Will Congress’ campaign to attract ‘professionals’ to politics work?

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has started a campaign to attract professionals to the party fold.

New Delhi, August 14: Senior Congress leader and member of Parliament (MP) from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Shashi Tharoor, has recently launched a campaign to attract "professionals" to politics.

Are you a talented professional interested in politics? The All India Professionals' Congress (Professionals' Congress OR AIPC), a newly-formed department of the Congress Party, is your platform to contribute to the advancement of progressive politics in India,' stated the opening lines in the website for the new campaign-- www.professionalscongress.com.

"All your work on the AIPC platform will directly feed into supporting the Congress Party's political goals and objectives," added the next line in the website.

"My generation grew up in an India where a vast gulf separated those who went into the professions or the civil services, and those who entered politics. The latter, at the risk of simplifying things a bit, were either at the very top or the very bottom: Either maharajahs or big zamindars with a feudal hold on the allegiances of the voters in their districts, or semi-literate 'lumpens' with little to lose who got into politics as their only means of self-advancement.

If you belonged to neither category, you studied hard, took your exams, and made a success of your life on merit - and you steered clear of politics as an activity for those 'other people'," Tharoor wrote, stressing on the need of why India needs more professionals, in The Quint.

"This is changing, as is the public's expectations of what a politician should be like. An initiative like the Professionals' Congress will ensure that more professionals with skills and qualifications, but no political background, come into politics," he added.

On Monday, a day ahead of India's 70th Independence Day, the hashtag--#JoinProfessionalsCongress--trended on Twitter. A lot of working men and women expressed their interest to join politics.

Now, the question is will such an attempt work? A political expert, who did not wish to be named, said that the Congress definitely needs well-educated, smart and knowledgeable people to help in its revival.

"The grand old party is in tatters. It is a sinking ship with no one to lead the party. In such a scenario, professionals will add vim and vigour to the party. But, are professionals ready to leave their steady jobs to join politics?"

A techie in Bengaluru said that the campaign is noble, but unlikely to work. "Politics is not a profession, but a 24X7 commitment. Only those who are passionate about politics will join politics, no matter what. Moreover, politics is considered to be a 'dirty' game. That has always discouraged a lot of people to jump into politics," added the techie.

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