New Delhi: In 2003, when Ruchir Sharma was in Congress bastion, Amethi, he saw what he believed was “a very backward place”.
For a place that has long been the strongest ground of the Grand Old Party of Indian polity, Sharma was not just taken aback by the lack of development, but also by the defence to it.
“They told me no funds were trickling down from the state governments. What can one do for that?” said Sharma, the chief global strategist and head of equity team at Morgan Stanley. Sharma further said that there were indeed a few politicians who wanted to do work toward the development of the area but could not because “the state was broken.”
Looking back at his travels in the country over the years, Sharma, who is a keen observer of politics in India and globally too, said that when one talks about missing MLAs in a constituency after he/she wins an election, it is primarily because they only realise what a daunting task it is ahead. But for those willing to take on the challenge, he added, the state needs to be strong. “We need decentralization and states need to be given more power.”
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