DailyPost 2405
POLITICAL INFLUENCE
Is political influence the only influence? No, it is the most prevailing influence. It operates where everything fails. It would provide you end to end coverage, if you have been provided with its informal canopy. Most of times it does not even matter whether you are in power or not. Having been in the trade, you know how to remain in the zone of influence. The ones who run the executive and other shows in the country want to be in their good books. The ones not in power today can certainly adorn it in the next dispensation.
Political influence is the currency of democratic India. The tantrums, idiosyncrasies, outward manifestations of power, ostentations and security are neatly woven around it, so much so that you naturally start feeling anything and everything in this country works on it. The public domain has discussion only of these influencers on a day-to-day basis and its umpteen use cases which provides a fair idea of the length and depth of it and also the likelihood of you falling in that trap, if you are somewhere on the borderlines. Most experienced don’t believe in the borderline model and remain with powers that be to manage their issues, even if they have to pay a premium.
While you enjoy the fruits of the influence, the political powers that be, will do you batting for you, as if no political influence was ever used. This is a great service, with a rare mark of expertise, which is generally missing in most of the things we do in this country. This is the oxygen of Indian democracy. The famed influence traverses everything in this country; policies, political executive & other related jobs, bureaucratic transfers / postings / promotions / extensions, business deals, government procurements, registration of cases & investigation and even in the quantum of advertisements being doled out by the government.
They are veterans of the trade and they play this political influence game on a regular basis. That is the gainful game of governance, albeit camouflaged. On the contrary, if you fall in their line of fire for whatever reasons, you would be beleaguered, mostly for good. Few recent examples will make things clear; a bunch of national / international level wrestlers are battling it out to get a criminal case registered, the man with influence can safely riding roughshod and stock manipulation et al, even after gaining global currency is not enough to initiate even a basic legal action. The recent remissions speak volumes about what political influence can do in this country. Either you are with us, or you are nowhere.
POLITICAL INFLUENCE IS A HOT CAKE. NOTHING SELLS LIKE IT.
Sanjay Sahay