Up close and personal with Praful Patel

Praful Patel's never read a speech in his life. During his inspiring tenure as India's civil aviation minister, there was never a file on his desk. Nurtured by two mothers, his well-rounded upbringing reflects in the way he conducts himself. Respected in the political and social circles, the civil aviation revolutionary is known to be everybody's friend. The shy-yet-articulate leader speaks about his focus on sports, his constituency and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the decisions he's taken and the influences that shaped him and his vision for the future.

You are known to be a people's man. Would you attribute it to your well rounded upbringing?
I guess it's the mindset and the conditioning. I remember the way my father used to reach out to people. I think that somewhere subconsciously got embedded in my mind. This quality subconsciously has come from my father. Of course, he passed away when I was only 13. Lakhs of people attended his funeral in Gondiya. When you see so many total strangers shedding tears, it sets your mind ticking and thinking. I also believe if you can't do good for people, let's not harm people. That's what I have also tried to instill in my family and children. It's not so difficult. Happiness comes more from the thought that you can reach out to people and do well for people. That's something which is now in my DNA."

What makes you the darling of the media?
Because of the nature of work we do – be it public life, politics, it does make you a people's man. It makes you visible. Some people like to overpower or stand out in a crowd, I am not like that.

You have excellent oratory skills. Does public speaking come naturally to you?
It reflects one's inner self. Surprisingly, I have never read a speech in my life – whether it's in Parliament or at international forums like the World Economic Forum. It's always been extempore. I have never prepared a speech either. Of course, I know about the subject I am going to speak on. Something comes from within. I had stage fright in school and college. I would never go for debate or elocution contests because I was so stage-shy. The confidence must come from within. You need to have a larger understanding of what's happening – whether it's in the world or in any sphere of activity which we do. You must have a certain knowledge of course; you don't have to master it. Clarity is important. I don't think I am a confused human being. If there's something, I'll have an instant solution in my mind and I'll execute it. I won't keep many things pending forever.

It's said that during your tenure as aviation minister, you had a paperless desk. Is it true?
When I used to be a minister, people used to say, 'You don't have a single file on your table'. I would say, 'Why should I have a file on my table?' I have never kept anything pending beyond the day. I don't remember having a single file pending in my office. And people would say – 'What is happening?' People especially in government hesitate to take decisions. Of course, you have to think right and rationally. After all, a government job is not your own – it touches so many people and so many things. You have to be confident, but you have to have clarity and confidence to take those decisions. What is the bane of our government? People complain about the government not taking decisions.

What advice would you like to give young ministers?
There are a few bright and energetic people in politics and I agree there aren't too many. There are so many youngsters who haven't been ministers yet or got the opportunity. What you do, must be done with utmost care, caution but confidence. If you dilly-dally you'll never be able to do it. What's governance all about? Why do people suddenly acknowledge Narendra Modi? Because there's a confidence that he'll deliver, he'll do something. I am not saying previous governments didn't take decisions. Sometimes you have to appear to be in control. That's what Narendra Modi brings to the table. Only time will tell what'll be the final outcome. People look at a leader and expect. What distinguishes him from others – it's your ability to lead from the front.

How do you see the future of the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party)?
Today this situation has arisen due to the classic hung scenario. BJP has the natural mandate to govern in spite of being short of majority, they are the largest party. When you look at the larger picture, you cannot deny them the right to run the state for the next five years. But having said that, they are falling short of it. We are all in politics. Every political party fights to win. Even if you don't win, you have to fight for relevance. What we are doing is right and it's in the larger interest of the state. For the NCP, this is the time to reflect on what went wrong. We have to make necessary corrections. The important thing is - if it has to survive in the long run, it has to reinvent itself.

For some reason, NCP is not seen as a city-based party. Comment.
We have to understand people's expectations. Unfortunately in Maharashtra, NCP has not been a city-based party but a rural-focused party with more emphasis on agriculture, cooperation and the rural issues of the state. At the same time, it's important to understand that people like us have given the Mumbai airport. People like us have given the sea link. It's not that the party doesn't work for the city. I have been a four time LS MP from the most rural part of Maharashtra – around 1000 km from Mumbai. I live in Mumbai and people think of me as a Mumbaikar or as an urban face but actually I represent the most backward/rural constituency of the state. I am seen as an aviation minister but back home people see me as someone who's brought change in irrigation, agriculture, aquaculture, social forestry, industrialisation of a backward area, bringing rural road connectivity, drinking water and sanitation. Many people don't know that I started my career as the Municipal Council President of Gondiya for seven years before I came to the Lok Sabha. This is my 24th year in the parliament and I spent seven years in municipality. People think that Praful Patel is some social animal in Mumbai because they have seen me in the city.
I have a very strong rural focus on what I do back in my area. We have education in the most remote district of Maharashtra where 110,000 students are studying in an institution set up by my family. This is not for profit and we don't get any major contribution from anyone. It's promoted and supported by our family.

You and your wife Varsha have given a new lease of life to village weavers. Elaborate on that.
Our area has got a lot of traditional weavers and we have Kosa silk and production is local. Weaving industry was going down there and we are trying our best to revive that. Varsha gets sourcing stuff from there and sells it in Mumbai and of course not for profit – but to get people employed and recognised. People who do fabric and textile business are sourcing from there. It's not just about a few hundreds. There are thousands of weavers, who have been traditionally doing that. On my own also, I have been trying to work with the Government of India, the textile ministry and trying to get more and more work. The once dying industry is now thriving there.

