In an interesting development, we are seeing differences emanating on the question of leadership with regard to organizational goals as can be witnessed with regard to what is happening in two very different situation but both related to the leadership question. The first is the drama in Indian tennis wherein differences have cropped up among top players in the run up to the London Olympics. The controversy is over who should represent India in the men's doubles event. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) wanted Leander Paes (the top player) to be paired with Mahesh Bhupathi. Once referred to as The Indian Express, the players have however not spoken to each other since last November. Bhupathi wrote to the tennis association, declining its offer and stating that he will not be available to play the Olympics if he was paired with Leander. The tennis association then approached Rohan Bopanna to partner with Paes but he too refused, giving enough indication that he wanted to play only with Bhupathi not Paes. The AITA has criticized both Bhupathi and Bopanna saying that “two players cannot make a pact with each other to keep the number one player out." Indian tennis is now faced with an embarrassing situation and also the dilemma of sending the best team to represent India in the Olympics. The other instance is related to Indian politics where we see open differences within the same camp on how best to represent the organizational goal/s. The Janata Dal United leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sparked off the debate on the NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections by hinting that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is unacceptable as the Prime Ministerial candidate to his party. The JD (U) is a close ally of the BJP, which is heading the NDA.
Like the rivalry between the top two Indian tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, there is a big rivalry and almost dislike for each other between two top leaders of the same NDA camp—Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. Bhupathi has made his stand very clear that he is even willing to sacrifice his Olympic dream then to represent India with Leander. In a similar situation, Mr Nitish Kumar has warned the BJP to choose between losing its ally or having Modi as the PM candidate of the NDA. The point that this column is attempting to bring into focus is how organizational or national goals can ever be achieved when leaders are not willing to make sacrifice for the larger common interest. The question therefore arises as to whether we need leaders who are willing to reconcile their personal interests or rivalry with organizational goals or some national objective. Off course the examples cited above are very different but the underlying common theme running in both cases obviously relates to the same thing—personal clash and differences between two very capable leader. Perhaps we can conclude with this observation that no two persons are the same and similarly, every leader, even if they are working for the same purpose, may have differences in their ideology, vision, functioning etc. It will be interesting to find out whether there is an ideal or role model for leadership especially in the context of a polity like India where there is diversity of religion, culture, race etc. It is becoming even clearer that a leader should be able to unite not divide and rally all the numerous voices, interests etc and someone who is seen as representing the ideals of a secular, democratic India.
