Do You Know These People?

THE first rung of the power ladder? An acknow-ledgement of future possibilities? A satellite for a star? Or just a pacifier for someone taking baby steps in governance?

8226; WHO8217;S HE: SHRIPADY NAYAK, 51 The party8217;s 8216;young8217; face from Goa 8226; IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP 8226; BEEN THERE: As MoS for Finance Revenue for two months 8226; BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;In the two months since I have been here, revenue collections have been much more compared to the same period last year8230; That may be a coincidence, but the two other major achievements are the computerisation of the revenue department and the refund of Rs 20,000 crore.8217;8217; 8226; WHO8217;S HE: SATYABRATA MOOKHERJEE, 71 A well-known lawyer from Kolkata 8226; IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP 8226; BEEN THERE: Mos at Commerce and Industry, among other departments 8226; BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;Signing the Merkauar agreement was a big achievement. Launching of our own space shuttle from Sriharikota and the spacecraft launch from the French Guyana were also very important moments.8217;8217; 8226; WHO8217;S HE: ANNASAHEB M K PATIL, 64 The odd one out. The technocrat with a mission 8226; IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP 8226; BEEN THERE: As MoS, Rural Development Ministry 8226; BIG MOMENT:8216;8216;The biggest change is in the way the ministry distributes funds. Now the central funds go straight to the panchayats, not to the state governments.8217;8217;

The minister of state is probably all of these, and then some. The BJP-led NDA government has them in all shapes and sizes, deep in the recesses of anonymity, till, as in the case of the hapless Dilip Singh Judeo 8212; minister of state for environment till last week 8212; shock and scandal make them famous.

So lonely and forlorn is the lot of an MoS that when The Sunday Express tried to contact the minister of state for health, even senior burueacrats in the Health Ministry didn8217;t have a clue as to his phone number and to how he spent his day. For the record, he8217;s called A Raja.

To many political observers 8216;8216;minister of state8217;8217; is a catch-all phrase for a purposeless sinecure. From novice MPs to five-time veterans, from religious housewives to US-returned technocrats and hard-core politicians, the job description 8212; if the word 8216;8216;job8217;8217; be used only very loosely 8212; it seems can accommodate just about anyone.

So what does it take to be an MoS? 8216;8216;Sincerity and clean image,8217;8217; if Shripad Y Nayak, the young BJP MP from Goa and MoS for finance revenue is to be believed. Touching faith, given his predecessor Gingee Ramachandran left office under a cloud 8212; his personal assistant was accused of taking bribes to get Revenue Service officers postings of their choice. That was when the prime minister decided to anoint Nayak with the MoS for finance title.

But Nayak was no stranger to the corridors of power. A first-time MP, Nayak has ministry-hopped like few others in the past five years, serving as MoS in the agriculture, civil aviation, surface transport, port and shipping ministries, apart from finance.

Quite an achievement, considering even a veteran like Sumitra Mahajan 8212; first voted to the Lok Sabha in 1989 and then sent back in every successive election 8212; hasn8217;t seen the inside of more than three ministries as MoS: HRD, Telecom and now Petroleum and Natural Gas.

As of now, though, Mahajan admits her priority is neither petroleum nor gas, it is the upcoming election in Madhya Pradesh. 8216;8216;I told my minister Ram Naik I would devote more time to the ministry once I return from the campaign,8217;8217; says this Indore housewife-turned-politico.

Even when Mahajan is in her seat, her focus rarely shifts from Madhya Pradesh. Her pet projects include the Bina refinery and the cold bed methane programme in MP. Ask her to list the three major achievements of the Petroleum ministry during her tenure, and pat comes the answer: 8216;8216;The launch of work in the Bina refinery, the launching of the five-kg LPG cylinder in Ujjain and Jabalpur and the Indore-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline project.8217;8217; Minister of one particular state?

For too many MoS, it would seem, the perceived power and pelf of the position is best actualised in their own constituencies. Take Chaman Lal Gupta, who could happily parenthesise J038;K after his MoS, Defence designation. Tucked away in an office near the Army8217;s directorate-general of military operations, Gupta is clued into every move the military makes in his home state.

