Floor test looming, Kamal Nath govt makes slew of appointments

The government has also appointed two members of the state Public Services Commission (PSC) and the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulatory Commission (MPPURC).

Besides, there have been a slew of transfers, including those of IAS, IPS and state services officers, after the Nath government realised this month it had a rebellion on its hands.

Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath with Governor Lalji Tandon at the Assembly, in Bhopal. (PTI)

While the honorarium given to chairpersons and members of the commissions is not high, varying from Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000, there are incentives like a huge office, government accommodation or rent, vehicles and staff. Ministerial status is an added attraction.

However, members of the PSC draw around Rs 2 lakh per month, and the chairman of MPPURC draws around Rs 2.17 lakh per month, in addition to other perks.

Even as the Opposition BJP called on Governor Lalji Tandon to scrap the appointments made by “a minority government”, the Congress on Wednesday granted the status of cabinet minister and minister of state on some appointees. However, speculation remains that the Governor could throw a spanner in the works.

Those who have been appointed to various bodies include the following:

* Shobha Oza, 55, was made chairperson of the state women’s commission, a post lying vacant for over a year. Oza was once the Mahila Congress chief and the in-charge of media cell of the Pradesh Congress Committee. A post graduate, she unsuccessfully fought Assembly polls from Indore in 2003 and 2008.

“Posts had to be filled. How would the commission function without the chairperson? There is nothing unethical about the appointment because the government has proved its majority in the past,” she said.

The chairperson’s tenure is for three years.

* Gajendra Rajukhedi, 55, was made chairman of the state ST Commission. A three-time Lok Sabha member from Dhar, he said the BJP’s allegation about the appointments being illegal does not warrant a response. The Congress did well in the tribal-dominated Dhar district, winning six out of the seven seats in the 2018 Assembly elections.

* Dr Anand Ahirwar, 55, was appointed as chairman of state SC Commission. He won the Lok Sabha election from Sagar in 1991, and was the only NSUI activist to get the ticket. He credits the ticket to former PM Rajiv Gandhi. He was in-charge of all Assembly seats in the Bundelkhand region of MP in 2018. Ahirwar, who has a PhD in political science, says he was the youngest member in the 10th Lok Sabha.

The tenure of the chairperson is for three years.

* J P Dhanopia, 60, has been named as the chairperson of the state OBC Commission.

He was the in-charge of the Congress’s legal cell for 10 years, and also served as a spokesperson. He admits the party “did not even give me a councilor’s ticket”, but Kamal Nath was impressed by his work in the organisation and rewarded him. “Many people appointed during BJP rule are still working. The Kamal Nath government is not vindictive,” he said.

The tenure of the chairperson is for three years.

* Ramu Tekam, 32, has been named as a member of the PSC. He had unsuccessfully contested the last general elections from Betul. The president of the youth wing of the MP Adivasi Vikas Parishad, Tekam said, “I will try to do justice to the post because I will have to interview qualified people. I was selected on merit. Why should the BJP be bothered? It’s the CM’s prerogative whether he fills the post after two months or 15 months.”

The tenure of a member is for six years

* Rashid Suhail Siddique, 52, has been named as a member of the PSC. He was former assistant solicitor general and a standing counsel for the Central government. He has never contested any election but was chairman of the Jabalpur Development Authority and general secretary of the state Congress unit for three terms. “I am qualified. When the Cabinet clears something, it’s binding on the Governor. The appointment would have been illegal had it been backdated and made by the government after losing the trust vote. I had applied much before,” he said.

* Alok Chansoria, 59, has been appointed the chairman of MPPURC. He unsuccessfully contested the 1998 general elections from Jabalpur. ‘Nehru’s Literary Works’ was his first book and he cites ‘Emotions of Shakespeare’s Tragedies: An application of Bharatmuni’s Rasa-Bhava theory and Aristotle’s theory of Katharsis on Hamlet and Othello’ as his best work. He has held a number of positions like the chairman of state text book corporation.

The appointment is for six months.

* Abhay Tiwari, the chairman of the Congress IT Cell, has been named chairman of the MP Youth Commission. The BJP has alleged that Tiwari was involved in a criminal case. Tiwari did not respond to multiple phone calls.