Why Murthy should not become Prez

A different point of view...and at the same time an interesting one..

(TOI : 17/may/07)


With a presidential election looming on the horizon, many commentators have been bemoaning the fact that it increasingly seems the Rashtrapati Bhavan will once again be occupied by a politician. Why, goes the refrain, can’t we have a non-neta, a citizen who is a credit to India?

Usually, these commentators conclude by unilaterally nominating N R Narayana Murthy as their candidate for President of India. Of course, none of them ever see fit to check with the man himself, whether he would be interested in the job. In fact, making Murthy the President would be singularly bad news for him, Infosys and India.

Here’s why: Murthy is a man of drive and vision; an entrepreneur who creates wealth. He may no longer be officially involved with the day-to-day running of Infosys but he remains its foremost brand ambassador and his numerous social activities generate enormous goodwill for the company.

As chief mentor of Infosys, he inspires a new generation of young IT whizzes to propel the company to ever greater heights. All this is great for Infosys, since it helps the organisation make more money. It also has a multiplier effect on the economy, by creating new jobs and generating higher salaries. And — while it may not be his primary motivation — it is also good for Murthy, since it increases the value of his Infosys shares.

Now imagine for a moment that Murthy was made President. Given his high ethical levels, he’d promptly sever all ties with Infosys, which would be extremely bad news for the company. A great entrepreneur who can create so much wealth for India would be reduced to hosting tea parties for foreign dignitaries with unpronounceable names — which would be a tragic loss for the economy and the country.

Murthy likes to stay low profile, while notching up major achievements. The office of the President, as designed by our founding fathers, functions exactly opposite to his preferred style. Rashtrapatiji, whoever he might be, participates in lots of activities that are accompanied with pomp and splendour, but end up achieving precious little.

So why not let Murthy get on with doing constructive things for the nation and install a regular neta as President? That would have an additional benefit: Since the Prez act ally can’t get anything done, it means there’ll be one less neta around to muck up the country.