He tries to pitch in whenever possible, and hopes to get due credit. But in a ministry run by George Fernandes, a minister with neither independent charge nor influence can hope to make little impact.

In his South Block office, a hardcover edition of Critical Mass sharing shelf-space with a series on Indian Defence Products. Gupta spends his time making frequent trips to his home state and glancing through the few files that find their way to his table. Northern Army commander Lt-Gen Hari Prasad drops in at times to brief the minister; Gupta lives for these moments. They make him feel oh so important.

TO fill the long empty hours, Gupta could do well to fall back on colleague Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav8217;s mantra. The MoS for Agriculture has a simple method to stave off frustration. 8216;8216;I have taught myself to work within the confines of my allotted duties,8217;8217; says the senior politician who first made his mark during the JP movement in Bihar.

8216;8216;When I do not have expectations, how can I suffer frustration? Also, I get so much respect from all the Cabinet ministers I have worked with, there is no need to feel bad about the lack of work.8217;8217; Disguised unemployment almost sounds divine.

In Krishi Bhawan, Yadav8217;s claim to fame is that he greets his visitors with coconut water and fruit juices instead of the customary cup of tea. The only time he is called for meetings is when the Cabinet minister is being briefed on Parliament questions. Yadav is grateful for these windows: 8216;8216;If the minister wanted, he could have kept me out of this too.8217;8217;

Yadav may be all karmic resignation but MoS Finance Banking and Insurance Anandrao Adsul, a Shiv Sena MP from Maharashtra, denies outright that ministers of state have only a fringe role to play. 8216;8216;All appointments right upto executive directors, chairmen, managing directors of banks go through me,8217;8217; he insists.

8216;8216;With my background in cooperative banking, I have managed to get the government to agree to a few policies for this sector. Over the past 15 months, I have called meetings of chiefs of all 29 PSU banks at least thrice.8217;8217;

For all his bluster, the insecurities show. 8216;8216;We are not involved in the Budget, and that rankles. Even joint secretary-level officials are involved, while we who have taken the oath of secrecy are kept out,8217;8217; Adsul grumbles.

Same job, different strategy? Bhavna Chikalia would agree. The Gujarat behn mouths the 8216;8216;party worker8217;8217; line with fervour. 8216;8216;I would like to fulfill every task my party gives me with sincerity and responsibility,8217;8217; gushes the MoS, Tourism and Parliamentary Affairs. She lives completely in the shadow of the exacting Jagmohan and the demanding Sushma Swaraj, but Chikalia is not complaining.

8216;8216;The day after my appointment as MoS Tourism, I decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel and set up a sound and light show at Somnath,8217;8217; she says proudly. 8216;8216;And as MoS Parliamentary Affairs, perhaps my biggest achievement was never allowing Parliament to adjourn for lack of quorum.8217;8217;

She could find inspiration in Satyabrata Mookherjee, a former additional solicitor-general, who refuses to let designations come in the way of work. With departments like Atomic Energy and Space and ministries like Planning, Statistics and Programme Implementation, and Commerce and Industry on his platter, Mookherjee confesses he simply has no space for more.

8216;8216;Space and Atomic Energy do not require too much intervention from their political masters since they are professionally run organisations, but just being part of a few momentous events for the country gives a great sense of achievement,8217;8217; says the first-time MP. At the Commerce Ministry, Mookherjee is in charge of the African free trade area and West Guyana. The rest of the world is, presumably, looked after by Cabinet minister Arun Jaitley.

But Mookherjee has rea-ched his own conclusions: 8216;8216;It depends on your ability to contribute, you could make a difference in very small ways that are important.8217;8217;

WORDS after the heart of Annasaheb M K Patil, who as MoS Rural Development, also finds his days pleasantly and constructively full. Apart from his charter, the one idea that drives him is introducing the country to ethanol and bio-diesel. In fact, thanks to his efforts, the Rural Development Ministry 8212; not the Petroleum Ministry 8212; is now the nodal agency for ethanol.

