Daily Times

Nations get the prime ministers and presidents they deserve. It is time to scan the kind of prime minister that India needs to conquer the challenges of the 21st century, and delineate the vision, values, principles and qualities he must possess. A man with no principles, or the wrong principles, cannot make a good Prime Minister (PM). The PM must be a person of absolute personal and public integrity, devoid of any financial peccadillo. The PM must zealously guard his standards of conduct in public life.
Freedom encompasses the rights to vote, speak, write, dissent and act according to one’s conscience. It requires unhindered access to information. The PM must genuinely believe in and foster the freedom of the citizens and the media. The PM must have genuine concern for human life, irrespective of financial and religious backgrounds. He must be secular so that all religions coexist harmoniously. A PM who knows not what he wishes to achieve, will achieve nothing. He must have a clear vision for a new India. His vision must encompass the resolution of domestic problems and also India’s global role. The vision has to be laudable but also achievable if it is to be credible. Before assuming office, the PM should make a clear mission statement to indicate the direction in which he will propel the country. He should adumbrate his strategy to translate the mission into reality.
The PM should translate his vision into an agenda. He must be subject to an annual review of these goals. The PM should have a maximum tenure of two terms, i.e. 10 years. Protracted stay can make him a prisoner in the hands of his advisors. An ambitious PM could wilfully smother men of talent who could pose a threat to him. However, a limited tenure could compel him to build a second line of leadership. The PM India needs must be able to prioritise sharply. A plethora of challenges confront India such as achieving high growth rates, unemployment, casteism, feudalism, religious bigotry and building urban/rural infrastructure. The PM should set himself 10 vital goals and pursue them relentlessly. He must be singleminded in his pursuit. Technology, electronics, computerisation and communications are the pillars of a successful future nation state. The PM must be a radical thinker with an open mind.
The PM need not be an expert in nuclear physics or computers but he must know what these sciences can deliver. He must ask the right questions of experts, and have the discriminating judgment to sift good advice from bad. The PM must have the ability to deal with the unexpected and also create the unexpected. He must bridge the psychological rural-urban hiatus, for almost 70 percent of India still lives in the rural areas. History reveres a PM if he shapes events in the manner he wants. The PM must make his mark by proactively moulding events. He must possess extraordinary courage, will and firmness. He should deal sternly with law and order problems, terrorism and demands for secession.
Above all, the PM will have to be a great leader of men. It is sad but true that leaders frequently get elected on the basis of caste, creed and family background rather than merit, ability to govern and economic pragmatism. Now the PM must have the technical and managerial skills to govern and lead. He must be both a thinker and a doer. He must have the vision for a new India but his feet must be firmly planted on the ground. He must possess stamina, a cool head, ability to withstand stress and should deliver under pressure. He must be acutely conscious of his limitations to select his advisors prudently. He must shape events proactively.
India needs a man of outstanding integrity, ability and talent as PM if the country is going to face the 21st century. For the right prime minister, the job offers great challenges and equally momentous opportunities. India anxiously awaits him.

The author has worked for Unilever in Asia, Latin America and Africa. A Sir Dorabji Tata Scholar, he has authored a book, Agenda for a New India