I am a little surprised about the uncritical report by Devika Sequeira about Vijay Mallya's attempted foray into Goa politics. I do not think I will be letting out a secret if I say that the liquor business is one of the most corrupt business in India. Not only is the high duties are evaded through connivance with the help of both the bureaucracy and politcians, but the control system is often used to keep competition at bay. I understand that the liquor baron in Madhya Pradesh has played both end of political spectrum to successfully build up his business. (Just a query. Was this person not alleged to have been involved in the murder of a social activist in the state?)
Under the circumstances, Devika accepting at face value Mallya's claim about fighting corruption is indeed strange. Similarly, a person who claims to go into alliances with Sharad Pawar, Chandrashekar and Mulayam Singh, has to be grilled if he says that he is going to use an anti-corruption platform.
Incidentally, Mallya's claim that he has a 70% share of the beer market in Goa is way off the mark. By far, the largest selling beer is Beloo, even if it is not patronised in the five-star hotels.
Your sincerely Sachin Phadte
Mallya attempts to gain toe-hold in Goa politics Devika Sequeira DH News Service PANAJI, July 4
It's a long way from the swanky Kingfisher mansion on Candolim beach (North Goa), notorious for its celeb bashes, to the rough and tumble of Goa's quixotic politics. But maverick millionaire Vijay Mallya who formally launched the Janata Party in Goa, believes he has what it takes to breach the divide between a world peopled by the jetsetting tribe, and India's political quagmire.
"I am known for my lifestyle and passion for life. Some admire me for it, and others criticise me. But I have worked hard to earn my money and I spend it as I like. I do not indulge in corruption or cheating," India's celebrity MP told this newspaper.
That, unfortunately, is not the case with India's politics, and the chairman of the Rs 6,000-crore UB Group, who recently took on the sceptre of the national working president of the Janata Party, plans to tackle the issues of corruption and hypocrisy in Indian politics upfront.
"I am on a relentless mission to empower the youth, change the system and rid the country of corruption," he told a public gathering here last night. The Janata Party is a "sleeping giant" he hopes to revive to usher political change.
Both the Congress and BJP have let down public aspirations, he argues.
In terms of the national political canvas, the Rajya Sabha MP has set his eyes primarily on Karnataka, Kerala and Goa, the three states in which the JP plans "to go the full nine yards, by contesting both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections".
Attempts are also being made to revive the party -- known better for its political icons like Jayaprakash Narayan -- in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh.
In Madhya Pradesh, an alliance with Mr Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is under discussion, and in Kerala, a tie-up with Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party is being worked out.
His "very friendly" relations with Mr Pawar, and the give and take of the politics of alliances obviously necessitate that the JP stays out of Maharashtra. "In any case, we do not want to spread ourselves too thin, too wide," says the beer tycoon.
Modalities for the merger of Mr Chandra Shekar's Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP) with the parent organisation are also being worked out.
But why should someone with such enormous wealth (with 66,000 employees, UB operates in 26 countries today) want to sully his hands in politics?
"I don't need politics for sustenance. But I thought it was time I give something back to this country, more particularly the youth whose future is at stake. It is time for fresh new ideas, and political change," says Mr Mallya.
In Goa, where UB controls almost 70 per cent of the beer market, Mr Mallya has always been on the fringes of politics, entertaining at least "eight different chief ministers", as he discloses. Having now taken the plunge, his presence and monetary clout could cause some more ripples in these constantly turbulent political waters.
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