Walk Into Patanjali “Patu”
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8 ISSUES AND INSIGHTS MUMBAI | 2 NOVEMBER 2019 > India etc, etc. The minister fixed a gimlet eye on him and asked him his name and desig- The intoxication of power nation. Then he told him: “My frank opinion Economics and is, you’ve been working here too long. You Sometimes, it pays to hear early warning signals need to go on a long, long leave. Take a holi- day or something… and try not to come back good intentions and slights easily, more so if they have placed because his officers were not ‘cooperating’. here”. He then carried on as others present their leaders on a pedestal by empowering Vajpayee told the minister disapprovingly: winced. Many more such stories are available ere’s a prob- them via an election. They see, they note, “One should not fight with the tools one for those who want to hear them. lem: If eco- they file away in their mind. Here are some uses”. A minister in the Modi government’s The video of Haryana Chief Minister ML H nomics is a incidents that may have contributed, at dif- first tenure could have done with that advice. Khattar that went viral midway through the science, then inten- ferent times, to a collective perception that In the presence of guests, she peeked out of Assembly election may have had something tions, good or bad, the powerful are getting above themselves her fourth floor office window, looked at the to do with the BJP’s sub-par performance. must not be a part of and need to be taken down a peg or two. secretary of her department — a highly expe- Khattar is known for his incorruptibility but it. If, on the other The Congress was in power and an exter- rienced but extremely stubborn IAS officer not necessarily his accessibility. In the video, hand, and at the very nal affairs minister, highly regarded by the with whom she was engaged in an incessant a BJP supporter who was also a member of least, good inten- party but famed for his short temper, was war of attrition, and said, half playfully: the outgoing government’s Staff Selection tions simply must preparing to address a press conference. As “What do you think will happen if I eject you Board, is seen trying to place a silver crown underlie it, it cannot PLAIN POLITICS is customary, a background brief was ready out of the window? Will it make news?” The on Khattar’s head as he stands before a crowd be a science. Indeed, for circulation among reporters. The minis- officer struggled to stay courteous and mur- of people, waving a farsa (axe) gifted to him. MARGINAL UTILITY it ceases to be eco- ADITI PHADNIS ter started speaking and his director (who mured something. She then put the same Khattar is clearly audible on the micro- nomics even. had reached where he was by dint of getting question to her guests: “What do you say? phones as he twists to tell the supporter: TCA SRINIVASA-RAGHAVAN This, to my mind, in the top five percentile of an extremely Shall I throw him out?” They shifted uncom- “What are you doing? I’m going to slit your is the main problem rrogancy, madam… bahut arrogancy tough examination and gruelling interview, fortably and changed the subject as the offi- throat with this axe if you don’t stop”. Later, with randomised con- aa gayi thi inme,” said an Uber driver not via rhetoric, intrigue and politicking) cer left the room. Khattar explained, somewhat sheepishly, trolled trials (RCT) in development economics — though A belonging to Haryana as the results began circulating the brief. The rustle of the The current government has its share of that he reacted because silver crowns not in the other branches of the subject like, say, mecha- of the Assembly elections trickled in and it paper and the movement distracted the min- such stories too. A minister took charge of belonged to the Congress culture of politics nism design. In fact, I have never understood what devel- became clear that far from reaching the tar- ister. “Who asked you to do that? You b****y his new assignment and summoned a meet- and the worker had served the BJP for years, opment economics is other than being an atonement for a get of winning 75 seats out of 90 in the fool!” he raged. The officer went white. The ing with officials, who filed in eager to make so he would not mind Khattar’s reprimand. bad conscience. Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata reporters watched: some with interests but the acquaintance of their new boss. He began All that the worker was trying to do was raise As a result of it, many good economists have become Party (BJP) would have to seek an alliance most with sympathy as the officer moved as by saying: “If I say I think imports are really Khattar’s prestige. preachers and many preachers have become bad econo- partner to form a government in the state. if to take back the papers and then just left bad for India and should not be permitted, At the end of the day, an election is an mists. Some of them have arrived on Indian shores, in a “Their arrogance will come before a fall,” the room. is there anyone who will disagree with this?” election is an election. The BJP could argue manner reminiscent of the representatives of the Anglican predicted Narendra Modi at a public meeting The stories are a legion. One misguided individual felt he needed to that it has, after all, been returned to power Church after 1870. ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, about In the last BJP government led by Atal make his position clear and raised his hand in both the states where it was in govern- Governments loved them then, and they love them now the Congress. He was right. Bihari Vajpayee, a minister came to the prime to explain how all imports were not bad and ment. But sometimes, it pays to hear early because they bring intellectual respectability to comforting People don’t forgive public humiliation minister, asking him to change his portfolio you could value-add and make money for warning signals. ideas. So, it appears, do the World Bank and the Nobel Committee, not to mention many philanthropists. There are two major questions that such economists refuse even to acknowledge. One, why is your good inten- COFFEE WITH BS > PATANJALI ‘PATU’ KESWANI | FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, LEMON TREE HOTELS tion better than mine? Two, is the state the best institution to give effect to good intentions? Religious institutions do a far better job. Such economists, I think, start with an inadequate understanding of what the state actually is — a collection of randomly chosen agents who can’t reveal anything like a conscience while acting on behalf of their employer. A recipe for growth Those that do become NGOs. The economists then get very surprised when the state reveals its true colours. The phenomenon was best The fast-talking Keswani tells Pavan Lall what he tallised in his head and he kicked off summed up by Arthur Koestler in his 1949 classic, The God his venture. That Failed. learnt from former boss Russi Mody, how he was let In 2005, an investor wanted to buy 25 per What is not understandable, however, is how develop- cent of his company. Another PE player was ment economists deliberately ignore all the thought that down by a private equity investor and why he also showing interest but he was has gone into preventing economics from becoming a vehi- launched an upscale hotel in Udaipur already committed to the first. Then, on the cle for competitive politics. This willingness to be an intel- Saturday before he was going to get the mon- lectual fig leaf for sheer Robin Hoodism, with its forcible ey, he got a call from the investor. “We need income transfers in return for votes, is what is so distress- alk into Patanjali “Patu” The other thing he learned from Mody was to meet,” he was told. Instinctively, he called ing, at least to me because unlike many of these guys, I pay Keswani’s house in Delhi’s Vasant to know his employees by their names. the second potential investor and said taxes in India. W Vihar and you’ll be greeted by a “Mody could actually walk into a meeting he wanted to reopen talks. “Why? Has very big five-year old yellow Labrador with room and mug up the names of a few that recent failed IPO derailed your Not new a bark to match. He’s called... what else... dozen people in the space of an hour. investor’s plans?” Keswani wasn’t aware of Sorry for that long preamble, but RCTs in development Lemo and despite the bark, I’m told, he’s It changed how people treated him and that fact but proceeded to meet up with his efforts are not new. It’s just that no one thought of giving harmless. I learned that everyone likes investor in his office the following day. them that name. Inside, I’m led into an entertainment the personal touch — especially from a The PE firm’s managing partner investor Ask any IAS officer, of any batch, since 1948, who has room of sorts that features an outsize library, leader,” Keswani says. walked in, gave him a weak smile and hand- held a district, and he or she will tell you how they have flat panel TVs and a recliner where I wait for Our coffees arrive, served with a flaky ed him a letter from an associate that said had to initiate or run such experiments.