HVK Archives: Indian lobbying comes of age
Indian lobbying comes of age - The Indian Express
Chidanand Rajghatta
()
6 September 1997
Title: Indian lobbying comes of age
Author: Chidanand Rajghatta
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: September 6, 1997
London has its literati and Paris its designers. New York has its brokers,
San Francisco its flower children. Even Chicago has its architects. But
Washington? Washington has its... lobbyists. Dark-suited oily sheikhs who
smile strictly with their mouths and talk power in a whisper that bespeaks
not just the flutter of greenbacks but the electronic beep of money
transfer in millions.
In this town of silky schmoozers, India has always been a marginal player.
A country of borderline interest which has never bought the guns and planes
made in such profusion by the merchants of death. Or allowed US big
business to skim profits out of its turgid economy. For years, India did
not even employ a lobbying firm in the US, until it contracted one for the
first time m 1993 (it employs two today). India? Isn't that where the
Beatles repaired for inspiration and where Mother Teresa lives?
But all that could be changing. With the economic reforms and the markets
opening up, India is
beginning to stir the interest of lobby animals. Giant contracts in
aviation, telecommunications, power and petrochemicals signal big
investment and big returns for US multinationals. Like alert hounds at the
sound of distant chimes, they are beginning to perk up. "Say, what do you
think is the length of highways in India?" one lobbyist asked loudly on the
Hill the other day. The bright young politico who took a shot at answering
him was the staffer of a Congressman interested in the Bangalore-Mysore
Expressway.
In Washington, the dividing line between the lobbyist and the politician is
very thin. Yesterday's Congressman or ambassador is today's lobbyist and
yesterdays Hill staffer is today's liaison man.
Charlie Wilson, a Congressman who for years pushed for US support to
Pakistan and who retired last year, is today waiting for a mandatory
one-year lay off period to pass before he becomes a full time lobbyist for
Islamabad.
Nothing demonstrates the concept of lobbying and how New Delhi is handling
it better than the results on Thursday of an annual legislative manoeuvre
that is fast becoming a benchmark for India's growing stature in
Washington. Each year, a small band of Congressmen led by Republican Dan
Burton proposes an amendment to cut US development aid to India for its
alleged human rights abuses.
The Congressmen are guided by little more than basic (some would say base)
political instincts: what's in it for them; how much money flows into their
campaign; and occasionally, constituent interests.
For instance, Burton's gesture of moving the amendment is guided in large
part by the contributions that separatist Khalistanis and Kashmiris make to
his election kit.
That his concern for human rights is only skin deep is evident from the
fact that in a similar situation in Turkey, he defends the Turkish
government's excesses against militants there. Similarly, Wally Herger,
another California Congressman who supports the aid cut move, is guided by
the many votes of the Khalistani separatists in his Congressional district.
The Indians have been quick to cotton on to the game. If a Wally Herger
can be sensitive to the lobbying of his constituents, there are any number
of Congressional districts in the US with significant Indian population.
And so over the last three years, the Indian embassy has painstakingly
compiled a profile of districts with significant Indian population and
influential Indians.
As a result, more and more Congressmen have begun to hear from their Indian
constituents - on the phone, in person, and by e-mail. And on occasions,
even in the form of a handsome campaign cheque. Some Congressmen, like New
Jersey's Frank Pallone, have clearly become sensitised to their Indian
constituents. Pallone now co-chairs an India Caucus on the Hill which has
some 85 members. Many of the members come from Congressional districts that
has significant or influential and wealthy Indian patrons. Others come from
areas with industries with business interest in India.
Indians have also realised that their burgeoning economy is an attractive
bait and are playing it to the hilt in a game they appear to have picked up
from the Chinese. Thus, each year before a big vote on the Hill, dozens of
Congressmen receive letters from powerful corporations like Boeing and
General Electric asking them to support India. (Doubtless, there will also
be pay back time, if the 'courtesy call' by Assistant Secretary Karl
Inderfurth on the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanti Natarajan in
New Delhi is any indication).
More and more, Indians are also encouraging lawmakers to visit India and
see not only the business opportunities, but also the political and human
rights situation for themselves. All that is beginning to pay off. In
Thursdays vote, an overwhelming 342 legislators voted against the Burton
amendment - a record that impressed even the most cynical lobbyist. The
Indian vote was the buzz in many lobbying firms and evening hangouts on the
Hill. Some two dozen lawmakers made speeches praising India's democratic
setup and its efforts to improve its human rights record while reflecting
on the business opportunity India provided to the US economy.
Moaned Gurmit Singh Aulakh, the principal Khalistani propagandist in the
US: "As Amnesty said, trade trumps torture every time." While that may be
only partly true (after all, 82 Congressmen voted for the amendment), the
Indian side is also quickly leaning the virtues of transparency and
honesty. Significantly, almost every Congressman who spoke for India said
New Delhi did have human rights problems and was admitting as such. But it
also had redressal forums in the form of an active judiciary, a dynamic
press and an alert NGO community. Many thoughtful lawmakers were impressed
by this argument. The final vote margin of 342-82 was beyond the
expectations of the Indian lobby.
The question that arises now is that having made such good headway into the
US legislature and the political system, what should be India's next step.
Analysts say most Congressmen expect nothing more than India to play by the
rules when it opens up its economy to international competition. Many of
them are also genuinely impressed by the Indian white collar work force.
"For many lawmakers, the golden jubilee is a period for the discovery of
India," one legislative aide said.
But it's not just the Independence fete. The end of the Cold War,
unchaining economy, and the new found voice of the Indian-American
community in the US (whoever speaks of the brain drain these days?) has all
combined to provide New Delhi with a terrific opportunity to reassess its
strategic options. Way to go, as the Americans say.
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