The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan, “key plank for Congress”

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Manmohan, “key plank for Congress”

Advani has pushed BJP into national prominence: BusinessWeek

New York: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, business tycoons Mukesh and Anil Ambani, corporate czar Ratan Tata and star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar have been named among the 50 most powerful people in India by American magazine BusinessWeek.

Sonia, Modi in list of 50

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, music maestro A.R. Rahman, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman C.B. Bhave figure in the league of 50.

The list of ‘India’s 50 Most Powerful People 2009’ reflects the impact of the Satyam scandal and the global economic crisis, says the magazine.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat, Mahindra and Mahindra’s managing director Anand Mahindra, steel czar Lakshmi Mittal, telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal, Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi and Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair and bankers K.V. Kamath and Deepak Parekh are also on the list.

“In modern India, even powerful reigns can be short-lived. In the newest edition of BusinessWeek’s list of the 50 most influential Indians, politicians jostle for space with professors, businessmen with cricketers,” says the magazine.

Shifts in power

“The attempt is to pinpoint the shifts in power that defined India in the past year, and to predict the players to watch for in the next year.”

BusinessWeek has named Reserve Bank of India Governor Duvvuri Subbarao, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Infosys chief mentor Narayana Murthy, Wipro’s Azim Premji, Tata Consultancy Services chief Subramanian Ramadorai and Google India’s managing director Shailesh Rao among the powerful people.

About Dr. Singh, the magazine says he has been an economist and civil servant for most of his life, moving from degrees from Oxford to jobs at the IMF and then the Indian government.

“Less flamboyant”

“Less flamboyant than most Indian politicians, he is nevertheless popular for being apparently incorruptible and obviously intellectual.

“He was originally considered a compromise candidate put up by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi because of her foreign birth, but has since then become a key plank for the Congress’ re-election,” BusinessWeek noted. About Mr. Advani, the publication said: “Best known for his firebrand speeches and controversial embrace of Hindutva, Mr. Advani has pushed the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s second-largest political party, into national prominence.” — PTI

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