Rising above petty politics

Jairam Ramesh’s penchant for letting a clever turn of phrase overrule his political judgment is well-known. His recent needling of the security establishment on its paranoia vis-a-vis China pales in comparison with his most famous gaffe: “People who saw her (Sonia) as a ticket to nirvana now see her as a ticket to naraka”. (An indictment not of her but the people who sought to use her, as he later clarified).

How does he get away with indiscretions that would have pole-axed any other politician and continue to survive, even thrive? Possibly because he’s shown that while his tongue may gallop hither and thither, his heart remains firmly in the right place, with the aam aadmi.

If Jairam’s performance is weighed in the balance of public good, he’s been a first-rate minister: fearless, independent, rational, not afraid to make a mistake and willing to course correct when he does. One could argue that every decision he has taken is solidly rooted in environment law and the principles of natural justice.

His stand on the controversial Maheshwar dam case, for instance, can hardly be faulted. The Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited promoted by the S Kumar group, had failed in its obligation to resettle and rehabilitate the families displaced by the dam across the river Narmada at Maheshwar.

The work of R&R (resettlement and rehabilitation) was to continue apace with the work on the dam. The latter has been completed to the extent of 90%, the former not even 5%. There were several other shortcomings on the part of the company. A showcause notice was issued and no satisfactory response received.

To the environment ministry’s credit, it put the brakes on the project. That two senior Congressmen subsequently lobbied with the prime minister to lift the ban, is a different story.

Jairam’s finest hour was his courageous decision to impose a moratorium on the introduction of Bt brinjal. Courageous, because of the enormous pressures he faced from seniors in the Union Cabinet, the Planning Commission and vastly influential corporate lobbies backed by the US government.

He may have been persuaded by negative feedback in the course of the public hearings he held across the country, or by the strong opposition of state governments to the Bt beej, or by media reports on the lack of transparency in safety trials. There could well have been other reasons, not publicly disclosed.

The relevant fact is that he chose to respect public opinion in the face of harsh public criticism from his own colleagues and a section of scientists.

Jairam may eventually be bypassed if the draconian National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority (NBRA) Bill is passed, but he has at least shown multi-national seed giants that they cannot bend India to their will, no matter how many ministers they have in their pockets.

Jairam has never been chary of taking on party heavyweights. Congress-watchers may argue that in locking horns with surface transport minister Kamal Nath, he was paying off old scores. The fact is that he was right in pointing out that the National Highway Authority’s reforestation record is poor.

And in refusing to allow felling of forests to construct NH7 or highways across the Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary and the Pench tiger reserve, he’s merely doing his job.

His intervention in the notorious Vedanta university case has won him a following in Orissa. He correctly pointed out that the state government was proposing to allot land in Puri to the Anil Aggarwal Foundation, promoted by Sterlite Industries, which had no experience of running educational institutions and was, moreover, a private NRI venture. He withdrew its coastal regional zone clearance pending an appraisal by an expert committee in view of ‘irregularities, illegal and unethical and unlawful deeds’ by the foundation.

At Copenhagen, Jairam rose above narrow regional concerns to take the lead in promising to scale down GHG emissions. In a letter to the prime minister, he had already pointed out this was in India’s own interests. Besides, by delinking from Kyoto and G-77, pressure could be brought to bear on the US to come on board. If the BJP failed to appreciate the principle of vasudhaiv kutumbakkam “the universe is one”, Jairam certainly did not!

Mediapersons who have followed Jairam through his various avatars — technocrat, columnist, TV host, minor party functionary and election strategist — must admit he’s a natural-born newsmaker. Unconventional, infuriating, even annoying, but never boring.

Jairam may make the occasional mad gesture, like strolling across the border into Pakistan (“You are going for morning walk?” scolded Pranab Mukherjee), but he remains that rare phenomenon — a politician who has risen above politics, to bat for the people.