You need thick skin to be in politics, says a wounded Nilekani

Responds to former colleague T V Mohandas Pai's attack on his political credentials

It was hard for Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to hide that he was hurt by a verbal attack from former colleague T V Mohandas Pai, now the chairperson of the Board of Manipal Global Education Services and the vice-president of the Bangalore Political Action Committee.

Pai, who believes Nilekani is a non-political individual parachuted into politics, had on Wednesday claimed the UIDAI chief had done little for South Bangalore, the constituency from where he is tipped to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“Many people I spoke to have asked me what Nandan (Nilekani) has done for Bangalore. While Nandan has done (unique identity number) Aadhaar, I don’t know what he has done for Bangalore,” Pai had told a TV Channel on Wednesday.

Responding to Pai’s attack, Nilekani told Business Standard: “(It’s) not worth it to react. As Indira Gandhi told Natwar Singh: In politics you need a thick skin.”

Contrary to popular belief, not only Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, too, were in the loop when a proposal was made to Nilekani in 2009 that he join the government and roll out the unique identity project for all Indians. He had suggested the idea in his book Imagining India in 2008.

Nilekani has faced opposition at several levels — the Planning Commission, the finance ministry and in the lower ranks of the Congress in Karnataka. But Rahul Gandhi has always shown support for him, especially after the first Aadhaar number was allotted in 2010, barely a year after Nilekani joined the government on a five-year contract on a Cabinet minister rank. His other big supporter was former finance minister — now the President — Pranab Mukherjee.

Nilekani, who has kept a low profile so far, is known to work silently and never publicly criticise anyone. Also, he stays away from rhetoric and taking political positions. It was Rahul Gandhi’s idea that he should contest the Lok Sabha elections, a proposal that has met with some resistance from the party’s Karnataka unit.