It was an opportunity for Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to leave a lasting legacy. Instead, he finds himself in a face-off with governor Vajubhai Vala in which his chances of walking away the winner appear very slim. Just before the new year, Siddaramaiah sent seven names to the governor for appointment to the scandal-ridden Karnataka Public Service Commission. The infusion of new blood, a chairman and six members, was large enough to cleanse the system. But the chief minister’s choices were widely criticised. The rap against his pick for the top post, former Legislative Council chairman V R Sudarshan, is that he is an active politician. Several others are accused of various misdemeanours and malfeasances.
In all the cases, their caste and proximity to Congress politicians seem to have been prime considerations in their selection. The governor returned the file with a long note. He asked for vigilance reports, attested by the Lokayukta, on all the nominees. He is also said to have objected to the appointment of people with political affiliations, citing court observations. The government immediately said the information sought by the governor would be provided but stood by its candidates. Let’s leave the legal technicalities aside for a minute.
While a government should have freedom of choice in making such appointments, it isn’t too much to expect it to follow good practices. While some demands being made by Opposition parties are hilarious, the government has ignored even the recommendations of an expert group it had set up to revamp the KPSC. What the votaries of AHINDA politics appear to have failed to realise is that having good, honest men and women—whatever their caste—at the helm of the commission would also help minorities, backward castes and dalits. With reservations mandated by law, good commissioners would just ensure the best and the brightest are selected for key government jobs.
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