Indira Gandhi had R.K. Dhawan. Rajiv had his elite cabal. But the ‘backroom boys’ of the 21st century are an evolving species.
It’s a whole array of roles and functions that they fill out. From number crunchers to SWOT analysts, speechwriters to henchmen, fixers and Man Fridays and troubleshooters, OSDs and secretaries, mere factotums, or even full blooded political animals who can read the winds and talk across party lines. In election season, the art of behind the scenes politics is perhaps more vital than the populist public rhetoric of leaders. The latter germinates in the backrooms, the real lab. This is where public manoeuvres are conceived and fine tuned, this is where the hotlines buzz, where allies, potential allies and even enemies come calling. This backstage needs people who have a clear periscope to possible futures, and words flexible enough to realise them.
This story is from the April 01, 2019 edition of Outlook.
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This story is from the April 01, 2019 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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