Mandavia to be pivotal in govt plans to manage Covid, lift country's image

In April-May, when the second wave of Covid-19 was at its peak and the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deeply troubled about facing people amid massive vaccine and oxygen shortages, Mansukh Mandaviya stepped into the breach.

Armed with a detailed PowerPoint presentation, the minister — who was then minister of state of shipping with charge of chemicals and fertilisers — explained to BJP office-bearers India’s plans for eventual self-sufficiency in vaccines, and more immediately, how they must be distributed to meet shortages. These were temporary measures, he assured office-bearers calmly, and showed with data how Indian vaccine production would be ramped up at a time when even supply of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) from China and the US was under question. 

“I came away from that meeting feeling much more reassured,” said an office-bearer who attended. “He (Mandaviya) obviously knew what he was talking about because of the facts and the data he presented. He told us how vaccines were being produced, what he was going to do about raw materials, what the time line was… I felt he was in command of the situation.” The person added: “He might not be articulate or be able to speak English well. But I judged him to be highly intelligent.”

This much is clear: that Mandaviya is no vote catcher. He’s been a Rajya Sabha MP, though he was an MLA in the Gujarat Assembly from 2002 to 2007. He’s not known to give fiery speeches or stirring public addresses. But he has been involved in Gujarat issues, intervening in his own way when he could. He has taken a keen interest in the state’s affairs, especially in assisting industries. For instance, in the aftermath of the implementation of the GST, it was Mandaviya as part of the Centre’s GST task force who mediated with the textile industry after traders called a strike in protest of the new regime.

“It was his mediation along with other ministers from the state that saw the textile industry being placated. The industry had also sought simplification of the tax structure given the multiple stages of production in the textile value chain, which he took up with the Centre and the then FM,” said Ashish Gujarati, president-elect of the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI).

Mandaviya is also seen as industrious and resourceful in his home state. According to a former bureaucrat in Gujarat, it was Mandaviya’s involvement as MoS for ports and shipping that is believed to have brought INS Vikrant to the Alang ship breaking yard’s shores. “He has tried to stay as relevant as possible since his early political days in Gujarat and has tried to be resourceful in doing so,” the former bureaucrat told Business Standard on condition of anonymity.

Mandaviya is going to be pivotal in the government’s plans to manage not just the pandemic but also India’s image in the eyes of its own citizens. The second is easier to handle. Mandaviya’s pitch to party leaders and anyone who is listening is: India is a victim of the global pharma lobby and needs to develop its own vaccine and API resources.

“It is not just the pharma patents regime — what worried the lobbyists of big pharma was India’s open licensing policy. So we have to depend on ourselves,” said a BJP leader who attended the presentation. 

Mandaviya has factored this in his strategy. The health ministry may, from now on, only nominally be for the health of Indians — it might be known better for the vaccination of Indians.