By Saif Ahmad Khan,
The Indian polity is often characterized as corrupt, communal and chaotic primarily because of large scale prevalence of money and muscle power in regards to electoral politics which is also coupled with hate mongering and loose talk. Irrespective of who is ruling at the Centre or the states and irrespective of the media hullabaloo be it concerning Arvind Kejriwal or Narendra Modi, it is a matter of fact that politics continues to be perceived as a dirty entity by a majority of Indians.
This perception won’t change easily even as we welcome so called “ache din” as popularized by the Modi campaign during the 16th Lok Sabha Elections. The reason why I say so is because Modi’s coterie as also his cabinet are reflective of certain features which have become synonymous with our political structure. Modi’s very own Amit Shah, Former Minister of State for Home Affairs in Gujarat, can be a case in point. The man who is being praised by pundits on our television screens as the “Man of the Match” in regards to the recently concluded General Elections for fetching the NDA a record 70+ seats in Uttar Pradesh is an exceptionally notorious figure accused of carrying out fake encounter killings. The media is now abuzz with reports of Shah ascending to the top of the BJP leadership courtesy Rajnath Singh’s acceptance of the Home Ministry in “Modi Sarkar”.
The question which needs to be answered by the Prime Minister is that how does he plan on altering the dubious image of politicians in the minds of young Indians, a very significant part of his votebank, when his closest aide happens to be accused of carrying out such criminal activities? It is indeed praiseworthy on the part of Mr Modi to have avoided the entry of Mr Shah as also political dynasts in his cabinet but can he justify his closeness to him at a time when he is claiming to reform the shape of governance in India?
Some might claim that the clean chit provided by the CBI to Amit Shah in May 2014 in regards to the Ishrat Jahan Case is a proof of his innocence but then the question still remains about his role in the SnoopGate? Another noteworthy development has been the appointment of Smriti Zubin Irani as the HRD Minister of India. Just as Shah is acclaimed for his astute organizational skills, Irani too has been really impressive as a spokesperson of the saffron outfit. She has a been a fierce defendant of Mr Modi (although in 2004 she even sat on brief dharna demanding his resignation) and the replies which she gave to Mr Rahul Kanwal of the India Today Group during one television interview was particularly liked by the NaMo brigade on social media.
However, despite the fact that Irani brought down Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin in Amethi substantially, there does not appear to be a single reason which makes her fit to preside over the HRD Ministry. Firstly, her electoral performance in Amethi benefitted greatly because of the Modi wave rather than her own groundwork in the region. Secondly, with no administrative experience whatsoever, how can she be expected to be a good choice for being the Education Minister of the country, a post which has been held by the likes of BJP stalwart Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Kapil Sibal, her rival from the Chandi Chowk Lok Sabha Constituency during the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections?
However, the most worrying thing which has come to light concerning Irani is her educational qualification. It is obviously not imperative to have a degree from the Ivy League to become an efficient Cabinet Minister but Irani has had regular educational experience only till Class 12. Can such a person with no real administrative and educational background be entrusted with the responsibility of fixing education in this country? The previous HRD Minister Dr Pallam Raju held a doctorate and MBA degree, his deputy Dr Tharoor also held a doctorate and Master’s in Law & Diplomacy from Tufts University. Sibal is a product of Harvard and Dr Joshi of Allahabad University. The larger point is that the HRD Ministry has always rested with either a political heavyweight or a person with a strong educational background, Irani is neither. Mr Modi should have at least tried to hand over the reins of the Education Ministry to an educated person.
By making Irani the HRD Minister, Modi has tried to show the political players within the BJP that his loyalists will dominate the Government. Such an appointment seems to dissuade “meritocracy” and promote “Modi-cracy”. With Irani as its HRD Minister, it will be interesting to see how the BJP achieves its manifesto objectives of spending 6% of GDP on education and restructuring of the University Grants Commission into a Higher Education Commission besides setting up an AIIMS-like institute in every state.
(Writer is a student of journalism at the University of Delhi and regulatory contributes articles to several news portals.)