Stirred by Anna,IIM-A prof drifted to SP

“When I was teaching at IIM-A,I had the feeling of restlessness because of the way things were going on in the country. I want to create equality of opportunity and access. Since Legislature is the most

powerful pillar of democracy and the best way to leave an impact,I decided to join politics,” Mishra,34,told The Indian Express over phone from Lucknow.

Mishra,who joined IIM-A in 2005 and was teaching business policy,quit the premier management institute of the country two months ago to join politics. He had earned his doctorate degree in strategy and marketing from University of Cambridge in 2005.

The anti-corruption movement launched by social activist Anna Hazare in April this year was a tipping point for Mishra. “Since my school days,I had been reading autobiographies of Stalin,Hitler,Gandhi,Kennedy and other world leaders. So,the idea was always there. But I made up my mind after Anna Hazare’s movement,” Mishra,who originally hails from a village near Varanasi in UP,said.

Asked as to why this change all of sudden,Mishra,who never involved himself in politics even at the university level,said,“I thought my time had come. People stopped teaching their children statecraft 30 years ago for reasons I don’t know. People in all big empires like the Greek and Mughal and nations like England taught their children statecraft. But today,parents want their children to become doctors,IPS officers or work for NGOs but not a politician.”

“I want to make a difference. My entry into politics will hopefully set a trend,” he said.

Mishra said his decision to join the SP was as dramatic as quitting the academic profession. “(After leaving IIM-A),I had no idea what I was going to do. But Akhilesh Yadav (chief of SP’s UP unit and son of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) impressed me much and the ideology of the party attracted me,” Mishra said.

The SP announced Mishra as its candidate from Lucknow (north) Assembly seat on Saturday “and that was the day I formally joined the party,” the former professor said.

Mishra said his immediate agenda will be to create employment opportunities in the state and facilitate value addition to produce at local level.

“Sugarcane growers sell their produce at Rs 180 per quintal to a mill 30 km away. The same mill would sell sugar at Rs 1,800 per quintal. Why should something not be done to reduce this gap?” he asked.