Niira Rdia-Lobbying lobbyist
In general sense lobbying is nothing more than persuasion by one person to the other person who is in authority for getting one’s work done. If one wishes to prepare Ration card or to have electricity connection of water connection or reservation one approaches a person having some say in the concern department and one gets his work done through acquaintance. This is normal working in life and no one minds it as nothing is being done going out of way.
Now if one wants to get a transfer done or to get an appointment done and for that the concerned person start putting pressure on the other who is in authority to do he deploys a person who can put such influence and for that he may ask for cash or kind or as reward and this may amount to broking .But if that person demands cash or kind to influence the other person in authority it is said to be using corrupt means.
Let us see from the point of view of Niira Radia. She is also a lobbyist and does her work with much courage and sincerity. We Indians have termed her work as Economic Terrorism.Praful Patel the Aviation Minister has such a view! Perhaps this is why Indian Air Lines are going in losses of millions of rupees. I commend her on this count. As against this I would not appreciate Prabhu Chavala, Veer Sanghvi, Barkha Datta and such other lobbyists who were wearing lion’s skin and all they worried about their own hide. They tried to be defensive rather than defending champions. As against this Niira Radia was strong enough to defend herself in right perspective. An extract from internet shows her biography which runs like this:
Nira Radia is an Indian PR consultant and lobbyist, Nira has been an entrepreneur for more than 25 years, with extensive consultancy experience in the Aviation, Travel, Tourism and the Communication industry. She has conducted business with some of the most prestigious and leading brand names in the Aviation and Travel businesses besides a host of corporate companies. Her client.A British citizen, Radia moved from England to Surajkund, India, with her three sons after a divorce from Kutchi businessman, Janak Radia. In 2003, Dheeraj Singh, a business partner, was arrested with an accomplice for allegedly kidnapping her 18-year-old son. By 2008, Nira Radia was running a successful corporate communications enterprise in the form of Vaishnavi Corporate Communications, and operating through subsidiaries such as Neucom, Noesis Strategic Consulting Services[8] and Vitcom Consulting. She is allegedly very close to Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, among others in the corporate world.
Pprima-facie this does no go offensive against her. On the contrarily it reveals that she is as strong as Tata, Bidla, Ambani or Mittal or other Indian big industrialists etc. What she was doing is just her legal profession only and nothing abnormal or any thing wrong. There is a much common system in business relating to liaison services. Such liaison officers keep on doing liaison work in different departments and get their work done by cash or kind or by mutual understanding or soft relations. But this is all done unofficially and the money spent on it is accounted with all legal manipulations. One can see such type of work in every business and rather to say it is necessary also as either due to work pressure or because of procedural delays or because of corrupt practice prevailing in different departments. The business circulars have to get their work done either by hook or crook otherwise due to delays their business may get a worst set back which a business cannot afford.
Last time about 11 Members of Parliament were disqualified because they took money [so called bribe in Indian terms]. Recently Arun Shourie pointed out that it was decided on party lines that he would open the budget debate but at the eleventh hour the plan was turn down and had he started debating Reliance companies would not have been benefited. This is all lobbying and nothing else. Bofors gun scandal was also one of the sort of lobbying affair in it self.
I had an opportunity to read about American lobbyism. In America there is official reorganization to such profession. The right to lobby is secured by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the constitution. In America lobbyists are officially entitled to influence legislatures on behalf of a client. They are being employed by great corporates.They influence the introduction and passing of the Bills etc.They have been regarded as a kind of ‘third house’ next to Congress and Senate. They provide money for elections also.
The article further adds that it is their part of job to provide information of two important types, political and substantive. Political information provided by lobbyist includes such matters as who supports or opposes legislation and how strongly they feel. Substantive information such as the impact of proposed laws might not be available from any other source. Information is usually the key ingredient in gaining or losing a vote. Lobbyists are useful providers of such information to any one who can influence the making of public policy. Lobbyists are stratigists, technicians, and builders of coalitions among groups, experts, and communicators. Two rules of lobbyists live by are: it’s a lot easier to kill a bill than to pass it, and work in such a way so that you have no permanent allies and no permanent enemies. Today’s opponents may tomorrow’s supporters. In that article written by American writer Randy Cannon it was further contended that effective lobbyists are specialists in both subject matter and legislative procedure. They for organized interests know the schedule of general hearings, committee meetings, floor debates and social events. They also know as much as possible about the legislators their electoral support, their values, their hobbies and who has their ‘ear’. They are always present and prepared when their interests are affected. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying. American Economist Thomas Sowell defends corporate lobbying as simply an example of a group having better knowledge of its interests than the people at large do of theirs. For further reference one can view Wikipadia on internet also.
We can see such type of lobbying in big corporate business where looking to their business turnover the cost of lobbying is not much. How ever one has to make a distinction between agent, broker, middiator and Dalal.The distinction is based on the nature and quality of work and ability in doing it.
Unfortunately we Indians are not only cowardice we are not ready to accept our past deeds. When dispute arose about A.Raja, Kanimozhi and Radia politicians, Industrialist and media men started disowning any economic or commercial or political relations. No one stood to say in positive terms. In Bofors case also those who took commission started denying any such dealings. No one was bold enough and then Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi who had foreign culture also back out. Present Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and Home Minister P.Chidambaram who studied and were groomed in American culture and were bureaucrats in United Nation also backed out. On the other had in Japan so many ministers come and are out but they do not back out on such counts. Here in India a politicians think that once they occupy chairs they must continue till death. That is why Ministers and politicians are cowards.
My suggestion would be if laws are to be amended they should be amended and accountability should also be fixed so that there would be no under hand dealings and things will be fair and fine also which will help the nation for economic growth. No phone taping will be required and Tatas-Bidlas will have also no grievance. I have respect for Radia and I welcome and applaud her for her courage in her business. I also appreciate her that at no stage she back footed at any cost. All the best to her!