How did you manage to nip naxalism in your constituency?
Naxalism grows because nobody looks after those places. I can tell you every village is well connected by road; every village is electrified and not just for namesake. Every village has a school and a good school. Within the vicinity of three to four villages, you have a primary health centre. They have access to good college education in the vicinity. All the primary teachers come from the same area. You have created local employment within the system. Thousands of jobs are created. They don't feel lost out and their economic well being is taken care of. All the crop that is produced is purchased by tribal development corporation so there is no exploitation. There's nothing which people normally associate with the backward area. There is a lot of change and improvement which has taken place. In fact, now it's not local naxalism, it's in the state beyond us – the adjacent state Chhattisgarh has some activity.

How challenging was it to transform the face of aviation?
"I am proud of the fact that within five years, we transformed the entire aviation landscape of India. All the airports happened within a time frame. It's not that something is happening in 20-30 years. Within five years, we could get all the airports of India moving and transformed to world class standards. In 2004, when I came, I felt that I had just come back from Pakistan and I thought, my God the airports of Pakistan are looking far better than the airports of India. It was my job and I took the opportunity with an intention to transform. Even in small cities and towns, the airports are completely transformed."
"It was the beginning of a process which I hope people will take it further. Navi Mumbai was approved during my time and I hope all these things see the light of the day. Till 2002, the average Indian felt he could afford to fly. The choice wasn't there, the affordability wasn't there, and the connectivity wasn't there. Between Mumbai and Delhi there are 18 flights a day. I remember there used to be one morning and one evening flight. See the number of people who travel abroad now. Very middle class, salaried people who you'd never think go abroad. Today people go to Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong. I am talking about average middle class people. It's not the question of rich people. It'll always grow. Once you facilitate it, it'll grow."

India is a cricket obsessed country. How do you see the future of sports like football and hockey?
Indian sports need complete transformation. We see a lot of excitement about cricket but it's time we move to the next level of sports and we change from being one-sport loving nation to multi-discipline. It's ironical that in England where the sport was born it's no longer the number one sport; in fact it is number three. In Australia and South Africa, again it's not the number one. Cricket is a great sport but limited to a handful of countries. I have very fond memories of football and hockey. Whenever I got a chance to do anything, I'd rather go to any of these two. I felt football is truly the most global sport – not even hockey or cricket. As a result, I became the president of Maharashtra Football Association."
We need to crack the whip and change the entire game. It's a tough job. Most people criticise without realising how difficult it is. Rankings are low but they can't be corrected overnight. It's not just you bring two good coaches or physical instructors to change. You have to create a new generation of footballers from childhood. In India, our footballer would probably not last the entire game like an average footballer from better playing nations. That's why we have to develop our kids from the grassroots. We have six regional academies which are building up these talents which we have scouted from remote corners of the country. We have 150 kids with us now – we'll take them through the years through education, food and lodging. The main thing is to focus on their football. They are kids, they have to be trained and educated too. That's why we pitched for the world cup under-17. After that, we'll go to world cup under-20 so same kids will transition. By the time they are 23-24, we'll think of entering the World Cup. That is the thought."

How has been the response to the ISL?
We started ISL – Indian Super League, thanks to our association with IMG and Reliance especially after Nita Ambani took personal interest in that. It took over three years. We didn't have infrastructure and we had so many issues to be resolved. Finally we see the Indian Super League which is a great success. The average attendance in the stadium is 23,000 vs. 29,000 for the IPL. The TRP of football is almost 50 per cent of IPL. It's very early- only four to five weeks old. The next five weeks is going to be the real excitement. Now the buildup is starting. People feel why should the international footballers come? How else do you attract people to the game? Our kids watch international tournaments. Indian players are also getting the rub-off effect the benefit of playing with international players. Over the period of time, we'll create our own icons. As the national team starts doing better, then they'll get recognition and whole country will start following them. We were champions in the 50s. It's ironical that the only time India got an entry into the world cup was 1950 where we withdrew the team because we wanted to play without shoes. I acknowledge that Indian football has a long way to go but I'm trying my best in every way and I have a lot of passion for it. The world football fraternity, esp. FIFA has acknowledged the fundamental changes happening in India. The results will be seen in the next three to five years.

What's your message to young politicians?
Two things you have to be sure of – what's your sense of purpose and soundness of knowledge and confidence. These three things you have to develop. This has to come in your personality, no matter what you do. You have to have some ambition in you. There has to be a fire in your system. Nothing will drive you otherwise. Anything you do has to be driven by a sense of purpose. There's no short cut and it can't be half hearted. Either it's good or bad. There's no grey. I am a perfectionist. Everybody has to do and perform one's duty. Why people lose faith in politicians? There's compromise, there's shoddiness and no efficiency. Both ways people feel suffocated. There are red tape issues on one side and the other side the end product is shoddy. One must bring in perfection. You are paying top dollar to get work done. You are not paying top dollar to compromise. We need to have a sense of purpose, a driving ambition, sense of knowledge and at the end of the day perfection.