New DelhiWhen the Central Bureau of Investigation named its suspects in the ‘liquor scam’ case that defamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, one name emerged from the rest: Vijay Nair, former CEO of an event management company.
Known as a backstage mover and shaker, even though he tends to avoid the limelight, the 38-year-old has been associated with AAP for some time, but not in any official capacity.
Nair, a college dropout, came to prominence in the early 2000s as a band manager for top indie music acts such as Pentagram, and founded the event management company Only Much Louder (OML), which was known for live concerts and eventually Known for organizing comedy collectives. Like All India Bakchod (AIB).
Then, somewhere, Nair reportedly became a confidante of AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP sources told ThePrint that Nair has been involved in the party’s fundraising campaigns since 2014, and is a major force behind the media and communication strategy, despite not currently holding a formal post.
Nair, of course, is front and center now for all the wrong reasons. Last Sunday, the CBI had named him as one of the 15 accused – Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, along with three bureaucrats and at least four persons associated with the liquor industry – in one Case The FIR was registered in connection with alleged irregularities in the withdrawal of the Delhi Excise Policy implemented by the AAP government last year.
Nair’s inclusion in the list has led to speculation as to what role a former music manager might play in the functioning of a political party, but several AAP sources claim that he has been a valuable collaborator and behind the scenes for years. have been advisors.
“We see you as a political startup. It is not just Congress or any other political party like BJP. In this way, Vijay (Nair) brings forth new things,” said an AAP functionary on condition of anonymity.
“He has ideas, he has social capital, and he has skills that other close advisors to the CM do not have. He himself prefers to work in the shadows. That’s his style. The party never had a problem with it. With his skills, he is also a brand in his own right,” said the AAP leader.
ThePrint reached out to AAP’s media team for comment on Nair’s role in the party, but did not get revert.
read also, ‘Undue advantage to licensees, loss to exchequer’: What CBI’s excise FIR says on Sisodia and others
An entertainment ‘game-changer’
In 2002, Nair, 18, dropped out of the Bachelor of Commerce program at Sydenham College in Mumbai. same year, he Only Much Louder (OML.) Founded,A company focused on live music entertainment, artist management and show booking.
As of 2014, OML’s net worth was estimated at US$10 million, The company is known for conceptualizing major events such as NH7 Weekender, which became the largest live indie music festival in the country.
As an artist management company, OML had top bands such as Pentagram. Its live events included names ranging from AR Rahman and Raghu Dixit to Norah Jones and DJ David Guetta. This produced a musical series called . is called Devarist for mtv india
“At one point, people in the indie music industry started calling him (Nair) a game changer,” an official at a leading event management company said on the condition of anonymity. “He is one of the key figures in the independent music scene in India.”
By 2015, OML had expanded its footprint into new domains including stand-up comedy, theatre, events with media outlets, and online/TV content. The company gave AIB’s roast shows a big push, hosting three shows by internationally acclaimed comedian Russell Peters in India, and partnered with comedian and actor Vir Das’s Verdas Comedy for a celebration.
In 2018, when the #MeToo movement was at its peak in India, Nair was embroiled in controversy. in November 2018 Caravan ran A news story based on first-person accounts of the women he worked with. The company later released Statement Denying the allegations. The same statement also claimed that Nair had left OML about six months before the allegations surfaced.
Where was it appropriate to work with you?
According to AAP sources, Nair had first started organizing fundraising campaigns for the party in 2014.
A former AAP functionary who had worked with Nair said, “He (Nair) easily got a lot of actors for fundraising events and it helped the party a lot.”
The party, then two years old, was born out of an anti-corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare in 2011. In 2014, Kejriwal stepped down as the Chief Minister of Delhi within 49 days after forming the government with the support of the Congress. In the same year, he contested the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2015, the AAP made a comeback, winning the Delhi state elections with an overwhelming majority of 67 out of 70 seats, and in the years to come, Nair’s bond with the party’s top leadership reportedly strengthened.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, party insiders claim, Nair was more deeply involved with AAP’s activities, especially those related to media management, conceptualizing Kejriwal’s roadshow formats and fundraising.
