I may not have a Utopian view of politics today but my idealism has not been blunted," states 29-year-old Milind Deora, after two years of swimming in the realpolitik of Parliament. He is the new face of the Congress: young, urbane, western educated, vocal and bursting with optimism. One of the privileged brigade that has inherited politics as a legacy, Milind, nevertheless, entered the corridors of power through the heat and dust of elections, after taking on BJP stalwart, Jaywantiben Mehta, in the prosperous constituency of South Mumbai.

His eyes sparkle as he recalls his first day in that impressive, circular building. What struck me is that this is the only piece of land where the whole of India can be seen at once. Nowhere else will you see someone in a Rajasthani saafa, another in a Tamil Nadu veshti and yet another in the traditional outfit of Assam…." He, himself, wore an unassuming trouser and shirt.

"I am more grounded today. Now I know how things happen; I have a better understanding of issues and how to tackle them," continues the young parliamentarian, sitting in a modest cubicle of his family office in Mumbai, devoid of hangers-on or intimidating security men. One of the issues he believes in, passionately, is 'The Right To Information' (RTI). Inexperience notwithstanding, he initiated the parliamentary debate on it soon after stepping into the august portals of the Lok Sabha, and in October 2005 the 'RTI' became an Act. However, he is no longer all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about it. So, though he still thinks the Act is a revolutionary one with the power to transform India from an indirect, representative democracy to a direct, participatory one, he is open to the Act being amended to exclude file notings from its ambit. "I would certainly not want the Act to be diluted or made toothless," he emphasises, "but, at the same time, the issue of file notings can be debated. There is a very fine line between transparency and ensuring that bureaucrats have a degree of freedom to take decisions. When even the President is concerned about this, it is only fair that we give it some thought."

"What I've learnt is that you have to push for change fast but you can't expect this to happen on the basis of your views and fancies. India is a democracy and you have to take people along with you. I may get stuck on an issue and have an opinion on it but a lot of people may not agree with me. I must understand their point of view as well." Words of wisdom from a product of consensus politics!

For someone who was not raised to enter public life ("We were brought up to go abroad for higher studies and then join the family business. My mother, in fact, was not at all in favour of me joining politics."), this son of veteran politician, Murli Deora, has certainly learnt the ropes fast and is making himself heard on a regular basis. Apart from the landmark RTI Act, he intervened for the creation of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which recently released a large amount of money for the development of Mumbai. Ask this staunch Mumbaikar whether mere funds are the answer to this haphazardly-run city's problems or if larger budgets can ensure sustainable standards of repairs and development, and he is frank enough to agree that funds should not be granted without accountability. "I've been seeing it repeatedly. Allocating funds to the city is like pouring water in a bucket with a hole. But the JNNURM has introduced checks and balances to plug this hole. Not just for Mumbai, wherever funds are released, an appraisal is made of the concerned city's previous projects before granting further funds. It's a reform-based mission. The state governments will have to, therefore, do more than come to the Centre with a begging bowl."