In a frank interview Lord Swaraj Paul, Founder, Caparo Group spoke to CNBC-TV18's Ashmit Kumar about India's political scenario, the different parties and the economy as a whole.
Below is the verbatim transcript of that interview
Q: You have said that India is far bigger than just a few industries or few industrialists . So, when you make that distinction about the political parties not just being about the few industrialists and the economy, are we to assume that that is perhaps a veiled criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the policies that it represents?
A: It's a well criticism of all the parties. From which party have you heard anything about the poverty. I have been watching for the last two-and-half weeks or even before. Is there ever a debate on education, is there a debate even on happening of the economy except a particular person will get the license etc. But that should not be an election issue.
The election issue to me is the health, the election issue to me is the education, how to make the use of the greatest talent we have in this country - the youngest generation while in the Western world there is an ageing population but here we have a reservoir of young boys and girls. Let us give them an opportunity and that is what we really need to harness.
How we make use of the biggest reservoir of human beings in this country and make this country run the world instead of the other way round.
Q: Again staying with the elections here, when we speak of the elections of course it becomes a referendum of sorts and the performance of the past governments. We have seen 10 years of the United Progress Alliance (UPA) in power. So, if you were to look at the past 10 years and if you could identify one thing that the UPA could have done differently or rather should have done differently what would that be?
A: Again I come back to the same question. We got over celebrated into Shining India and Incredible India but we forgot that there are more than 50 percent people below the poverty line so how can you call it Shining India and Incredible India.
Second, the issue which has been there for last many years - the corruption and it has sadly become a big issue in the last few years. Corruption is the most dangerous thing in the world. Mahatma Gandhi talked about it in 1934; we haven't succeeded in this except we have allowed it to go up. Now, I don't think anybody has talked about what solution they are going to have to end that corruption.
Arvind Kejriwal talked about it that is why the people showed their affection to him. He formed the government. Unfortunately, whatever maybe the reason he could not deliver. I think without killing the corruption, we are not going to succeed.
Q: You raised the question of Manmohan Singh being one of the architects with respect to opening up of the economy and he has been the prime minister for the last 10 years. But, there have been concerns with respect to his performance as well. People say that there were multiple power centers, the Congress party on the one hand and then the government on the other and then the latter often got undermined. So, when you look at the last 10 years and certain key decisions that were delayed, not taken or postponed that's something that you would perhaps attribute to multiple power centers that were functioning within the government?
A: I don't know but all I know is that somehow we manage to deliver much less than what we try to do. Manmohan Singh is a very outstanding person, he is able but the fact is whatever maybe the circumstances – this is not for a person like me to analyse it, it requires more than analysis that he could not deliver it. But his intentions are and have been very good. It's a marvelous achievement on his part that 10 years as prime minister nobody has said in this country that he is corrupt. This itself is a great achievement on his part.
Q: We have spoken of the prime minister and now we will talk about the prime minister in waiting that is of course Narendra Modi. He is the leading contender but at this time point I will first being with asking about the global perception of Narendra Modi. Now if the foreign recognized publications are anything to go by if they can serve as a good barometer, I will just quote a few publications, The Economist in an article said that this newspaper cannot bring itself to back Narendra Modi for India's highest office. The Guardian said, in fact was advocating for snapping of ties with Narendra Modi and even made a veiled criticism of sorts by saying that in a phase of global resurgence of the right we must be alert to all its extremist forms. There are other publications as well who made similar observations. So, when you look at Modi coming to power but do you see that as an extremely uphill task in terms of moving away from the shadow of 2002 when we speak of the global community, the international community.
A: These are all distinguished newspapers and it's their opinion. It's not an opinion of the voter. It's only the people who are going to vote, they are going to decide who is going to be the next prime minister and if they decide Modi as the prime minister then we should respect it. I would hardly liked to be guided by the publications what their opinion is because then why not leave it to the publications to decide who is the prime minister or for you people to decide the prime minister.
Prime minister is going to be decided by 850 million people who have voted and I have more faith in the Indian voter than perhaps any voter on any part of the country, any part of the world.
Q: However talking about Modi in context of global perception not to use the publication perhaps as spokespersons of the western world but rather as perhaps an indicator of sentiments. So, I was just wondering about the sentiments about Modi overseas?
A: On whose sentiments - publications give their own views. A person who has been elected three times by the voters, all those things are behind it. They can't just carry on pointing out to 2002 etc, world has changed. People learn from the mistakes. And it is much better to learn from you mistakes instead of keep looking at them.
I have no views on who should be the prime minister nor do my views have any meaning. But, I do know one thing that if the people of India feel that any prime minister is not performing they have the ability to change them and fortunately they don't have to wait in this country for five years because every year you have two-three states going to elections. They are able to show that we are not satisfied with the prime minster.
From all experiences that you hear from all over the world and here with the experience including our organization in India, we have three plants in Gujarat - they highly talk about the administration in Gujarat. So how can you take some credit out of the person? Though running a country as diverse as India is very difficult than running a state. But, let us give a chance to the person - whoever is voted by the people and let's not underestimate the voter in India. I don't like pundits to be giving the opinion, I want the voter to have their right, and they are going to do it anyway.
Q: You said that the Indian voter has the obligation as well as the responsibility and the power to change the prime minister, to change the government if it hasn't performed - not commenting on what last 10 years have been like but do you see a change coming?
A: Let me put say - I hope the change comes from corruption from whoever delivers it.
The corruption must come down. Corruption is everywhere in the world. I have spoken against corruption in the parliament in Britain about Britain's corruption. We are not free of corruption. Look at the corruption which has happened in the western world in the banking sector. I had quoted Winston Churchill in one of my speeches, he said that never in the history so many people have the gratitude to so few, I said in the case of bankers never in the history so many people have suffered because of the greed of so few.
So, corruption is not a monopoly of India but it has gone beyond limits and we need to control it otherwise we will destroy the country.