“It was a crucial time. AAP was preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and needed new campaign strategies to appeal to the people.
Even though AAP lost all seven seats in Delhi, Nair’s performance did not go unnoticed – he found many admirers within the party and the eldest among them was Kejriwal himself, the party functionary said.
In October 2019, Caravan informed of On how Nair was working with you.
In that report, AAP spokesperson Atishi, who eventually became an MLA, was quoted as saying that Nair is working as a part-time volunteer of the party and does “ad-hoc work” in social media and organizing party events. We do.
On Wednesday, ThePrint reached out to Atishi via a phone call and a text message, asking in what capacity Nair has joined AAP, but has not yet responded.
‘AAP’s communication strategy was the brainchild of Nair’
As the AAP began preparations for the February 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Nair’s plate was full, as a former AAP functionary was quoted earlier: “He did the same things as media management, digital campaigns and money A free hand was given to him, but with much more and on a much larger scale. ,
When AAP emerged victorious in the 2020 Delhi elections, once again with a majority, and formed the government, it first changed its media response strategy.
The party’s previous media consultant’s contract had expired and a whole new team was formed. The spokespersons were asked not to comment on major issues at a personal level with journalists and confine themselves to press conferences at the party office.
Separate coordination teams were set up for English and Hindi media outlets, with two former journalists appointed as nodal officers. Under the new protocol, journalists who had queries will have to approach the concerned nodal media officer, who will get an approved response from the top leadership and their advisors.
“This strategy was completely the brainchild of Vijay Nair,” said another former AAP functionary who has worked with Nair. “The old system of briefing the media on the background of larger issues, policies, legalities and the technology surrounding them, was either on record or off the record. Now the party and the government had two easy choices: either respond or ignore. Doing.
Since February 2022, Nair has been managing AAP’s entire communications arm – including digital campaigns, fundraising, media strategy, social media and other weapons – in Delhi and all other states where you try to expand your footprint. doing, ThePrint learned.
However, he remains in the shadows. He has no official position in either the AAP governments or the party, a current and a former AAP functionary told ThePrint.
“He is skilled at diversification and has beaten everyone else in the game. He is also very particular about being in a position to make decisions. Thus, the news about her role in Aapka is no more surprising to those who have followed her career path,” said a music journalist from Bangalore, who has mentored Nair since the inception of OML. is tracked.
While Nair’s name has cropped up in relation to the liquor policy, he has contributed significantly to several other flagship initiatives of the AAP, including an electric vehicle policy, a startup policy and an entrepreneurship programme. business blasters Which, in Party’s own words, takes inspiration from the popular TV show shark TankSources said.
What has the CBI accused Nair of?
The CBI FIR stated that Nair was “actively involved in irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) for the year 2021-22”.
the agency Guilty Nair to act as a conduit in enabling financial transactions involving bureaucrats and players in the liquor industry in relation to the liquor policy of the AAP government.
On August 19 and 20, when the CBI raided several places in Delhi-NCR and other cities, they could not locate Nair. It was later revealed that he was not in India.
Nair again released a Statement He said he would cooperate with the ongoing investigation and had not fled the country, as was claimed. “I have been abroad for some personal work for the past few weeks. I haven’t done anything wrong. So, there is no question of my running away,” he said, but did not reveal his location.
During a press conference on August 21, reporters asked Sisodia about Nair and his association with the AAP. But he did not question Nair.
In an interview on the same day, when Indian Express Asked him about Nair’s affiliation with the party, Sisodia said: “It is not about Vijay Nair. Their intention is to send all the people associated with Kejriwal to jail… let them investigate. All these are under investigation now.”
(Edited by Aswari Singh)