Young MPs seek expert help to deliver goods

Of late, elected representatives are increasingly roping in private consultants for professional help with regard to research, policy making and understanding parliamentary procedures so as to better manage both day-to-day affairs and future development initiatives of their constituencies. Legislators, especially belonging to the younger generation, are counting on experts to take a lucid stand on public issues, approach problems in a scientific manner, improve connect with their voters, and generally run their constituencies like well-oiled companies.

One such is Dr Heena Gavit, first-time BJP MP from tribal constituency, Nandurbar. Excited after her win, Dr Gavit was keen to get involved in parliamentary procedures but realised she needed help to speak on issues and policies. She came to know from some senior MPs about professionals who could help, and that’s when she opted for “Swaniti Initiatives”. “I was completely new to parliamentary procedures and found that I needed research to speak and raise questions during debates. ‘Swaniti Initiatives’ helped me in a big way. They sent me research material, explained policies and recently conducted a workshop on the budget to help me understand better. I have seen my grandfather and father in politics but the culture has changed with our generation. I think professional help is a good way to keep myself updated on rural issues. ‘Swaniti Initiatives’ also supported me with data and research when I went abroad on an official tour,” says Dr Gavit. She has invited ‘Swaniti Initiatives’ to her constituency to work on the twin problems of malnutrition and migration. “‘Swaniti Initiatives’ will work on malnutrition, which is a major issue in my constituency and migration to the neighbouring state of Gujarat. I am keen on development and social issues in my constituency but have no time for research and data collection. These professionals will do the work systematically so that I can use it in Parliament,” she adds.

Another instance of a politician actively seeking professional help is that of finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar who has a dedicated team of professionals to help him in policy making and research work.

In fact, Maharashtra chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, seems to be leading the way in seeking qualified help. He has appointed eight external people in his office to help in policy making and research. While this has given fresh ammo to the opposition against Mr Fadnavis, for he is spending a few lakhs on the salaries of these professionals, one of the decisions that has made land transfers more speedy has come about because of the work of this team.

Officer-on-Special Duty in the CMO, Kaustubh Dhawse informs, “Earlier, land transfers for infrastructure projects were tedious. We insisted that the CM simplify them and delegate rights to Collectors for transfers after speaking to concerned agencies, departments and government officials. This made land transfer for the Metro-3 project simple, and it will help future projects as well.” Mr Dhawse is an engineer with an MBA and expertise in public policy, and was appointed after the BJP-led government came to power in the state. He is in charge of infrastructure projects in the state, and has a team of 10 people to do research; they are referred to as the “War Room”. Mr Dhawse has more people working for the Digital Maharashtra initiative, Web portal Apale Sarkar, and the Right to Services Act.

Mr Dhawse and others of his ilk are also called “political strategists”, and are usually part of some organisation, which has its ear to the ground. They collect and analyse data so that politicians can make sound decisions. “Swaniti Initiatives” founder, Rwitwika Bhattacharya (28), a graduate from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, has so far helped 90 Parliamentarians across 18 states in policy making and nurturing their constituencies. “We believe that elected representatives have resources and we help them use them in the right sense. We gather data from their constituencies with the help of local NGOs, and help them zero in on three major issues they want to work on. We collect data, do research, analyse the situation, and present the real picture before them. It takes up to eight months to see the desired results,” she says. The idea of assisting public representatives clicked with Ms Bhattacharya while she was studying in the US. However, she is extremely professional in her approach and does not allow her team to bring their personal ideologies into the work. “We work with politicians across parties, who are willing to bring about change. We are very conscious about our brand and keep personal views separate. We also do not get involved in anything murky, and prefer to get out of the work,” she stresses.

Like “Swaniti Initiatives”, there are other institutions like PRS, Constitutional Club and LAMP (Legislative Assistance to MPs) Fellowship that help Parliamentarians with research and policy making. The LAMP Fellowship was launched in 2009 by Odisha MP, Kalikesh Singh Deo, who is currently also convenor of the fellowship. LAMP has young graduates assisting MPs in legislative research work.

