Comedian Kunal: Why don’t we elect Mukesh Ambani as Prime Minister?
Indian stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra raised a very remarkable point regarding the deteriorating situation of Indian politics, especially the changes that have come in the last decade. The same statement was made by Kunal a few years ago which was one of the jokes he used to tell people. ‘Why don’t we elect Mukesh Ambani as Prime Minister?’ This was the unique question he put before his audience.
In other words, why should voters waste their votes to elect people who are funded by Mukesh Ambani or some other tycoon to get elected to Parliament, as opposed to removing the middlemen (politicians) and directly voting for them? Choosing tycoons will reduce costs.
Read More Informative Artcicle in Urdu
In such elections, there will be no need to fund politicians, nor will there be any need to give money to please anyone.
Who would dare to carry a suitcase full of currency notes to Mukesh Ambani? It will be an unnecessary effort’, the comment elicited spontaneous laughter from everyone and the image of stockbroker Harshad Mehta who allegedly presented former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao with a bag full of money came to mind.
Kunal’s Unique Thought
Kunal’s unique thought came to mind again last week when Mukesh Ambani was watching his younger son talking about his future daughter-in-law.
The audience listened with interest to Anant Ambani’s emotional speech while Mukesh Ambani could also be seen wiping his tears on the occasion.
This elite invitation was attended by famous American businessmen and political figures, among which Ivanka Trump is prominent.
Hillary Clinton was also reported to attend as she has attended previous weddings of the Ambani family, but it might be too much for her to be seen in the same frame as Donald Trump’s ‘delicate’ daughter.
In addition, Hillary Clinton, who helped Joe Biden become president by removing Bernie Sanders from the presidential race in 2020, could create difficulties for Donald Trump before the November elections.
The point to be made here is the fact that whoever becomes the US President, Mukesh Ambani will be at an advantage.
Reports of Gautam Adani’s presence at Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding functions have given a vivid picture of the power play in the business world.
In 2013, a group of businessmen including Gautam Adani decided to nominate, backed and funded Narendra Modi as their prime ministerial candidate.
In other words, he was wary of a Congress-led coalition coming back to power, especially one likely to be led by a member of the Gandhi family.
Business tycoons
Are these the heirs to the businesses that Mahatma Gandhi saw as the ‘trustees of a new India’? Gandhi kept many Gujarati tycoons close to him.
In return, he pledged to support the Congress and India’s independence under the leadership of Gandhi.
There is also a theory that businessmen close to Gandhi saw Liaquat Ali Khan’s performance as interim finance minister in the caretaker set-up headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as too socialist to accept a future without the partition of India.
Besides, Jawaharlal Nehru used to approach these business tycoons in various ways without creating suspicion.
During Nehru’s regime, the media freely exposed and targeted the big names of India’s corporate cluster. For example, a Bengali journalist, Deba Jyoti Burman, researched GD Birla and published a book.
The book titled ‘Mystery of Birla House’ details the tax evasion by Mahatma Gandhi’s close friend GD Birla through large-scale transactions at below and above market value.
Such revealing books rarely come before the readers of India. A Western journalist’s researched biography of Dhirubhai Ambani was mysteriously banned from sale in India after a photocopy of the book was used to share dubious details.
Similarly, the story was also heard that GD Birla had bought all the books of the first and second editions of this book. Finally he bought the copyright of this book by Deba Jyoti Burman.
The book would have been forgotten by now but a copy found its way to the Nehru Memorial Library in Delhi. Deba Jyoti Burman created the press where she promoted right-wing ideologies.
Nehru’s Gujarati son-in-law also made revelations about his role as a Congress MP in secret business.
Congress Leaders
Indira Gandhi went a step further and nationalized private banks and Rajiv Gandhi warned tycoons to stop backing Congress leaders.
This is because the media today, especially the TV channels owned by anti-Congress tycoons, miss no opportunity to taunt or abuse Rahul Gandhi.
The massive opposition rally in Patna last Sunday was designed to make the ruling establishment in Delhi wary of whatever it did, though predictably the TV channels did their best to suppress the massive gathering.
Rahul Gandhi’s presence as the main speaker must have been more apprehensive. Rahul Gandhi is one such leader who named Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close business tycoons along with opposition leader Mehwa Moitra who was expelled from the House.
At one point in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi even played a picture of Narendra Modi traveling in the private jet of business tycoon Gautam Adani.
Of course, the alleged benefits to businesses are a bigger deal than Narendra Modi traveling in a tycoon’s jet on this or any other occasion.
Untold Truth
However, a closer look at Kunal Kamra’s thoughts reveals an untold truth. In a way, the Modi government resembles a big advertising business.
There are no press conferences and, like board meetings, no cabinet meeting gives any indication of what was discussed at the meeting.
One condition considering the election of tycoons to Parliament is that they must hold at least two press conferences a year.
Not only do citizens want to know their views on the economic framework of governance, there is no doubt that they will handle economic affairs in a professional manner.
But given the complex nature of India’s political reality, it would also be good to know what businesses think about the permanent transition to India’s majority state.
How do Adani, Ambani and others view routine incidents of communal and caste-based violence as whether they will further fuel nationalist politics? Just acknowledging this underlying concern, even if it is for a sinister profit motive, will make Kunal Kamra’s fantasy seem less contrived than the vision of a ‘New India’.
Also read this: Can Maryam Nawaz become the Daughter of the Nation?
