Where is India Inc in the conversation on India's mess?

“Today, the governments in most countries are in no condition to to solve these problems, given their debt levels and political impasses. The NGOs have as their purpose to help solve these social problems but are even less effective with less funds available in these recessed times. Business is the only agent of change with the means of doing something to improve the sad state of affairs,” says marketing and management guru Philip Kotler in an interview with DNA.

Kotler was not referring to India, but to the world at large - but he might so easily have been talking directly to India. The government in India, at the centre and the states, seem in no position to solve the nation’s problems; NGOs in India are less effective.

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[caption id=“attachment_432125” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  However, business, India Inc, is doing little on the issue. AFP[/caption]

However, business, India Inc, is doing little on the issue.

This morning, Assocham, through a half-page advertisement in the Business Standard, talks, for the first time, on Coalgate and two other CAG reports and their impact on business and repuatation. “CAG reports sending wrong messages,” says the headline. The ad roundly castigates the CAG on reports referring to coal block allocation, Delhi airport and the surplus coal sharing of R-Com and is a virtual and tacit support of the government’s position.

Sadly, Assocham says nothing on the larger issue that everyone is discussing - rampant corruption.

While every section of society is involved in, and speaking about, corruption and scams that engulf the nation, India Inc (and not Assocham alone) is studiedly silent on the issue, The common man, journalists, opinion-makers in society, even film stars, are in the conversation and participating in the debate.

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Business is a critical stakeholder in the fortunes of a country. If the country continues to sink, business is directly impacted. Money becomes difficult to come by, reforms stall, the economy tanks, sales stall, unemployment rises, competitiveness decreases, Brand India’s reputation takes a beating.

Yet, India Inc is silent.

The silence can be interpreted in a number of ways. The first is the most uncharitable: that they are tacit supporters of the status quo, that they have a vested interest in corruption in government. The second is that they are hedging their bets and that they are watching to see which way the wind is blowing before they commit to a position. The third is that they do no see any need to get into the conversation; that they will wait till the impasse is resolved.

All three are passive, rather than active positions - and passivity in the current circumstances is a cop out. As we come nearer and nearer to the edge, it is time for India Inc to play an active part in the conversation. Now is the time for CEOs and for heads of business bodies such as FICCI, Assocham and various chambers of commerce to stand up and be counted, to share their views on the current state of affairs - and not just about the three CAG reports referred to in the ad – with their most important stakeholders: citizens of India.

It’s time for business heads to talk politics. Captains of industry need to take positions on the issues of the day. They need to support the positions that they agree with and trash those that they oppose.

Now is the time for them to come to the aid of those, with limited resources, who, today, are fighting their fight.

If the current state of affairs continues, the biggest loser is India Inc. If the rot is stemmed, the biggest gainer is India Inc.

Get into the conversation for, perhaps, the wrong reason, the selfish reason. Get into the conversation because a solution, as soon as possible, is in your best interests.