Nuances of joining Politics: “Country Before Self”

MP and former railway minister, Dinesh Trivedi mentored IIMCians on nuances of joining politics during his recent visit to IIM Calcutta to address the students on "Country Before Self". He had a long discussion with the Public Policy and Politics special interest group (SIG) of IIM Calcutta. Here are excerpts from the interview:

At the moment, honestly there is no structured system of getting into the political mainstream. You hang around with somebody in politics you know or the local goons and the local thugs and stuff like that. Now that doesn’t mean that everybody in politics is a goon and a thug. There are very good people in politics, there are very good leaders also in politics but there is no system. It’s always the blood relation who inherits the party leadership. And this is where I think we all collectively have to apply ourselves as to what do we do. In USA, one of the oldest democracies, anybody can get into primaries. And that is how the best people are chosen from ground level.

Obama and Hillary were from the same democratic party and they fought like hell. But the moment it was decided that who won, they started working together. Hillary has not started a new party called Democrat Hillary sort of thing you know. They fought a transparent battle, democratically one guy got elected, the other guy lost, doesn’t matter. Because they are not doing it for themselves. And that is where I go back to the freedom struggle when best of the brains sacrificed their professions and lot of people from business background joined the struggle.

I have fought an election and I can tell you that you do not need so much of money. Unless and until you change your election system, you are going to encourage black money and mafia both, such as the use of liquor. So I think there is a room to discuss with a very clean clear cut objective. Time has come that the political system needs a change to encourage good guys to be on the top.

The one basic thing required to be a good politician is – concern for the country. Money is required for livelihood but politics is beyond that. Today in any village there are poor people with no money – they can’t even go to a doctor, so many school dropouts, no hygiene. You just drive down any street at night, people are sleeping on the roads. It has to hurt you, somewhere down the line. How can you accept this? And I don’t think you require any extra-ordinary qualification to get into public life. Public service is not just politics, one could start a consumer organization, or some NGO etc.

Developed countries respect their politicians as they know that this is a necessary system. For example, in Singapore the best guys come to politics and they are respected. The reason that politics is looked down upon in India is because all the goons and mafia have come in. If you look at Indian or world history, you will find many leaders who were well respected and still are. Even in the present political system, you will always find some leaders who are respected and they are the ones who have dedicated themselves to the cause of the country. I personally feel that politics is one of the noblest occupations. Politics cannot be a profession, it has to be an occupation. I always distinguish between the two. And there is no school which can teach you politics, unlike public policy. It has to come from within, like spirituality, like the quest for knowledge.

Both involve dedication. In spirituality you are dedicating yourself to learn about yourself - why are we here, what are we doing, what is our objective, where are we going to go. Similarly in politics you have to dedicate yourself to the cause of the people and have no illusions. One should have no such notion that ‘Oh My God! I am working for the people!’ No you are working basically for your self-satisfaction; nobody has asked you to perform sacrifices. Politics should be something which gives you lot of joy.

At the moment, the biggest employment exchange in India is politics. If you have nothing else to do then join politics, harass the police, harass the neighbours, give and take  ‘choona’… is that the job of a politician? Even the police and the administration have totally being politicised. I had gone to Oxford University to give a talk, there I asked their police commissioner that what is the difference between London police and Delhi police? He said that the basic difference is by statute. That here in London we work for the people by statute, we are responsible for the people, but in India the police is responsible for the government.

First of all you must have a network of like-minded people. The bad guys, the mafias have fantastic network, whereas the good guys have no network. It is not a brilliant idea to put yourself up for any personal risk, you should go as a group. The strength of a group is mighty. Consider India’s freedom struggle against the might of British, it was not easy. If I were you, I would form a federation of universities and have some kind of a minimum program as to what you want to do. You have to have clarity of thought and a road map – don’t be shy of joining the political system.

And if need be, form a party. There is a huge vacuum of a political party with a difference, and that can be filled only if you guys get together. It’s not easy but it is not impossible and don’t give up.

If you can’t form a party now then you have to influence political parties as to what all is in your manifesto, what is your economic programme, how are you going to give jobs, how are you going to deal with mafias.

There are good guys in politics also, good guys in bureaucracy, good guys in police as well.

I am reminded of a funny story with a message. A new IAS officer went to a cycle shop in a village to get a carrier fixed to his cycle. In the evening when he received his cycle, there was a carrier but the cycle stand was missing. The officer was furious and confronted the cycle shop owner who retorted, “you are a new IAS officer here, you should learn one thing – Either you take a stand or have a career. If you are worried about your career, don’t take a stand”. 

Today, the bureaucrats and the police have to understand that they are required to work for the country. Leaders and parties will come and go, governments will change, but they must know why they are there. If you’re transferred, so be it. How does it matter? Take a stand for what is right.

(Interviewed by Sachin Gupta,  Sarthak Saxena, Siddharth Malhotra, Tutan Ahmed of IIM Calcutta Public Policy and Politics SIG.)