A people-plagued Swraj Paul

As a result traditional big-name supporters of his from within the Congress party who had been close friends all along also chose to avoid most of the festivities. As a result of the confirmed no-shows, Paul had to engineer photo-ops with his newly acquired friends, such as Laloo to salvage his image of being politically well connected in India.

But in tycoon terms, specially given how Indian business families are during wedding type occasions, that were even more embarrassing moments.

The fact that business families were full of tattle about how significant and otherwise-available-in-town members of his closest family were also rather obvious in their absence during the festivities in New Delhi.

This included even his elder brother Jit who has always been widely regarded as the real mastermind of the family. Even his brother-in-law Jindal who is apparently in court over a rather messy business dispute with him chose to stay away, as did the groom’s very own brother.

People-loving tycoon

Rahul Bajaj, who has been busy with his corporate social responsibility activities like building hospitals and institutes and taking up various rural development projects, recently decided to take his philanthropy to a whole new level, by declaring his willingness to be nominated to the House of Elders. This, the tycoon apparently hit upon, when he realised that no industrialist had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha ever. What grated: the fact that loads of actors had made their way in. How soon he gets his chance, we don’t know, but he is in the meanwhile busy creating links with other families, even though those with his very own brother may be strained.

The tycoon in a bid to do cross border trade of the welcome kind will be joining hands with the Saigal family — that runs an automobile business in Pakistan — in order to enter that market. A two and three wheeler production plant will be set, or so hopes unless Pakistani laws deter his plans.

Cozying up to certain neighbors, while ringing alarm bells about others, is an arcane business art that only a Bajaj can straddle.

The tycoon has gone public with his unhappiness at the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India has signed with Thailand. The main purpose of FTA was of course, to strengthen and enhance liberalisation of trade between the two nations by the elimination of tariffs and the simplifying of customs procedures.

The tycoon, however, feels strongly that moves like this will lead to the two-wheeler industry facing competition from Chinese products, which will now find their way through Thailand, into India even more easily. Bajaj feels, this could have been prevented if the government had agreed on a higher value addition norm than the present 40 per cent. While Bajaj and other automobile sector tycoons realise the risk of the agreement, the government is already working on similar agreements with other nations like Singapore, Brazil and South Asia Free Trade Association countries. Other tycoons may then have worries of their own.

Thailand already has a strong auto industry, which includes companies like Suzuki and Toyota, thus Bajaj is worried that instead of the FTA improving trade, it may perhaps weaken the Indian auto sector.

The tycoon, however, is not sitting still. His group is setting up an assembly plant for his two and three wheelers in Indonesia and another in Philippines. He certainly seems to be taking advantage of the FTA to tap the Asean market. But like all tycoons, Bajaj knows he needs the people behind him on this one.

dilipcherian@hotmail.com