far from being the new hope, the shehzada is now an object of mockery. Changing course mid-stream, Congress has been reduced to competing for the anti-Narendra Modi mind space with the flamboyant theatrics of Arvind Kejriwal.
Nandan Nilekani also tried his luck with controversial line of ‘reservation’. However, he is lost even on this front.
Consider his flip-flops on ‘reservation’.
March 18, 2014 (www.firstpost.com)
Writing a blog for ibnlive before the 2009 elections, Nilekani had said:
“Most political parties have added 'private sector job reservations' to their 2009 election manifestos. They have in essence, done everything short of what is truly necessary - reforms that open up the economy, that expand education so that people will have the skills they need to find work, and that simplify labour laws to increase employment. The NDA government had made a stab at labour reforms and backtracked at the outcry, and while the UPA government had plenty of reformers in its midst, it sidestepped these critical issues. Unless the next government at the Centre takes up these reforms and resists both the inevitable outcry that will come from interest groups and the temptations for easy shortcuts like reservations, we will see our biggest promise - our demographics - become our albatross.”
March 19, 2014 (www.firstpost.com)
“I favor the reservations that currently exist in the public sector - they are a force for inclusion and affirmative action. Reservation exists in the public sector because we have to acknowledge as a country that certain groups of people have been discriminated against for hundreds of years.
When it comes to the private sector however, we should encourage private companies to themselves be more proactive about inclusion, and not over-regulate them. The focus should be on job creation - on creating more opportunity, rather than just dividing up existing opportunity.”
It wouldn't be the first time that the heat of the elections, a candidate has changed in his stance on a subject, especially one as contentious as reservations. But unlike other candidates, Nilekani's statements on the private sector and economic reforms will obviously be more closely watched than other candidates given his antecedents. Unfortunately this will also mean that unlike other candidates he will not have the luxury of being able to switch stands on contentious subjects depending on the party's stand. Nilekani, despite what his party may have him believe, has a good shot at electoral politics because of the clean transparent image associated with him. Doublespeak associated with a typical politician won't serve his fledgling political career well.
Nilekani's comments at a Bangalore press club event had created a furor with multiple news outlets quoting him as saying that he favoured reservations in the private sector.
Allegations of Misuse of Adhaar Data:
As I have said earlier, Nandan Nilekani has prima facie clean image in politics. But the allegation of misuse of data from UID database has caused a massive dent to even his clean image.
Nandan Nilekeni, the Bangalore South candidate will have to answer the Election Commission of India on charges of using the Aadhar data base to promote his campaign. The Karnataka BJP in a complaint to the election commission has stated that Nandan Nilekani who headed the UID has been sending out campaign material such as pamphlets with his photograph specifically to houses whose members have been issued with an aadhar card.
The BJP asks how he managed to get the details of those issued with Aadhar cards. Since he was in charge of the project he has used his position to access the data base of Bangalore south from where he is contesting, the BJP states in its complaint.
Clueless on the issues to be raised before the electorates in South Bangalore, faced with serious allegations of misuse of UID database, the Corporate Czar has found himself searching for the issues to be raised before the electorates in South Bangalore.
What can Nandan Nilekani now talk about before the electorates in South Bangalore?
The campaign trail that he has hit leaves doubts about his capabilities. Have you seen the candidate talking about ‘water, roads, traffic management, garbage removal and creating opportunities’ in a Loak Sabha election? He has reduced the campaign to a level that is derisively called “Parish Pump Politics”.
The surprise is not on account of Nilekani applying his self-professed “problem-solving” skills to civic issues but that he chose a Lok Sabha election to peddle them. A well-informed person who has been grappling with complex Constitutional issues during his ‘stewardship’ of an illegitimate Aadhar scheme, Nilekani couldn’t be unaware that his pet subjects for this election are the concerns of the state government and municipal authorities.
In 1996-97, another illustrious Kannadiga, H.D. Deve Gowda was often described as the Prime Minister of Karnataka. Is Nilekani following his footsteps and aspiring to be the first MP to sit in the imposing Vidhan Soudha or perhaps in Bangalore Municipal Corporation?
At the risk of flippancy, Nilekani’s ‘local’ campaign plank is about as relevant as those of the radical Left who contest student’s union elections in Jawaharlal Nehru University to register solidarity with the Palestinian resistance to Israel!
Nilekani is no political innocent—his stint at the UIDAI has taught him more politics than he would care to admit. His decision to focus on the local problems of Bengaluru South is grounded in careful calculation. In fact, it amounts to a candid confession that the Congress Party finds the projection of national issues a grave liability.
Nandan Nilekani’s e-blitz backfires:
Being in IT sector and privy to UID data base and technology, he harped on contacting electorates by twitter and facebook and email by using the data from UIDA data bank. Here are some the resentment twits:
Someone needs to build a browser extension to block all Nandan Nilekani ads. Twitter, FB, YT - all flooded.
Nandan Nilekani's media plan summed up: 'how many websites are there on the internet?'
Nandan Nilekani has to curtail his e-campaign with so much resentment and allegations of misuse of UID data base.
No choice left for Nandan Nilekani.
Obviously, Nandan Nilekani cannot talk on National issues. If he talks, the immediate past record of Congress for last 10 years would fly on his face with all its ferocity. Bereft of national issues, the only issues left for him are the local issues – essentially meant for fighting Municipal election.
This is how his campaign has been reduced to ‘parish pump politics’.
For the voters from South Bangalore: Your Vote. Your Brain. Good luck!
