Indian businessmen, especially of the big variety, tend to keep a very low public profile. While they are quite comfortable talking to the press on purely business matters and giving controlled interviews to fawning reporters, and are even happy hobnobbing with politicians and ministers are summits and conferences (like hailing Narendra Modi as the greatest visionary of our times), they hesitate to engage with social and political questions. Rarely will you see a top industrialist commenting on a major issue—his PR advisors would warn against saying anything controversial.

Indeed, PR departments have now begun to exercise a lot of influence on chairmen and managing directors as far as giving press quotes are concerned. One journalist recently recalled how he was warned off by Niira Radia and her henchmen when he asked a fairly innocuous question to a big wig about expansion plans. “No he did not say that,” she told the reporter aggressively and he was too stunned to react. Politicl statements therefore are a strict no-no.

Now, suddenly, India Inc seems to be getting assertive. In recent months, well known businessmen, individually and collectively, have stuck their necks out, seemingly unafraid to speak their minds.

Ratan Tata, who rarely speaks to the media, let fly angrily at the government on the leaks of telephone taps on his PR agency chief Niiara Radia. The leakages of these private conversations, was very disturbing, he told a television channel and then for good affect also filed a petition to ensure that more leaks did not appear in the press. Clearly therefore his ire was not merely against the leaky government but also against the media and what he called our “banana republic.” Just before this controversy broke, Tata had hinted at being asked for a huge bribe to start an airline.

Around that time, Tata also got into a letter war with businessman-turned MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar who pointed out that Tata was protesting too much and had also benefited from the 2G spectrum policy. Tata hit back soon enough with a letter of his own. It was all quite unusual in the annals of Indian business.

Now comes a joint letter sent by prominent businessmen and women (and a few from other fields too) to the government demanding that the country needs governance and that the endemic corruption must be controlled and stamped out. The context of this letter is clear—the various scams that have made the front pages have disturbed the business class which, one presumes is also mostly at the receiving end of such corruption.

This is a welcome initiative indeed. For some time now there has been a feeling that the government has become preoccupied with scandals and scams and has not devoted enough to time to its primary job, governance. There have been no new reforms for years, no path breaking policies that can propel the economy forward. Instead, we have had hyper inflation and blatant corruption. The mantra of “9 percent growth” has taken a life of its own, as if it will continue on its pre-ordained path without any help or hindrance from anyone. In short, whether the government manages the country well or not, the economy will gallop along nicely, thank you. This as we know is dangerous thinking, since this growth cannot be taken for granted; anything can trip it. The global situation is still uncertain and all kinds of events could overtake us if pro-active measures are not taken. Inflation is a good example—it happened because no there was no thinking about the affects of the weather and supply-side management; the ministers were too busy with cricket and the prime minister too busy managing his wayward flock. So to that extent the letter writers are right.

However, there is something that is bothersome about this activist agenda. Take the case of this latest missive. As businessmen and citizens the petitionists definitely are within their rights to ask questions of the government. But some fairness is in order. Shouldn’t they also be telling their peers that they should not indulge in corruption. After all, for every bribe taker there is a bribe giver. And if bribes are taken for big business deals, it follows that the bribes are given by businessmen to clinch those deals. The revelations of the 2G scam show that inexperienced companies got telecom spectrum licences which they then sold for a huge profit. Was any bribe given, and who gave those bribes? That is a question which businessmen need to address.

Similarly, while there is no question that telephone tapping is worrisome and the leaks in the media even more so, especially for those who innocently were at the other side of a telephone conversation, the nature of what has been revealed makes the whole thing a matter of national interest. Niira Radia was a PR person for two of the country’s biggest corporate houses; one of them got a licence and subsequently a scam was detected in the whole thing. Surely the nation would want to know more about the issue? As for the irresponsible media, getting at secrets is the job of the press. However much the media has become toothless in recent years and too cozy with the establishment and with businessmen, in this case journalists have done a good job; they had no alternative, the story was too big.

So it is difficult to buy into this outrage because it is selective and not fair-minded. If the biggest and most respected names in Indian business can stand up and come up with a code of ethics for themselves and will shun anyone who breaches it, the citizens of this country will doff their collective hats. As things stand now, no one is fully convinced about the sudden activism of Indian big business.

This article is written by Sidharth Bhatia is a senior Indian journalist who has worked in print, broadcast and online media. He is a columnist and regular commentator on current affairs for several leading publications and on national television.