Not surprisingly perhaps, his resume is as unconventional as his ideas. Patil boasts of a Master8217;s degree in Chemical Engineering from Lousiana State University, and long stints as consulting engineer and sugar technologist.

The subjects he handles in the ministry include drinking water, panchayati raj and training, wasteland development, land reforms and rural water and sanitation. Insignificant? Patil doesn8217;t think so. 8216;8216;These subjects require study, coordination and deep thought. If someone is to do this seriously, it is quite a handful,8217;8217; he says.

Perhaps the best known MoS in his government are the duo in the Ministry of External Affairs. The first is Vinod Khanna, better known for being a movie star than for the no doubt sterling work he done in handling East Asia but without China and Japan, South-East Asia, West Asia, North Africa, Passport and Visas, NRIs, Legal Treaties and the Foreign Services Institute.

Unimpressed by the details? You probably have reason to be. Simply put, Khanna is the MEA8217;s 8216;8216;poster boy8217;8217;, the smiling, charming face for inconsequential events and protocol duties. If diplomacy is a film, he8217;s the item number.

His colleague Digvijay Singh, the other MoS in the MEA, takes himself far more seriously. With a remit that runs from West Europe except France, UK and Germany to Central Europe except Russia to Latin America, Digvijay is a great traveller. Foreign secretary designate Shashank should know. He travelled with Digvijay to South America in 2002.

From the high point of being the minister-in-waiting for Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf for the Agra Summit to committing a faux pas in Parliament in February 2003 by saying that Portugal was willing to extradite Abu Salem, Digvijay has a reputation for being a trifle importunate.

His detractors snort that the MP from Banka sees foreign policy as an extension of caste politics and hasn8217;t really outgrown his Jawaharlal Nehru University world view.

Thank goodness he has so little to do. Being an MoS has its uses, it keeps difficult children out of harm8217;s way.

With Navika Kumar, Saikat Datta, Santanu Ghosh, Shishir Gupta, Sonu Jain and Vrinda Gopinath

At Home With Advani

WHO8217;S HE: I D SWAMI, 74

Arguably the most visible and quoted MoS in the current ministry

IT8217;S MY PARTY:BJP

BEEN THERE: As MoS, Home

BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;I enjoy being in a position to help people in my constituency and in the country.8217;8217;

DOES a ministry headed by 8216;iron man8217; Advani really need three MoS? Yes, say the three. They clear files, answer Parliamentary questions on issues related to their allocated departments, and even take decisions, though the final veto power rests with the Deputy Prime Minister.

The lion8217;s share of the MoS work goes to Swami, who handles J038;K, internal security, police, Centre-state relations, human rights, judicial affairs, policy planning and administration. 8216;8216;I can take decisions in all these areas,8217;8217; says the former Punjab state civil services officer. 8216;8216;On a sensitive issue, though, I myself submit the file to the DPM.8217;8217;

WHO8217;S HE: HARIN PATHAK, 56

A man of the masses 8212; and of the DPM

IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP

BEEN THERE: As MoS

BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;I am fully satisfied with my work as MoS. Most satisfying was clearing the restructuring of 15,000 Central Secretariat Service employees of the DoPT. Hundreds of them expressed gratitude.8217;8217;

IN charge of Foreigners, Union Territories and Personnel and Training, Pathak makes no bones about his close association with Advani. 8216;8216;I am so happy to be working in the Home ministry, particularly under Advaniji8217;s guidance,8217;8217; he gushes. 8216;8216;I do take decisions, though they are generally cleared by the Home Minister. But I have never had a problem with that, not even during my stint as MoS in the Ministry of Defence.8217;8217;

WHO8217;S HE: SWAMI CHINMAYANAND SARASWATI, 56

Unabashedly a hardliner, his loyalty has been rewarded with sensitive charges

IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP

BEEN THERE: AS MoS, Home Ministry

BIG MOMENT: Joining the government. 8216;8216;If my joining the Council of Ministers gives a boost to Hindutva, my joining the government would be fruitful.8217;8217;

