Shashi Tharoor must quit or be fired. That is the price for his lack of (and refusal to learn) political sensibility. Beginning with a series of minor but irritating indiscretions that did not amount to anything more than speaking insensitively or out of turn, Tharoor has now landed himself in serious trouble. (As an aside, for the 30 odd years spent at that temple of global diplomacy called the U.N., Tharoor demonstrates little skill at being diplomatic or understanding new cultures as reflected in his insensitive “cattle class” tweet. The rumors of the U.N. being a moribund institution populated by ineffective, narcissistic wonks are perhaps not exaggerated.)
He is accused of supporting the Kochi IPL Cricket franchise because of the potential to profit, albeit by proxy. Besides financial impropriety, the issue is marred by personal slander. This controversy is a distraction at a time when there are larger political issues and Tharoor is no albatross the government need carry.
Of course, this blog is no fan of Tharoor. We were lukewarm to Tharoor’s foray into politics because we do not share the popular but misplaced perspective of India’s middle class that professionals and the educated must be accommodated in politics. The underlying assumption is that professionals’ educated mindset equips them better to serve India’s interests while their experience results in skills transferable to administration. Humbug.
Our view is that electoral support at the grassroots must be the sole arbiter of political influence. Political experience at the grassroots provides leaders with:
- a true understanding of the issues that matter,
- an ability to implement ideas and policies,
- the maturity to cooperate with different stakeholders, and
- the strength to assume and stand strong on positions.
While professionals will likely have a richer understanding of issues and policy alternatives, they are often ineffective because of the inability to push initiatives. These weaknesses are accentuated by continual insecurity and the resultant hesitation in speaking truth to their political masters.
The history of Indian politics is replete with failed professionals-turned-politicians. The firebrand journalist Arun Shourie spent his days as a minister conducting studies on how long files take to navigate the government bureaucracy. Mani Shankar Aiyar overstepped his brief as interim petroleum minister to be relegated to an inconsequential berth. Manmohan Singh has been an honorable exception but he has been uncompromising with ideas (e.g., economic reforms in the 1990s and the nuclear deal this decade), ethics, and integrity.
Finally, in the year that Tharoor has spent in power, he has been in news for his many indirections rather than for having been an effective foreign minister. Of all worker classes, it is professionals who ought to know that performance appraisals are conducted annually, contributions matter over visibility, and that there are consequences for falling short. Unless, of course, one spends their life at an organization such as the U.N. with a sense of self-entitlement gained only at St. Stephens.
