| INDIA TODAY | CURRENT ISSUE MARCH 20, 2006 | | | | 10 POWER PEOPLE |  | | | Official List
Official designations do not always reflect actual hierarchies. There are many informal webs of power, which emerge either because of old school ties or family connections, caste commonalities or even regional sentiments. What is apparent is not always real. Those who exercise power are not always those in whom it is vested by the instruments of Government. Nowhere is this more evident than in this list of 10, led by our No. 1 in No. 10. The Government, even in the age of raging liberalisation, wields power, and it is one that the information warriors and corporate glam boys of the previous pages know well. A request for an appointment given three months later, an exclusive that launches a new channel, even a subtle policy change that can harass or benefit. If there are extra-constitutional authorities that pretend power, they can be cut to size; if there are professional hangers-on who promise patronage, they can be made to disappear; and if there are informal ways of governing, they can be effected discreetly. Statecraft is a delicate thing and shrivels when exposed to spotlight. Which is why the public leader is not necessarily the ultimate ruler. | | |  | | 1 SONIA GANDHI | UPA CHAIRPERSON, 59 | | | Empress Dowager  Because She, the most powerful who is not in power, doesn't hold any office but influences the highest executive office of the country. Because she has inherited the most magnetic surname in India and uses it to keep the country's oldest political party as a family firm, making and unmaking the destinies of Congressmen in power.
Style statement: Crisp saris, brisk walk and a man's large wrist watch. Loves: Chocolates and coffee. Fitness facts: Yoga. There is also a treadmill at 10, Janpath. Favourite holiday spots: The Lakshadweep Islands and Kasauni, a hill station in Uttaranchal. | | | | 2 MANMOHAN SINGH | PRIME MINISTER, 73 | | | The Chosen One  Because He has turned the disadvantage of being unelected into a strength of governance, seen in his impeccable credibility and dutiful demeanor. Because he is India's first prime minister who is not a politician but a technocrat, who rules like a result-oriented CEO. Because, statesman-like, he has exhibited the vision thing by forging a historic strategic alliance with the US.
Style statement: A silver Cross pen. Just finished reading: Amartya Sen's The Argumentative Indian. Loves: Tea with Marie biscuits. Listens to: Ghazals, especially Jagjit Singh. Fitness facts: Goes for a 40-minute morning walk. Also works out on the treadmill. | | | | 3 M.S. AHLUWALIA | DY CHAIRMAN, PLAN PANEL,62 | | | Full Monty  Because There is nobody closer to the prime minister than him. Because he is consulted on virtually every possible policy reform. Because as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, he is in charge of Rs 1,50,000 crore of spending power. Because having worked in the Indian establishment for over 25 years, he knows what works and what doesn't in the Government.
Little-known fact: Wrote the first papers on liberalising the economy when he was additional secretary to Rajiv Gandhi. Is able to: Argue convincingly both for and against any given motion on any subject. Can be silenced only by: Wife and fellow economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia. Most embarrassing moment: When he was introduced at a function as prime minister and co-panelist, economist Jagdish Bhagwati, said "it is only a matter of time". | | | | 4 PRAKASH KARAT | CPI(M) GENERAL SECRETARY, 58 | | | Red Herring  Because He has the numbers to frighten the Government and the licence to play Opposition as well as the supporter with the same sense of irresponsibility. Because he, lately enraged by the pro-imperialist Government, is fast emerging as a rallying force in the formation of a third front of socialists. Because at major moments, the Government consults or informs him, often even before talking to the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani.
Usually reads: Crime thrillers while travelling. Top three obsessions: Hates the United States, detests the BJP and avoids the bourgeois media. Fetish: Hates his cellphone. | | | | 5 P. CHIDAMBARAM | MINISTER OF FINANCE, 60 | | | The Consigliere  Because He is respected both for his brains and cool objective analysis. Because he is both a lawyer and an economist. Because he is probably the most educated member of the Union Cabinet. Because he holds the second-most important portfolio in the Government. Because his presence in the Centre gives hope to pro-reformers.
Style statement: Veshti and shirt. Also sharp suits. Speed record: Is known to head home, have lunch, and return to office in 15 minutes. Misses: Not being able to read too much. Personality quirk: Is blunt to the point of being rude. | | Index
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