Varun Sood, TNN Mar 24, 2014, 01.16PM IST
(Nilekani, who is taking…)
BANGALORE: Nandan Nilekani may be articulating populist ideas for Bangalore, but many experts say implementing them will be a tall order for the Infosys cofounder if he is elected to the Lok Sabha.
Nilekani, 58, who is taking on BJP veteran Ananth Kumar in Bangalore South, has outlined what he calls are his 'five priorities' for India's technology capital in an election where he is fighting anti-incumbency as a candidate of the Congress.
For example, he has promised that his constituents, not he, will decide how Rs 5 crore a year is spent from the MP Local Area Development Scheme. And striking a strident tone, he promises to get more money for the city from New Delhi and agencies such as the World Bank.
"Today, we send a lot of money to Delhi as taxes, but do not get enough back," he wrote in a mini manifesto on his Facebook page.
Rob Jenkins, a veteran on Indian affairs and a teacher at the City University of New York, said Nilekani is unlikely to have success with both issues, because the Central government plays a major role in their implementation and it is not likely that the Congress will return to power.
"He (Nilekani) claims he will persuade the Centre to provide the resources . His success at doing so will in part depend on which party takes power in Delhi, but the prospects for Nilekani's influence in Delhi increasing are extremely bleak," said Jenkins, who specialises in the politics and political economy of India.
Although Jenkins described Nilekani as "a man of integrity", he also observed that the former Infosys CEO's "priorities are too localised due to Nilekani's lack of political experience, being a total novice".
Earlier this month, Nilekani resigned as chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India, an agency that has issued unique Aadhaar numbers to about 60 crore residents. He published 'Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation in 2009' and in the same year resigned from Infosys to join the government.
Nilekani, Ananth Kumar and Aam Aadmi Party candidate Nina P Nayak are vying for votes from the 1.6 million residents of constituency that has a strong urban middle-class core with thousands of software industry employees.
Voting takes place on April 17. Nilekani is running a strong campaign against a five-term incumbent who is perceived to be vulnerable .
While the Nilekani camp is convinced that he is the better candidate and is doing its best to project a Nilekani versus Ananth Kumar contest, the BJP veteran is attempting to shift the battle to terrain that is more suitable for him. Ananth Kumar accuses Nilekani of shying away from the Congress and is instead portraying the Bangalore South election as a fight between PM aspirants Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi.
Nilekani, who was a prime mover behind the Bangalore Agenda Task Force civic group, is also dangling a round-the clock call centre to attend to public complaints. Among other measures, he is promising water to every household and "streetlights and footpaths on every road" .
VS Elizabeth, a professor at Bangalore-based National Law School, was of the view that the agenda "appears to be too local" for an election to the national parliament. "I guess he doesn't realise that as an MP, he is not just a representative of his constituency, but a part of the process that makes policy for the entire nation," she said.
However, she credits Nilekani for his idea for interacting with the public every six months to report on what he will be doing if he is elected.
Swati Ramanathan of Jana Urban Space, a Bangalore-based notfor-profit working on urban planning , observed that Nilekani "comes taint-proof on the personal front". She said, "People like Nandan are important to provide impetus to this changing dynamic in electoral outcomes as well as in the mind of the urban voter."
