RV KRISHNAN, is a professional, who has donned the politician’s clothes to bring about a paradigm shift in the Indian political system. He, along with a very devoted set of individuals, has set up the Professionals Party of India (PPI) with an avowed aim to unleash the power of the middle class and the professionals in the political arena to bring India back from the abyss. In a detailed interview with merinews, he spells out the plans and policies of PPI and how the party worked its way into politics.

Q: What is the idea behind setting up the Professionals Party of India? And how do you think that the party can make a significant impact on the political landscape of a country as diverse and vast as India?

The idea of setting up Professionals Party of India emerged from the numerous discussion, which we have in the drawing rooms, in shops and at offices, where, in the discussions, the present and the future of the country is debated and discussed and in the end nothing comes out of it. One day, we decided that something should be done about the situation and solutions must be found.

For that, an intensive research was initiated and this process continued for almost four to five years and thereafter the solutions to various problems afflicting the country were found. After finding answers, another problem stared at us and that was how to implement the solutions that could ameliorate the lot of millions of poor Indians, end the rampant corruption and resolve the basic anomalies of governance.

After trying hard, ultimately the realisation dawned upon us that even the solutions will have to be implemented by the people and if Indians can run great organisations, they can also run this country at the political level. This was the time the Professionals Party of India came into being with the idea of mobilising the huge middle class in the country and bring power to people, who are committed to make a positive change in the society.

At the operational level, we found that it was difficult to mobilise all sections of population politically, so we decided to concentrate on the middle class, which has the highest section of educated and aware individuals.

Q: What is the mission of PPI and how does the party aims to achieve it?

Our aim is to improve the quality of life of every Indian and to do this, PPI plans to bring in the professional Indians in every domain of governance. The huge problems faced by the country need experts to solve them and for this, middle class will be persuaded to participate in the political process. Right now, the people steer clear of the political process but they need to understand that being important stakeholders, their active participation is necessary.

We have done proper research and formed strategies, perhaps PPI is the only party which has such a calculated system to reform the political process.

Q: Will your party fight the next general elections. Who are the likely candidates? Has corporate India supported you? Are professionals coming forward to join your party?

Yes, our party will participate in the coming elections and the process is on to identify the right candidates, who meet the aspirations of the people. The likely candidates are those, who have a proven commitment to bring about change and want to improve the political system in the country. As far as corporate support is concerned, the party is very careful about that as it does not want to be caught on the wrong foot.

Lastly, I must say that the support and enthusiasm amidst the middle classes and professionals has been enormous and it is very important for PPI as it needs the support and help from middle class as it aims to make a complete paradigm shift in Indian politics.

Q: How is the party going to attract professionals, who have ample time, commitment and motivation to participate in a political movement that attempts to basically change the political mindset of the entire country?

It is to be noted that the party needs the support of the masses and, to run the organisation, only few people are needed full time. What we need is some quality time from these professionals and a will to support the movement, which will make it a success.

We have set up a website where professionals can come to the PPI site and register there and this has happened in thousands. A lot of people have come to us and told that they want to do something to end the rot in the system.

Q: Going through your social manifesto it seems that the party has taken care of important issues but it seems you have missed out on caste based politics, which plays an important role in deciding the political winners in the country. What is your take on caste based reservations and how your party plans to handle the issue?

PPI stands for expanding educational facilities and opening them to the entire section of the population irrespective of caste, creed, religion and gender. The party aims to improve the quality and delivery of education to such a high level that there will be no need for reservations in the country.

The entire concept of reservations is used by politicians to divide the nation and rule for petty gains and this has not served the country well in the past. So the aim is to stop dividing the people and instead use their positive energy to make a better and prosperous India.

Q: How do you plan to create a system of accountability and measurement of politicians performance as mentioned in your political manifesto?

PPI has set up manifestos for majority of issues confronting the nation and these will set the benchmark for measuring performance. All the PPI leaders will have to implement the party manifesto in letter and spirit and there will be no second question about this issue.

A top performer will be one, who has fulfilled the promises made by the party to the people at large. In addition, the central command of the party will monitor the implementation and ensure that there are no deviations from the set plan.

Q: PPI aims to gain strength from the professionals in India but the Satyam scandal has proved that Indian professional and corporates are not entirely free from the tendency to circumvent the system. How will PPI guard itself and the system from people, who have no gumptions in cheating as the politicians are accused of in the country?

There is a huge political angle to the Satyam saga and lately people will have to understand that if they are not very careful, the system can easily co-opt them and the same thing happened in that company. PPI aims to overhaul the entire system, so that people are not forced to do things, which they did not want to commit to at the first instance.

There is need for systemic change and for every failed Satyam there can be dozens of examples, where the people have not succumbed and delivered quality results.

Q: It is said that the only culture in India is agriculture. What does PPI plan to do to help this ailing sector which employs around 70 per cent of the Indian population?

One has to understand that the agriculture in the country needs a big dose of innovation and productivity. We will have to introduce cooperative farming accompanied by a large mechanisation to revive the ailing agriculture sector. Nothing is impossible and if take up properly, the farm productivity can be doubled in three years; similarly, wastage can be reduced in a significant way.

The country should know that every day almost 46 farmers commit suicide due to debt and poverty. This situation needs to be changed quickly to ensure that India has enough to feed and stock the huge population.

Q: How do you aim to be different in revolutionising the educational infrastructure of India. It is said teachers make the nation, how will PPI infuse the spirit of innovation, learning and delivering results to the same people, who have failed since 1947?

Due to perpetual degeneration, the education system is at its nadir today and this calls again for total overhaul of the system. The need is to involve people, who are trained and motivated to infuse quality in education and also concentrate on the application of knowledge in real life scenario. The aim is to stop the system for producing educated unemployed but produce people, who are educated for values as well as trained to earn their livelihood.

Q: It took a quarter century and a cause like British imperialism for Mahatma Gandhi to mobilise India. How do you plan to go to people, influence their thought process and bring about the desired socio-political and economic change? Do you have a charismatic leader, who can influence the masses?

We believe that the Indian polity has evolved to an extent that it needs an effective ideology to influence it. The era of charismatic individuals leading the masses is over and is almost into ending into oblivion. It can been seen that politicians, who are non-performers are not tolerated by the people and despite their aura are losing elections.

PPI aims to work on an ideological level amongst the middle class and particularly in the urban areas, where it aims to involve the people in bringing about a positive change.

Q: What is your long term plan and how much time do you think it will take for PPI to become a political force to reckon with?

PPI has come to go all the way and that too at a fast pace, if Barack Obama can become the president of United States in 10 months rising from nowhere, there is no reason why the professionals in India can’t rise to the occasion to bring back the country from the abyss. We need to understand that we are doing it for ourselves and not for others and this will make the task easier and quicker to achieve.