He can be contacted at  sidharth01@gmail.com

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ajit.grewal@gmail.com Jan 24, 2011 Dear Mr Bhatia Clearly the country is not new to corruption. It is my belief that al defence deals carry a 10% charge for the ruling government. whether the party is the one today calling for corruption probes or not. However what bothers me is the following:  - the fact that governments can be influenced by PR advisors. I think Dhirubhai proved to us he could run a parallel government comprised of bureaucrats and ministers for and against the motion. Clearly spectrum can be bought or influenced. I do not believe the PR advisor has the powers to do that without money. so of it is proved that Tatas / Ambanis paid out money for spectrum some unknown 'desh bhakt' who probably made money to leak the tapes - inadvertently did well. However the fact that ministers can be installed or not (by PR advisors - where the PR advisor herself needs the resources (make believe) of the media to get things done appears to be a little far fetched (my belief).  - what is required is honesty in public life. Everyday we listen to spokesman of different parties lying (possibly white lies) thru their teeth to the media and  / or propogating half truths. The media appears to lack analytical skills and accepts these untruths / half truths without any questions and in turn propogates them to an unsuspecting and at times naive public. Or the media itself has an agenda - spokespersons / supporters of a party and so on.  - these same guardians of our nations future refuse to pass laws prohibiting corrupt politicians from holding office or at least investigate them on a fast track. Instead they wish to penalize bureaucrats. I do not hold brief for bureaucrats and this may have a positive fallout (ie the bureaucrat is too scared to do a misdoing and so the minister is rendered impotent). - clearly business men are not above board - but it is sad when such an outrage is made about issues based on some currently inconclusive facts and most certainly currently inconclusive investigation. For example I have a basic question - would you buy a CDMA SIM card and a GSM SIM card simply because there are two forms of telephony available. if not why would a telecom provider wish to pay for two spectrum when they are largely substitutable? I do not have the answers but I would ask questions and find out before making a story. If false information or irrelevant information is propogated because of ignorance or any other reason - that is in my view the worst offence. a balanced discussion and a conclusion - wrong or not is called for. Remember Goebells.
kausix@rediffmail.com Jan 25, 2011 Hi, You seem to be looking up to R Tata. However, from all practical viewpoints, he was just writing about the leakage of tapes to stop further details against him from coming up. His attitude in the Nano plant in WB may also not be up to impartial standards. Clearly, businessmen (not just him) have been playing with politics, although not openly. Also, Tata did not name the minister who asked him for a bribe. And the fact that it happened many years ago does not bring about any solace but to the pointer that possibly says "grapes are sour". The letter against corruption from the likes of Premji and others also surprises me. Corruption is not new to India and who would know this better than the Premjis who have succeeded IN SPITE OF the corruption? Yes, there have been more big scams of late and again, I think the point of writing that letter is to save their own businesses so that their clients don't stop signing deals citing turbulence in governance. These eyewashes are not going to help. Thanks, Kaushik.
raghbirkapoor@yahoo.com Jan 25, 2011 Dear Sir, Your article is an eye openner. Till 1947, India had no system suitable to Indians and their culture. It was made for the English people for thier benefits only. We inherited the same culture after Independence. And whatever is hapenning is due to this only. Now, our people are educated and know what they really want for them. The educated mass wants to improve/change the systems, but with old laws and old thought  is still at the top, change is not possible. Time has come to redine our constitution. Power should be given to you younger generation and not to those who are neasrly in graves. Power should be given to the educated and those who are less than 60 years. No one should be allowed to contest more than two times. Candidates with criminal backgroung or history should not be given chance to stand election. Coaliation govt should not be the way of governance. The no of parties should be reduced to only five.  Govrment should not be businnessmen. Military and polce trainning should be made compusory.
krisham51@rediffmail.com Jan 25, 2011 dear sir, the article was illuminating.you have mentioned that the journalists got cozy with the businessmen and the govt of the day.very true .the media exposes only small scams and that too in most of the cases there is no follow up action.for example if media is really followed up the curious case of Mr.Sukhram caught redhanded with rs 30 million cash in his house , he may not have become minister again. the reason may be that  the media is also controlled by businessmen . In Pune there is blatant misuses of power by corporators,officals etc. and what is the role of Times of india it publishes photos of potholes and after a few days again that these were filled .  as regards the businessmen protesting too much selectively .it is clear they are preparing for a change in Govt in the next elections and odnt want to be seen as too comfortable with this govt

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