The media went gaga over the Ambani settlement. It gave all the niggling details about which brother got what. The justification for this fuss was the size of the Ambani empire and how its future would affect its 3 million shareholders.
Phooey! There's a much bigger empire and its future will affect 30 million shareholders. Nobody talks about that. There must be over 30 million politicians whose careers are tied to the future of the Ambani political empire. Politicians are, of course, not merely those who contest elections. Indeed, some of the best politicians are found among bureaucrats and journalists. The skill with which some of them can conspire, lie, backstab and claw their way to the top would put most MPs to shame. India now wants to know how the division of the Ambani political empire will affect politicians.
Kokilaben will not have influence in this matter. Things, therefore, could get messy. Also, the 30 million shareholders of the Ambani political empire, unlike their three million counterparts of the financial empire, are not passive spectators of unfolding events. They are active participants. They make things happen. They are determined to sell their souls to the highest bidder.
According to unconfirmed reports, the brothers have agreed not to start fleets of jet airliners to ferry politicians to Moscow, Tel Aviv or wherever. This cannot stabilise the political market. Politicians are too aggressive in selling their souls.
Third Front politicians have monopolised Anil. But what about Congress and BJP? A senior Congress minister said that because the brothers had reached a settlement, there would be no general enquiry into Reliance affairs. But a junior minister clarified that specific complaints filed earlier by Anil would be investigated. Could the junior have spoken after his senior spoke unless approved by someone more senior? Anil may have forgotten his complaints. Who cares? Can Congress forget? Mukesh must buy souls at the going market price!
There are many BJP leaders who had sold their souls to Reliance. Will they now go with Mukesh or Anil? Poor souls can't decide: they are too busy deciding whether to go with Sudarshan or Advani.
In the days ahead, we may, therefore, expect wild fluctuations of the Nonsensex in the political stock exchange. It would have been best if the brothers had dissolved their political empires. Alas, that is not possible. In India, politics and business were married through ancient Hindu rites. One can cheat. One cannot divorce.
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
