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Journalism of Courage
Attempts by the Petroleum Ministry to cram oil companies’ boards with Congress party workers was abandoned after The Indian Express exposed it last month. But once bitten, the Government, it seems, is never shy.
For, at a time when public-sector banks are facing stiff competition from private banks—domestic and foreign—and can do with all the expertise they can get, the Finance Ministry has appointed seven Congress politicians as independent directors on the boards of six public-sector banks. All for three years.
While both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram are said to be opposed to political postings in PSUs, these appointments have already been notified.
Here’s the list:
• Massarat Shahid: Bank of Baroda. Shahid is general secretary, MP Congress Committee, and a close associate of party general secretary Digvijay Singh. She contested MP Assembly elections from Sironj and resides in Bhopal.
• Ali Azizi: Bank of Maharashtra. A former member of the Republican Party of India, Azizi joined the Congress in 2001 and was secretary, OBC Department (Other Backward Classes) of the All India Congress Committee.
• Nirmal Khatri: UCO Bank. Khatri is an AICC secretary and a former MP from Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• V M Sudheeran: Union Bank of India. Former Health Minister of Kerala and ex-MP, Sudheeran is a senior Congress leader.
• Pankaj Gopalji Thakkar: Canara Bank. Thakkar’s mother is a former Congress MP from Gujarat. A year ago, he resigned from government service and joined the Congress, helping out in the 2004 general elections. Thakkar resides in Adipur, Kutch.
• Prabha K. Taviad: Bank of India. A doctor from Godhra, she got the Congress ticket for Godhra in April 2004 and lost by 150 votes.
• Shantaben Chavda: Bank of India. She was Gujarat Mahila Congress President. She lost in the 2002 state elections from Rajkot (rural) and is now general secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.
All these appointments were notified by the government through the Banking Division, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Ashok Kumar Jha, Secretary, Department of economic affairs, couldn’t be contacted.
Contacted by The Sunday Express, Vinod Rai, Additional Secretary in the Department of Banking and Insurance, said: ‘‘We always look for people from different walks of life. They may be politicians, agriculturists, industrialists or social workers.’’
How could all these seven appointments have been Congress workers? Said Rai: ‘‘Look at what appointments were made two years ago. (Chances are) you may find a lot of NDA/BJP names.’’
Independent directors get Rs 5,000 per board meeting (the board meets once every 45 days or so). For every sub-committee meeting called by the board, they get Rs 2,500 besides, travel and stay.
