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Expert Comment

Disturbing elite migration

phenomenon

SANJAYA BARU

People of Indian origin have overtaken overseas Chinese To welcome the emigration of wealthy
to become the world’s largest diaspora. While some indig-
enous pundits view this as a positive development for India, Indians and next generation of the
the flight of capital and dollar millionaire entrepreneurs ‘power elite’ as part of a strategy of
and businessmen combined with notable — and much criti-
cised — reluctance of private sector businessmen to boost extended soft power and tapping into a
capital expenditure in development projects in India has network of global knowledge, is making
caused disappointment in Delhi, and the finance ministry
in particular. An excerpt explaining the flight of people and a virtue out of necessity
resources from India from Sanjaya Baru’s latest book —
Editor want their amrit kaal now.
NRICHED BY OIL THE GULF ECONOMIES rapid- Replying to a question in Parliament on August 1,
ly invest in construction and the services economy. 2024 the minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vard-
They open their doors to Indian labour. The infor- han Singh stated that a total of 2,25,260 Indians had "re-
Emation technology revolution in the United States nounced their Indian citizenship" in 2022 and 2,16,219 in
needs skilled labour. It reaches out to India. Israel declares 2023. This compared to 1,29,234 in 2014. Taken together
war on the Palestinian people and banishes Palestinian a total of 18,80,559 Indians had given up their citizenship
workers from its economy. It seeks to replace them with In- in the period 2011-23. The minister then added: "The Gov-
dian workers. Russia is bleeding in its war with Ukraine and ernment recognises the potential of the global workplace in
needs soldiers. Its agents hire Indian mercenaries. Taiwan an era of a knowledge economy. It has also brought about
wishes to step up economic activity but without allowing a transformational change in its engagement with Indian
more workers to come in from mainland China. It opens the diaspora. A successful, prosperous and influential diaspora
doors to Indian workers. There is a global demographic tran- is an asset for India. India stands to gain a lot from tapping
sition and the ageing societies of developed economies have its diaspora networks and productive utilisation of the soft
little option other than to import skilled and semi-skilled power that comes from having such a flourishing diaspora.
professionals and workers from an India whose population The Government's efforts are also aimed at harnessing the
is still growing and whose citizens are willing to emigrate in diaspora potential to its fullest including through sharing
search of better life. of knowledge and expertise."
That is one side of the coin. hile 19th and early 20th Century migration was large-
On the other side, high-cost schools across India are of- Wly of indentured labour sent out to work on European
fering certification that will help high school children to seek plantations around the world, from the 1970s skilled work-
under-graduate education overseas. Billions of Dollars are ers and middle class professionals have been going overseas
being paid by middle class India to send children overseas and dramatically increasing the numbers of the Indian di-
for paid education. Investment bankers and advisors are aspora. The more recent emigration of wealthy Indians and
helping India's growing population of millionaires to secure of the next generation of India's 'power elite' is what I refer
citizenship overseas. The so-called 'middle class' of govern- to as 'secession of the successful'.
ment officials, diplomats, defence staff, business executives, Half a century ago economists like Jagdish Bhagwati
academics, professionals, and the newly minted millionaires worried about 'brain drain'. Today it has become fashion-
and billionaires — in short, the power elite - are also emi- able to declare 'brain drain is better than brain in drain'.
grating or keeping one foot overseas. There have been many studies of Indian migration and of
Such are the dynamics of 21st century migration that are the diaspora. We draw particular attention in this book to
providing an increasing number of Indians opportunities to the more recent phenomenon of what has been termed as
go overseas and encouraging them to do so. There is a 'pull' 'elite migration'.
factor and a 'push' factor at work. The emigrating middle While global opportunity, domestic necessity and 'rea-
class and the wealthy are not just seeking education and sons of convenience' may be encouraging Indians to mi-
employment overseas, but are also in pursuit of a better life, grate and even give up their citizenship, to welcome this
of tax havens, citizenship of developed countries. In short, as part of a strategy of extending 'soft power' and tapping
a First World life. The number of wealthy Indians giving into this network of knowledge is making a virtue out of
up citizenship is rising with ageing countries in search of necessity.
people offering citizenship at a price. Even as India seeks
to redefine itself as Bharat, and pursues the dream of being (Excerpted from Secession of the Successful: The Flight Out of New
viksit (developed, middle class) by 2047, a globalised Indian India (Penguin, 2025). Sanjaya Baru was media advisor to the late Prime
elite wants to be part of that developed world today. They Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh)

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