by Harihar Swarup
Sacked adviser not interested in politics

MOHAN GURUSWAMY was only a year back often seen in the company of Delhi’s intellectuals at the prestigious Indian International Centre or spending some time in the Press Club of India. Nice and suave in conversation, he never gave the impression of a pretentious person even though occasionally he demonstrated intellectual arrogance. He was also seen mingling with scribes at the BJP’s daily briefings but appeared much different than a hardcore party activist. Some call him a socialite.

Fiftyone-year-old Guruswamy came in the limelight only when, to the surprise of everyone, the BJP-led government appointed him to the key position of Adviser to the Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, with the rank of Secretary to the Union Government. He hit the headlines when he was sacked within seven months (on February 3) of his appointment on the charge of exceeding his brief and authority. Guruswamy kicked up a major controversy by making serious charges of misdemeanour against the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister which rocked both Houses of Parliament and put the government in the dock.

Guruswamy says he accepted only a token salary of Re 1 per month because “I am a member of the party and worked on developing the party’s agenda which has been spelt out in the manifesto. Since I was one of the original authors of the programme, the BJP leaders felt I should get involved in the implementation of the agenda also”. Hyderabad-born Guruswamy was closely associated with the drafting of the BJP manifesto and other policy document and was a member of the party’s thinktank.

How did Guruswamy made his way to the higher echelon in the BJP? Possibly, his qualification had impressed the party leadership. Guruswamy is a product of Harvard University, having taken double master’s degree in economic policy and management and international affairs. He also obtained a degree in Advanced Management from the University of Stanford. The BJP has been picking up persons from the academic world and associating them with the party. They picked up Subramanian Swamy, a Harvard professor in economics, when he returned to India in the early seventies but regretted later. They are now repenting Guruswamy’s pitchforking to the adviser’s position.

The sacked adviser was asked by a private TV channel as to how he managed his household with a token salary of Re 1 only and if he was not getting financial backing from elsewhere?

His reply was sharp: “I come from a well-to-do family and I declare an income of Rs 18 lakh annually .... I can manage without salary for a few months unlike many top politicians who manage a life-time in public life without any money”.

Guruswamy argues he did not loose anything by giving up the post of adviser and maintains that he has on his own resigned as far back as January 27 and the claim of the government that he was sacked on February 3 was just not true. He asserts that he is a professional management consultant and not “an investigator, crusader against corruption or a fighter against economic crimes”. Nor is politics his avocation. “I have no interest in any political party”, he claims.

His association with the BJP dates back to 1993 when he contested for a seat in the U.P. Assembly but lost. Since then he worked his way in the BJP hierarchy and achieved the confidence of the party’s top leadership. He was seen in the corridors of power for the first time when V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister, having developed close links with the then ruling Janata Dal. It is said that V.P. Singh sought Guruswamy’s counsel on economic matters, including the controversial Mandal report, but he was never given an official position. Janata Dal leaders say he became “private adviser” to the then Prime Minister.

Come Chandra Shekhar’s short-lived tenure in South Block and Guruswamy was seen hobnobbing in his circle, often visiting the Prime Minister. Sources close to the former Prime Minister say that Chandra Shekhar never sought his advice.

Guruswamy was irked by what he calls influence of a set of industrialists in the present dispensation. They were the same set of people who were equally powerful in the regime of Rajiv Gandhi, the Janata Dal rule and during the time of P.V. Narasimha Rao.

“They are as influential in the BJP rule as they were earlier”, he says, adding: “It appears, as if, we (in the government) have been working for them”. He wonders if it is worth working for them.

Guruswamy has accused the government of failure to take action on several key issues despite the Finance Minister and the adviser sharing common views. If Parliament decides to constitute a JPC to probe the charges made by him he was ready to face it. “I am prepared to take an oath that I will tell the truth”, he says.

The Guruswamy episode is not yet over. The Rajya Sabha held an acrimonious debate and an identical discussion is slated in the Lok Sabha. What turn the controversy, raked up by the sacked adviser to the Finance Minister will take, is yet to be seen.

Delhi grapevine
by Hari Shankar Vyas
RSS gives leverage to Vajpayee govt

THE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has set November as the deadline to give the Vajpayee government a leverage to run the country its own way. Thereafter, it may review its relationship with the government. There are two factors which have contributed to this deadline. One, the WTO agreements are slated for review in the later part of this year. While agreeing to withdraw its opposition to the IRA Bill and Patents Amendment, the Sangh had desired that the Vajpayee government take a strong line on the WTO, in tune with Sangh’s thinking. This was a unilateral decision by the Sangh. The Vajpayee government has not made any commitment to this. However, the Sangh leadership believes the government would reciprocate to this generosity in the same tone and tenor. This, they believe, would be open by November.

Around the same time, five to nine assemblies will be going to the polls across the country. Their results will also make the political scenario clear. The Sangh leadership pondered over this issue at its Pratinidhi Sabha meeting in Lucknow last week and concluded that this would be the best time to take stock of the political situation in the country as also make a judgement of the Vajpayee government’s response to its generosity.