CHINMAYANAND8217;S entry into the Home Ministry raised quite a few eyebrows in the background of Ayodhya. His hardline views 8212; as also his charity work in Uttar Pradesh 8212; was well known, and made for an unlikely resume for a minister in the Home Ministry. But he made all the right noises after taking over. 8216;8216;By joining the government I would get the opportunity to work under Advaniji and will willingly shoulder the responsibility to meet the challenges to internal security and the proxy war,8217;8217; he had said.

Bhavna Vij-Aurora

A Study in Saffron

WHO8217;S HE: Sanjay Paswan, 41

The Dalit messiah takes a break

IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP

BEEN THERE:As MoS for Elementary Education, HRD Ministry

BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;Chairing several UNESCO sessions.8217;8217; But he wasn8217;t around for the grand finale. Senior Minister Joshi filled in for him

SOON after he was reprimanded for pledging to help miracle workers and those engaged in witchcraft, Dr Sanjay Paswan, a PhD from UGC Net and the co-author of the 11-volume Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India, organised a havan at one of his two adjoining flats on Tilak Lane. He called over his tantrik friends but since that did not give him any immediate relief, he wrote back to the Urban Development Ministry saying he was giving up the flat he was using as his office.

8216;8216;I was not happy with that office flat,8217;8217; said Paswan on the sidelines of the recently concluded UNESCO conference. On being asked if it was because his senior minister Murli Manohar Joshi was not giving him enough work, he dodged the question. He pointed out that he was chairing several UNESCO sessions. But when the time came for the concluding discussion at the symposium, Paswan was not around. Instead, Joshi himself represented the Indian government.

Paswan spends less than 10 days in Delhi attending office. Even when he is there, he is more immersed in Dalit politics than ministry affairs. HRD officials say that Paswan is a part of their team and has given 8216;8216;valuable inputs8217;8217;. But Paswan was happier as a junior to Pramod Mahajan in the ministry of communication and information technology; he tells his friends those were 8216;8216;his best days8217;8217;. Later, he moved on to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and then shifted out to his fifth floor HRD MoS office in Shastri Bhavan.

Paswan believes that he has enough political space to carry his career further. After all, there is no other Paswan MP in the BJP. In fact, it was his caste background which earned him a place in the ministerial council in the first place. In a party loaded with upper caste bigwigs, Paswan cannot be ignored. He is being used as a votecatcher for more than a week in Chhattisgarh.

WHO8217;S HE: Vallabhbhai Kathiria, 49

The blood donation man from Rajkot tries to maintain a fine balance

IT8217;S MY PARTY: BJP

BEEN THERE:MoS for Higher Education, HRD Ministry

BIG MOMENT: 8216;8216;I am actively involved in the Vision 2020 planning which will focus on an integrated development of the country and which will have education as its major component.8217;8217;

LIKE every MoS, Kathiria too prefers focusing on his home state, Gujarat, and his constituency, Rajkot. An RSS shakha regular from his village since primary school days, Kathiria is a doctor and gets along famously with almost everybody, be it his boss Murli Manohar Joshi, or the BJP and Sangh heavyweights from his state including L K Advani, Narendra Modi and even Praveen Togadia.

A minister since January 29, Kathiria has become progressively more involved with higher education, seeking files with his boss8217;s knowledge and even commenting upon them. He has also endeared himself to his boss by showing interest in Joshi8217;s favourite scheme, vocational education.

With Joshi reluctant to delegate well-delineated responsibilities to any MoS, Kathiria has carved a small niche for himself. He had been going over to institutions like the NCERT or the National Institute for Education Planning and Research and finding out more about their functioning.

In Rajkot, he is called the blood-donation man; he has a record in donating blood the maximum number of times among Gujarat politicians. Tactful that he is, he says he is thankful to 8216;8216;Joshiji8217;8217; for giving him space.

Diptosh Majumdar