Back home, BJP MP, Poonam Mahajan, provides fellowships to college students to involve them in the political process and get them to collect data, do research etc. “If you see my office, it is full of professionals, students and of course, my constituency people, who want to work or have some definite ideas to share with me. I believe in taking help from all the people who approach me with suggestions, or are willing to do some work for society. I also have a research team to work on various issues. All these efforts have made a tremendous impact in my constituency. It is not just a single person or organisation from whom I have taken help. Rather, I try to engage people who are interested in different kinds of work like managing my constituency or monitoring a particular scheme and so on. I offer internships to students who are willing to understand the political system. I have launched my own app to get in touch with my constituency people,” says Ms Mahajan. “I am not master of all, so I take help from the right people and use their expertise,” she adds, a twinkle in her eye.

On the one hand, there is a growing number of Parliamentarians who are not shying away from taking expert help but on the other, there is a whole set of politicians who are either sceptical about taking professional help or totally against it.

For instance, a large number of MPs still prefer to rely on the party cadre for data collection and resource management, and are not so comfortable with experts who come up with data, PowerPoint presentations and long meetings, while flaunting their iPads, smart phones and their fluency in English. One such is Shiv Sena MP from Ratnagiri, Vinayak Raut, who says, “Our party structure is so strong that we see no need to hire professionals to manage our constituency. I do not mind joining hands with NGOs for certain issues, but not as political strategists. How can they decide our political line without even knowing the party We have our party cadre right from booth level to district level who are in constant touch with the people. I personally visit the remotest village of my constituency to understand the people’s issues and problems. Just try and name a single village in my constituency that I have not visited,” he dares. Mr Raut has been approached by a group of professionals to work on schools, toilets and drinking water, however, he is yet to take a decision about taking them on board.

NCP spokesperson, Nawab Malik, has a slightly different take on the matter. “Social media, strategists can help to a certain extent. Lot of MLAs, MPs are making their presence felt on micro-blogging sites for publicity, and seeking help from professionals for that. It seems that it is helping them in some way. But corporate culture cannot be brought in politics because the latter has no straightforward rules or formulae to gain success. Only the intelligence of the individual politician works in politics; not external help,” he says. NCP, does, however, have its own team for handling social media for the party and its main leaders.

In Shiv Sena MP from south Mumbai, Arvind Sawant’s view, corporate culture is actually commercialising politics. “Despite the wide use of social media and all strategies, Delhi and Bihar elections threw up unexpected results. I personally feel that bringing in professionals is commercialisation of politics, and only politicians with sufficient funds can afford it. One has to have an additional source of income to hire professionals to manage his/her constituency. I was a salaried person with no other business or source of income. I could not afford such services,” he stresses. Mr Sawant prefers visiting the Parliament library to gather information and references before raising any issue or giving a speech in Parliament. “We have enough resources around us. We just need to learn how to use them without taking any external help. I am not influenced by this trend if at all it is coming to India,” he says. Echoing similar thoughts is Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant, who says, “I am not against seeking help from various sources and mediums. But one needs to question the funds required for such professional help. In case of MLAs, they do not get an exorbitant amount to spend on external help. Also, we have experienced how such professional help has been misused to spread false information during the election period. We have to be aware of that.”

Despite politicians of all hues pointing to financial constraints in seeking professional help, Ms Bhattacharya, has her own unique stance on this. “We have our separate funding organisations, and do not charge salary from MPs. But, we do ask them to compensate travel expenses of our people. We are not a profit-making organisation. But it is true that it is a bit difficult for MLAs to have such extra assistance apart from their own staff. In the US, the system is more flexible and there is no restriction on public representatives in terms of hiring staff members as required,” she informs.

While seeking professional help is an interesting change in Indian politics, it may also help make politicians more accountable in terms of fulfilling their post-poll responsibilities. Success depends on genuine efforts as well as knowing the limitations of the system. Data collection, PowerPoint presentations and analyses are great ways to know the facts but one hopes they become tools rather than solutions to every political problem.