MS Dhoni, Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi: Which leader has a better strategic plan?

How did Yudhishtira become the ‘dyoot’ of King Virata after messing up the only big game till then? Why was he made the Emperor when Bheem and Arjun were the ones who had done the heavy lifting during the war? Questions which used to bother me as a pre-teen could be answered satisfactorily only a few decades later when the importance of a Strategic Plan for a leader became clear. Yudhishtira utilised the exile period masterfully, acquiring greater knowledge himself and making sure that his brothers obtained special weapons and boons which were to come in handy later. Equally important, under his leadership, the Pandavas made many powerful friends and allies in preparation for the war which was to come, marking him out as a master strategist.

Cut to today. Which of our contemporary ‘leaders’ have exhibited a grasp of ‘strategy’ as may be deduced from their actions? Let us examine a few here: MS Dhoni, Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.  

MS Dhoni can’t be blamed if he seems to have made money the basis of his long term strategy. That is the way the game of cricket has evolved in the last 30 odd years. Purists may tear their hair out at the ugly reverse sweep or the paying public’s marked preference for movie-length matches but ringing cash registers drown out all such voices. Once the primacy of the cash register is accepted as a legitimate goal, it is easy to understand the meek surrender in Australia in Test matches on a long tour. The team needed to peak in time, there was little reason to really get the adrenalin pumping for five unrewarding days, multiple times in unending months. If some fuddy-duddies were aghast, so be it.  And he almost pulled it off; a wonderful run in the World Cup up to the semis was enough to induce nation-wide amnesia about the previous months. A couple of more good days in office and every player of the squad could have dined out on the effort for another 30 years like the ’83 lot have been doing. That is strategic thinking of the best quality.

Narendra Modi’s 11-month record offers a study in contrast. The sure-footedness seen on the foreign policy front is nothing short of astonishing. All the neighbours (except Pakistan) and all the major powers are on board as Modi embarks on his mission to re-shape Indian Foreign Policy. With Pakistan too, there appears to be cold calculation behind all the moves: do enough to maintain the façade of some engagement, just sufficient to keep the western powers from becoming edgy. Two non-engaged nuclear neighbours make them very nervous. So be it.  Each minor concession (some restrictions on Hafiz Saeed’s bank accounts) extracted as if from stone is met with an equally miniscule step forward (The Foreign Secretary's overnight halt in Islamabad and a brief talk about talks). Meanwhile, defence preparedness has been fast-tracked as never before. USA, France, Israel, Australia, Canada have been roped in to inject some steroid into our defence muscle. A strategic plan seems to be unfolding. Three years of a build up like this and India may have absolute,  total, overwhelming superiority in arms over Pakistan. That may be the time for serious talks. On India’s terms. Strike one for strategic thinking.

The BJP government’s moves on financial matters have been equally deft and also display a strong strategic underpinning. ‘Make in India’ will open up job prospects for the huge numbers entering the job market. ‘Smart Cities’ will give many foreign and Indian companies a stake in the India story. This, coming on top of the benevolence of some Oil Gods, has got the financial make-over story off  to a good start. Those who were looking for the answer to ‘how much tax will I save’ in the budget, found only scraps, but there were many baby steps on things like Swachh Bharat or pensions, all aimed at making India a far better place, in financial terms as much as in terms of  health and hygiene or old age security. Those who see a pattern in these and the many policy tweaks, can probably visualise a lavish spread two-three years down the road if the monsoons do not play truant. Strike two.

The one discordant note in the Modi government’s ‘strategic’ record has been the voices of intolerance from the fringe and the lack of strong condemnation from Modi, which bothers the chateratti no end. If one assumes that a person who demonstrates deep strategic grasp in two areas cannot be ‘strategy-challenged’ in the third, then some explanation is warranted. Three scenarios suggest themselves. a) This too is part of Modi’s strategic plan for India. It ought not to be, since it was not a part of the ‘development’ dream Modi pitched to voters, but politicians have been known to fudge. If it is really a part of some extreme fundamentalist plan, it would spell trouble for the tolerant, liberal India that many of us have got used to. b) Modi, while uncomfortable with the fringe, as of now, does not feel strong enough to challenge the extreme right, which seems to think, not without some basis, that it got him the mandate and it was pay-back time. c) The most interesting possibility of all, Modi is biding his time here, just as in Foreign Policy. If his vision, as imagined in the earlier two paragraphs plays out, Modi will not need the extreme right three years from now, while the extreme right will still need him, and very much so. They do not want to go back to the life without Modi that they endured for 60-odd years.

Let us go back to Yudhishtira and ‘dyoot’ before we come to Rahul Gandhi. The disastrous loss of kingdom had plunged Yudhishtira into grief, but he overcame it soon enough while in exile. He critically examined his weaknesses, took lessons in the art and science of dice play called ‘akshahridaya’ from the acknowledged master of the day, Sage Brihadvasa. That is how he got the key job in King Virata’s court. 

Rahul Gandhi’s administrative talents are yet a mystery, his political record is poor and his parliamentary track record for his party does not go beyond a couple of ritualistic interventions on behalf of the disadvantaged. There is thus a complete lack of material for attributing any strategic thinking abilities to him. If, however, it turns out that Rahul Gandhi too, after the electoral disasters under his watch, really took time off to introspect, analyse his weaknesses and learn the art of politics under some modern day political sage, all may not yet be lost for him and the Congress. But if he just went skiing instead, it may all be downhill from here.

The author is a news junkie who also happens to be a lyricist, scriptwriter, TV Producer, engineer and manager.