•Coomi Kapoor: Mr Badal, what is the social composition of Punjab, where feudal politics flourishes so strongly?

Manpreet Badal: If you look at social composition, you will find only a certain set of people make it to politics in Punjab—landed families are at the forefront but also families who are in the transportation business. Many politicians in Punjab belong to a stratum that is more upper class than middle class—that is one of the pre-requisites of political success in Punjab. After the 1966 bifurcation of Punjab into Punjab and Haryana, the Jat Sikh has been the dominant factor in Punjab politics. I think there is a conscious decision in even the non-Akali governments like that of the Congress that the CM must be a Jat.

•Coomi Kapoor: Mr Sangma, is there not a conflict of interest between your being IT minister and running a BPO and call centre business?

Conrad Sangma: When the portfolios were distributed, the IT portfolio was offered to me. I requested the CM to give it to someone else and the CM did that. But after a month the minister in charge of IT got really confused and asked for a switch. Since we see IT as the key sector for our growth, I took on the responsibility. I hope that I don’t allow the conflict of interest to come in the way and I am opening up the industry as much as possible to people from outside the region too.

... contd.