The Hindu : Govt. bungles again in appointments to boards

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 09, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Govt. bungles again in appointments to boards

By A. Jayaram

Bangalore Dec. 8. It is not for the first time the Government has made a hash of the appointment of Congress leaders and workers as chairmen of the various boards and corporations.

Following opposition from some of his Cabinet colleagues and party leaders, the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, has stayed the appointment of 16 party members as chairpersons of the various boards and corporations.

Mr. Krishna had only cleared their names, and the formal announcement of the appointments had not been made when the stay was issued.

It is a repetition of what happened in September 2001 when 12 party members were rewarded similarly.

The Chief Minister later stayed the appointment of Arthur D'Costa as Chairman of the Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation, and C. Chandrappa as Chairman of the Karnataka Leather Industry Development Corporation. At that time, the Minister for Health, Family Welfare, and Information, Kagodu Thimmappa, and others had complained that Mr. D'Souza was a member of the Janata Dal. There were complaints that Mr. Chandrappa was a member of the BJP. However, the Chief Minister allowed them to function as chairpersons of the two corporations, and Mr. Thimmappa reconciled himself to Mr. D'Souza's appointment.

Tenancy in jail

What has been an embarrassment for the Government is that one of those chosen as chairman has a history of tenancy in jail, and that he was a lieutenant of a notorious rowdy, M.P. Jairaj, who was killed by a rival gang in the early 1980s. The appointment of such a person is enough commentary on the "police report'', which is called for every time such an appointment is made.

Among the ministers who have opposed particular appointments are stated to be Dharam Singh (Public Works), H.K. Patil (Water Resources), and D.B. Chandre Gowda (Law and Parliamentary Affairs). The senior MP and former Railway Minister, C.K. Jaffer Sharief, too is stated to have been critical of some of the selections.

The opposition related to the appointment of Bisle Gowda of Kolar as Chairman of the Hutti Gold Mines, the former MP, D.M. Putte Gowda as Chairman of the Malnad Development Board, Vasudev as Chairman of the Film Industry Development Corporation, Obeidullah Sharief as Chairman of the Minorities Commission, and Aathi Ranganath as Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents. A faux pas was committed in the appointment of Babu Anvekar as Chairman of the North-Western Road Transport Corporation. It was realised that the corporation already had a chairman!

Besides the ministers, the co-Chairman of the Backward Classes Cell of the KPCC, L.R. Ananth, too had criticised the appointments on the ground that senior and loyal party workers had been ignored as also members of the neglected backward classes.

He had opposed the appointment of former MPs and ministers and office-bearers of the KPCC as chairpersons. He had noted that Mr. Putte Gowda is a vice-president of the KPCC, and Mr. Govindaraj (appointed Chairman of Powerloom Development Corporation) a PCC General Secretary.

Blame is being laid in party circles on the Urban Development Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, for the selection of the wrong persons. Though there was a committee of ministers consisting of K.H. Ranganath, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Dharam Singh, Mr. H.K. Patil, Motamma, and also Mr. Shivakumar, the last named bypassed the others in the appointments, it is alleged.

It may be mentioned here that there is no public interest involved in the appointment of Congress workers as chairmen of boards and corporations. Over the decades, governments, irrespective of the party, have been involving the party workers in the "power sharing process'' through such appointments.

A tradition

The tradition was set in a small way in the 1950s. Bangalore-based Congressmen were appointed chairmen of the City Improvement Trust Board. A prominent party leader, A. Bheemappa Naik, was appointed Chairman of the Housing Board.

But at that time, there were only a few government boards and corporations. They mushroomed in the 1970s, and were set up to attract funds from financial institutions. As Chief Minister, D. Devaraj Urs appointed many Congress members to the newly created boards and corporations. Today, there is a farcical side to such appointments. Industries, which are on the verge of closure or non- functional, such as the once prestigious NGEF and Mysore Lamp Works, have been given chairmen instead of being revived.

Mr. Krishna has, so far, rightly resisted pressures from party workers for appointments to boards and corporations. He has noted that adequate representation has not been given to them at various levels. Mr. Krishna has not heeded the warning that the party might have to pay a heavy price in the next general elections if it "neglected' the workers.

He might now have to review the policy of making such appointments.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Govt. bungles again in appointments to boards

S. Ramesh is KFCC President

Talk of new party premature: Siddaramaiah