I ndians, in general, are conspicuous in not sharing credit where it is due. In our mythology too, the credit for vanquishing Ravana goes to Lord Rama while Ravana’s brother has been portrayed as a betrayer. It is this brother’s actions which fulfilled the purpose of Rama travelling to Lanka. Coming to modern times, a small bunch of young scientists and avionics technocrats working for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) set upon themselves the task of creating for India the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). It took them time and undoubtedly they were creating something that was globally available off-the-shelves for a price of course. Yet, the aircraft would have been a machine of joy for the Indian Air Force (IAF). In came a largely known gentleman that the whole country, till date, reveres as a great scientist. His scientific achievements are still unknown but he successfully delayed the launch of the LCA by more than half a decade, thereby rendering the technology obsolete. This he did just so that the credit for the creation of that fighter aircraft should go to him. And he did succeed in his effort.
Last week, the nation was initially somewhat disturbed with the revelations concerning an IAS trainee, Puja Khedkar. She had submitted a plethora of certificates ranging from physical disability to backwardness of her caste. All these were much later discovered to be fraudulent documents. It is interesting to note here while Puja’s father is a retired Maharashtra state government official, her mother is a Sarpanch. Her father was suspended twice by the Maharashtra government on charges of bribery and corruption and her mother was recently arrested for brandishing a gun at farmers of her panchayat. The sordid saga of this upper caste applicant who submitted fake certificates and appeared a dozen times to clear UPSC examinations demonstrates how far Indian families push themselves in the quest for acquiring government power. Puja’s case brought to the fore the system functioning in the selection of civil services candidates. While a general caste applicant has a limitation of six chances to appear for UPSC by the age of 32, an OBC candidate can appear nine times up to the age of 35 and persons with disabilities can appear nine times till the age of 42. Puja took all the wrong routes and managed to get into the IAS. Three months into training for the service, she demanded a government vehicle with red beacon, official accommodation and requisite staff. Her pressure on lower rung officers raised red flags. This and 21 traffic violations in her personal Audi car that bore a government number plate prompted investigations against her. Acceptably, these were Puja Khedkar’s undoings. Intermission.
The second half of the movie shifts to Manoj Soni. With tremendous political clout in Gujarat, Soni became the youngest Vice Chancellor of MS University. With the Gujarat model metamorphosing into the India model, Manoj was also not left behind in Gujarat but his abilities in the trade were fetched to serve the Union government as the Chairman of Union Public Services Commission (UPSC). The credentials of Soni are also being questioned now. The nation does not know how qualified he was to be a Vice Chancellor or even the UPSC Chairman. Supersession of ineffective officers to make way for a more capable junior to rise and shine is not exclusive to Manoj Soni.
Interestingly, Puja Khedkar’s case seems to have very negatively affected the phenomenal rise in Soni’s career. His resignation from the post of chairmanship loosens a jar of filthy worms. As yet, allegations against Soni are unclear. But it was known that his term was to end in 2029, a full five years away from last week when he put in his papers. That he was very close to the top most politician of the country is now common knowledge. But what prompted him to exit so suddenly has intrigued many and set tongues wagging. Interested parties had been alleging about massive corruption in UPSC but no murmurs about Manoj Soni were heard till he himself fled from the scene. The skeletons in his cupboards will certainly spill out someday but may not be immediate as his higher ups, to save their own skins, will keep his actions under a thick cloak.
Yet, Manoj should not be treated as the subject of this write up. The subject from the beginning was very clearly about Indians not willing to give credit to people whom it is due. Here the credit goes solely and unambiguously to Puja Khedkar and her family who, in their utterly naked greed for power, exposed the stinking underbelly of the UPSC. This central government organization and the processes it follows offers the country its bureaucrats who decide on the quality and pace of development and future of this country in spheres ranging from education, health to law & order and extending to international relations. The benefits of all the credits, therefore, must go to Puja Khedkar.