Batting for Disability

The controversy over IAS probationer Puja Khedkar ended with her selection to the civil services terminated after she failed to show up at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration following directions to do so. An inquiry into allegations of misrepresentation and manipulation of materials in Khedkar’s application process revealed several irregularities. She is understood to have submitted an incorrect age certificate to exceed the number of attempts to clear the entrance examination than she was eligible for. The income criteria were side-stepped by claiming that Khedkar’s father did not support her and therefore his income could not be taken into account. The disability claim was also found to be flawed. Khedkar’s eagerness to flaunt her ‘IAS’ status attracted attention and resulted in a closer scrutiny of her credentials. Officials in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) are particularly concerned with manipulation of the disability criteria. An examination of past appointments has revealed this to be the most abused ‘pathway’ to the civil services. Candidates try and ‘fail’ sight and colour vision tests, often refusing to accept medical assessments that find them ineligible for disability benefits. The view in government is that the differently abled have shown their ability to handle responsibilities that come with a civil service job. Efforts are being made to ensure genuine candidates are not cheated by people submitting fake claims. In June 2015, Beno Zephine became the first 100 per cent visually challenged person to be inducted into the Indian Foreign Service. At the time, the rules did not permit such an appointment but DoPT Minister Jitendra Singh took up Zephine’s case with then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who lent a sympathetic ear. So the young woman from Chennai, who was eligible to be an IAS officer but wanted to join the foreign service got her dream job. Singh is clear that the disability criteria—expanded to include conditions like autism—will not be restricted even as government institutes like AIIMS remain the last word in assessing the nature and extent of disability.

Vocal for Local

There is no clearer indication that a new election cycle is approaching than the speeches of Maharashtra MPs during a discussion on grants for fisheries and animal husbandry. With party leader Supriya Sule sitting by his side, NCP-Sharad Pawar Ahmednagar MP Nilesh Lanke, who scored a major upset win over the Vikhe-Patil family scion Sujay, spoke at length on issues relating to milk producers, calling for a minimum price that covers costs of around ₹42 a litre. Shiv Sena MP Sandipanrao Bhumre, who represents Aurangabad, sought a milk powder plant in his constituency as he said production is exceeding demand and farmers should not be put to distress after having increased milk production. Arvind Sawant, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) MP from Mumbai South, was even more focused, calling for the reconstruction of a particular sea wall in his constituency which has become laden with silt. Saying his constituents include fisherfolk from areas like Colaba and Cuff Parade, Sawant said heavy rainfall was causing great distress to them. He also called for strict action against illegal “LED fishing”—where bright illumination is used to trap fish—and enforcement of restrictions on certain types of fishing vessels. The Maharashtra Assembly election is fast approaching and parties are aware that local and even micro issues matter more in state polls. Mumbai and its suburbs add up to a handy 36 Assembly seats which the BJP-Shiv Sena combination had swept in 2019. Since then the political scene has witnessed extraordinary fragmentation and no party is taking things for granted.

A Lesson for the Professor

During her reply to the discussion in Lok Sabha on the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reserved special mention for senior TMC MP Saugata Roy who had made a disparaging reference to the minister’s lack of an Oxbridge pedigree unlike former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had held the finance portfolio in the PV Narasimha Rao government. She asked the MP whether he had bothered to check the educational qualifications of West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya or indeed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Did Roy think Indian universities like JNU—Sitharaman has an MA and an MPhil in economics from the varsity—were inherently inferior? The vehemence of Sitharaman’s response to Roy’s remarks that she was “bereft of ideas” caught the MP off guard and he did not know what had hit him. He rose from his seat but could hardly utter a word even as other TMC MPs protested the minister’s comments. But they too realised Roy was on decidedly thin ice and instead of trying to defend the indefensible, chose to stage a walkout from the House. It is felt that a likely reason for Roy’s activism—which the minister denounced as male chauvinism—is a desire to make a mark in Parliament. TMC MPs junior to him are seated in the front row and this does seem to rankle.

Business As Usual

After a predictably noisy start, the second half of the Budget Session settled into normal business with few disruptions. This is partly attributable to the initial euphoria in the Opposition ranks over a much-improved result settling down to a more realistic assessment that Modi 3.0 is not facing headwinds from allies it depends on, at least for now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to accept major demands of TDP and JD(U) by way of grants and other funding for developing roads, bridges, irrigation projects and, in the case of Andhra Pradesh, a new capital in the Budget, and finding a fiscal path for the expenditure was well considered. Officials say the prime minister felt there was no need to do things in dribs and drabs and the two allies should be able set the course for their plans right away, providing a positive spin-off for NDA. The swift manner in which the composition of parliamentary standing committees was settled, without elections for their composition, is another pointer to pragmatism prevailing. It was interesting to note that discussions on select ministry-related demands for grants saw a fulsome participation of MPs but the more high-profile ones, often in the news for aggressive speeches and TV bites, were missing as were several senior leaders in the Opposition ranks.

Intruder Alert

Visitors to Parliament need to go through multiple checks before entry, with CISF having taken charge of security. While the process is slightly time-consuming, it is smooth; and a new reception area with several counters makes the issuance of entry passes easier. Questions remain over the parliamentary security service that was previously in charge of security, but arrangements had indeed become somewhat slack allowing two visitors to jump from the viewing gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber carrying coloured gas canisters. The incident has led to stricter scrutiny and its attendant inconveniences for regular visitors, such as journalists, while the self-styled activists face a long time behind bars.

CISFIndian ParliamentNarendra ModiNational PoliticsPuja KhedkarSandipanrao BhumreSaugata Roy