The top brass of the Sangh was concerned at the desperation going down the lower level vis a vis the government and the BJP. Though of late it has started showing signs of improvement in the context of intra-parivar relationship, the Sangh leadership is sceptical of the true designs of the government. A majority of the Sangh leaders present at the Lucknow meeting were of the view that the organisation should disown this government since it was adversely affecting the moral of the cadre. However, the Sahsarkaryavah K.S. Sudershan saved the day for the BJP. In fact, other leaders took a back seat when it came to its relationship with the BJP and the government.

The leadership concluded from its three-day deliberations that this government is in any case better than the government that seems possible at this juncture. The ‘apprehension’ of the Sangh was that in case the Vajpayee government fell, the only alternative at present was a government led by Sonia Gandhi or supported by her. Therefore, while the Sangh decided to restrain its arm from criticising the Vajpayee government, a no-holds-barred attack was launched against Sonia Gandhi. This is unusual of the Sangh. Because the Sangh keeps itself above taking names.

The Sangh leadership was also not oblivious of the fact that the Vajpayee government knows this weakness of the Sangh and would like to take its advantage. Yet, they were in favour of giving it some more time. And till then, the Sangh would turn its focus to other issues like conversions, spread of Christianity (read Sonia Gandhi), cultural invasion, etc.

Perestroika days
The days of Perestroika are here to stay in the RSS. It began in 1989 with the advent of relatively younger elements to the top hierarchy of the Sangh. While Madan Das Devi, Suresh Rao Ketkar were made the Joint General Secretaries at par with K.S. Sudershan, Shrikant Joshi was made the incharge of publicity. Publicity, till a few years back, was an area which had hitherto remained an anathema to the Sangh.

Three senior leaders Suryanarayan Rao, Moropant Pingle and Kaushal Kishore relinquished their responsibilities and paved the way for some younger elements to come in their place. Earlier, in August last year, the Sangh leadership had thrown enough hints to ageing BJP leaders also to make way for the younger elements. Sudershan spoke of this need in Bhopal. But the BJP did not give any heed to this. Therefore, they say, the Sangh leaders themselves have set an example before the BJP leaders. Whether the latter will emulate it, not many are prepared to bet on it.

Private secretary
Shakti Sinha is at it again. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Private Secretary is now firmly in the saddle. And he knows the advantages of working on the Private Secretary net. That is why when the Private Secretary of Uma Bharati, Vinay Kumar, left her on his promotion in the cadre, Sinha insisted that she take Parimal Ray as her new Private Secretary. Ray is a cadre-mate of Sinha, therefore, not many eyebrows were raised. However, when it was discovered that he had served as Private Secretary to R.K. Dhawan also, the government is in a tizzy. But, then, they say, Sinha has to create a net of his choice in other ministries also.

Expanded MP unit
The BJP leaders are amazed at the transformation of the party into an expanded outfit of the Madhya Pradesh unit. Ever since Kushabhau Thakre took over the reins of the party last year, his cronies from Madhya Pradesh are ruling the roost. Even a shameful defeat in his home state MP in the last Assembly elections has not deterred him from packing the party with his proteges. Partymen say it is only personal loyalty that is the criteria to be in his good books. Therefore, they were not surprised when Sumitra Mahajan was given the charge of Gujarat. But they were stunned when they found that Sunderlal Patwa was also rehabilitated after the party’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh. He was not made a vice-president of the party but was also given the charge of an important state like Uttar Pradesh. As if this was not enough, at the meeting of the party in charges in different states, he announced that Lakhiram Aggarwal would look after party affairs in Madhya Pradesh.

Desperate Swami
Chandraswami is desperate to get back his lost political clout. And he is not leaving any stone unturned in regaining it. Of late, he has realised that he is a Jain. And looking to the proximity of Jain Saints with the politicians of all shades and colours, he has started wooing them. During the last fortnight, he has met twice the preceptor of Anuvrat Movement Acharya Mahapragya who is in the Capital these days. His meetings with the Acharya have been rather longish. And given his bent of mind, the two would not have discussed anything spiritual or religious.

PMO going strong
The PMO is going strong even in the matters relating to economic issues. This is despite the fact that N.K. Singh has been completely silenced and also sidelined to an extent. This impression was further strengthened when it was found that Singh had absolutely no role in the formation of this year’s Budget. Yet, the Finance Ministry was stunned when it was told that the Cabinet had approved the amendment to the IRA Bill as suggested by the Standing Committee on Finance led by Murali Deora. Ordinarily, the Cabinet approval is sought by the Ministry concerned. But, this time, the PMO did not want to take any chances. And usurping all the powers of the MoF, it decided to go ahead with the amendments, mainly to bring down the foreign equity cap from 40 per cent to 26 per cent.

75 YEARS AGO
Tuberculosis in our cities

IN my two previous articles I tried to show what tuberculosis is, how it is caused and how it spreads. I have shown the alarming mortality it causes, and have pointed out the various means of checking the further spread of this dreadful menace in our cities.

I laid special emphasis on educational propaganda, and pointed out that it was hardly possible with the existing staffs of our health organisations, and could not be carried out with any measure of success, without a publicity man specially made responsible for the working of the measures in connection with the prevention of tuberculosis.

I have shown that the notification of the disease was of great importance in this malady in discovering, “unsuspected early” or more or less advanced disease in the other members of the family of the patient, in discovering “undisinfected houses” which are regular “nests” of the disease, and which, if not properly disinfected, would continue to catch their victims and kill unsuspecting persons who would never know the nature of the death-dealing poison.
— A humble physician