In June, 2006, Monmohan Singh agreed to address the November, 2007 Fortune Global Forum in New Delhi.
Sometime after that, he changed his mind.
We were already too far committed. The arduous process of securing the Red Fort for a ceremonial opening was done. Same with approvals for use of the Agra military airport for our chartered jet. Major CEOs were booked to join. Long list of things done.
I learned of the change of heart from the German Ambassador as he explained why Angela Merkel would not attend.
Even worse, after much investigating, I discovered the reasons behind the change were twofold – on the one hand, a bitter head of an industry coalition, who hated me for partnering with the competing coalition. On the other, Singh wanted to go to a retirement celebration for a now-shamed friend of his who ran a consultancy, so the PM didn’t feel like doing something two days in the same week.
For a few months, it was back and forth to his office compound. It was at that office late one evening when the bitter coalition head stepped out of the PM’s office and flipped his chin at me, after which I entered to make my plea.
Then at times to the ceremonial office to make my case to staffers. (I can’t stand the ceiling mural depicting the caste system in the holding room).
I asked my friend, the minister of commerce and industry for help, asked business leaders for help, negotiated with the press secretary, asked the finance minister for help. The chief minister of Delhi made a case on our behalf. Singh would not be moved to keep his word.
The counsel of my wisest friends said to let it drop. It was hopeless.
Finally, Amit Mitra, secretary general of FICCI called me to meet 8 days before the Forum.
“The national security advisor and I spoke to him during the Africa tour,” he said. “I took Dr Singh’s hands in mine and said ‘you must do this for me’. He has agreed to change his mind, so now we have work to do.”
It’s a different day in India, maybe for the better. The Ghandis’ Congress Party has lost its decades-long grip on power since Narendra Modi was swept into power on a “no more handouts” platform.
Dr Mitra has moved on to be finance minister in West Bengal. Regardless, I’m happy to be working with FICCI to host Arun Jaitley, the newly-appointed Finance Minister for his first US public appearance next month in DC.
After all, it was alongside my friends at FICCI that I learned the first answer in India is always “yes”, but then the hard work is turning that ‘yes’ into a reality.