Is Prashant Kishor really effective or just a case of window dressing?

This refers to news that Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao is considering the services of election strategist Prashant Kishor to shore up fortunes of the party in TS, in the wake of growing and unstoppable popularity that the BJP has been gaining in the aftermath of the party emerging victorious in two by-elections in Telangana. Other parties like Congress, Trinamool Congress too have utilised the services of PK in their search for ways to outwit political opponents who are standing tall in their way, in emerging victorious over others in order to gain pan-India popularity and recognition electorally.

But, the recommendations made by Prashant Kishor proved unacceptable to parties like Congress, in which PK has recommended revamping of the party structure, citing basic disconnect of the party with grass root workers ; and changing leadership at the top, having no connection with the Nehru-Gandhi family. These recommendations left the Congress high command red faced, and no such blasphemous comment and suggestion has ever come from the party top leadership so far.

Now coming to the TRS's brainwave of monitoring the work and efficiency of its MLAs is being seen by the latter to be a great threat for their political survival. In fact, such high-tech services by PK are not needed, in a normal situation, in which the chief minister must be talented enough to monitor and assess the work and capabilities of the MLAs and ministers. People view the new trend of soliciting services of Prashant Kishor as a mere window dressing not to be on the back foot when it comes to adopting new ways of yardstick in evaluating performances of elected members of the party.

Akin to business acumen and marketing strategies can be bettered by courses like MBA in the present times, it must also be remembered that commerce and trade were very much in place before the onset of such courses, in which the society was managing efficiently by other means of tested talent wisdom and commonsense.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad