8/10/2019 A View From India - AMBITION

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The landslide victory for Narendra Modiand his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in therecent parliamentary elections will herald

a substantive politico-cultural change.Keen watchers of this scenario havebeen quick to attribute this phenomenalvictory to superb managerial skills ofModis campaign. The recent elections,expertly managed by Indias electioncommission and closely monitored by theinternational media proved yet again thatneither money, nor muscle-power wouldpersuade an electorate as diverse andfar-flung as the Indian people.

The Political Scenario

Indias run-up to the elections was interestingfor many reasons, not least because ofthe Indian political parties trading charges

among themselves and their election-allies,sometimes even on a personal level. Take,for example, an opponent calling NarendraModi a chaiwallah (derogatorily, tea-seller).In point of fact, Modi began as a tea-vendoron trains.

Modis team of 100 like-minded youngprofessionals in Citizens for AccountableGovernance (CAG) turned the tables ontheir ruling detractors. The BJP gainedhuge capital by launching a public Chaipe Charcha (chat over tea) campaign. Andwhat enormous hit it was with the urban and

rural folks alike! It struck more than the rightchord with millions of tea-n-snacks shacksthroughout India. On top of this, the Moditeam harnessed the power of social mediaand technology to relay their visionaryagenda. But what really paid off was Modisamazing rhetorical panache, honed to suchexemplary nish by his managerial cohort.

In rural India, Modis Hindi (Indias nationallanguage albeit awkwardly accented by hisGujarati) connected. What people heard

was not a Gujarati speakers Hindi, but aprime-ministerial candidates earnest appealand message, rhetorically and ideationallyadopting English rhetorical strategiesand orientation reminiscent of the USpresidential campaigns.

Very shrewdly, Modi sold this humble storyto the large audiences across India. Hissuccess was scripted by a very professionalPR team comprising young MBAs. BrandModi is now touted as a case worthy ofattention by Indias business schools.

Another unusual Chief Minister, this timearound, struck work protesting against hisown administration. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal ofDelhi is no Modi. His demonstration againstthe Delhi police and the central governmentlasted 33-hours. Kejriwal was protesting,he claimed, in order to command the Delhipolice which, presently, is under the Uniongovernment. Kejriwal, now the ex-DelhiChief Minister, leads a new political outtcalled the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), literally,the party of man in the street. His electionsymbol, the broom, signies the clean-up of

the Aegean stable of Indian politics.Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, emergedvictorious in the recent state electionsbecause the widespread public angeragainst corruption. In cities, AAP ofcesare jostling with MBAs who want tomake a difference. The AAP websitecalls for internships with the politicalparty which would give MBAs a sense ofaccomplishment and not just a formality.AAPs politics is largely social-mediacampaign, branding analysis, besidesresearch directed at exposing scams.

Specialist MBAs in marketing, nance andstrategy are crucial in AAPs success. AAPsgrassroot model, driven by ethical values,seems perfect for scalability. AAP, however,was not able to replicate its success on thenational level because of inexperience andinghting among its members.

The Economic Scenario

Not too long ago, Chidambaramsnance ministry claimed to reverseIndias downturn and an imminentratings downgrade. Before his time,Indias Current Account Decit hadbeen ballooning. Stagation apart,India was unable to meet its targetedscal decit of 4.6%. Raghuram Rajan,his appointee as the Governor of theIndian Reserve Bank, took immediatesteps to steady the balance of paymentsand cut back government expenditure.Interestingly, both Chidambaram andRajan are MBAs from Harvard andIIM-Ahmedabad respectively.

Many observers feel that India has abright future if Modi, a business friendlypolitician, implements his Gujarat Model

of governance at an all India level. Whileit remains to be seen if Modi can walkhis talk, I am sure that he believes in thegreat Indian Story. A large number of theworkforce in India comprises MBAs fromthe IIMs and universities abroad. Anotherdecade down the line, India ought to tapthe optimism, energy and talent IndianMBAs bring home.

A View From India Hemant ChandranGlobal AMBAssador

MBA graduate,Strathclyde BusinessSchool, Glasgow

Hemant Chandran is an alumnusof and the Global AMBAssadorfor Strathclyde Business School,Glasgow. He is a nanceprofessional with ve years ofexperience in a BIG 4 specialisingin US Real Estate and securitization.Hemant enjoys writing and hascontributed regularly to TheIndependent and his businessschools admission blog. He is also

an academic mentor for students atthe business school. The opinionsexpressed in this piece are his own.

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