Ashok Vajpeyi responds to CBI inquiry into Lalit Kala Akademi

Shock, disbelief, anger and amusement have greeted the Union Minister of State for Cutlure Dr Mahesh Sharma’s disclosure that the department had sought in July this year a CBI inquiry into irregularities in the Lalit Kala Akademi during the chairmanship of Ashok Vajpeyi between 2008 and 2011.

Ashok Vajpeyi told NH that he had not received any notice either from the Lalit Kala Akademi or any inquiry committee, said to have been chaired by retired IAS officer D P Sinha.

“The Akademi has not asked me for any detail, nor has the ministry or the CBI. I found out about the matter from a news report and then I read that the matter was referred to the CBI in July. I really do not know what the charges are and I can only respond to what I have read.” he said.

“As the chairperson I was entitled to certain perks, which includes House Rent Allowance (HRA), even if I lived in a personal flat; a chauffeur-driven car and reimbursement of mobile bills. I did not take any of this. I was the chairman for 44 months. If one were to calculate the amount that I saved for the Lalit Kala Akademi during this period, it would amount to ₹ 15 lakhs,” said an amused Vajpeyi..

According to protocol, the chairman of the Lalit Kala enjoys the status of a state minister, but the person is neither an employee of Government of India or the Akademi. It is an honorary post with no payment and half of the perks, he did not accept, he pointed out. Vajpeyi added that since he was not an employee, rules for government employees did not apply to him.

“If I had to elaborate about the Venice Biennale, the government was involved from the very beginning and it was for the first time that an India pavilion was created in 2011. It was opened by the secretary of culture, J Sarkar. The whole ministry, even the minister of culture, Kumari Selja, had seen the presentation of our plans for the Venice Biennale. Ranjit Hoskote, who was the curator, had made the presentation. The entire Biennale was funded by the Ministry of Culture. It cost more than ₹2 Crore,” he recalled.

“I am making these conjectures, because I really do not know what the charges are. I am only made to guess. One of the charges I have seen is that I combined business with pleasure during the trips. I made three trips to Venice. The first time was in 2009, because it was the first Biennale after I took over. I went there to check what kind of art is being showcased, whether India could have a pavilion. It was then that I initiated the conversation. Then, I went for a recce of the location after we had decided to be on board. Then we went for the inauguration. My wife had accompanied me to the inauguration. I paid for her travel by cheque. They have then stated that I did not fly Air India, but British Airways. At least then, Air India wasn’t flying to Venice,” added Vajpeyi.

“Where is the charge of misappropriation? If at all they felt I was not following rules, officials would surely have pointed them out then,” wondered Vajpeyi aloud.

“Incidentally, after 2011, three Biennales have taken place – 2013, 2015 and 2017 – where India has not participated. This is when finally modern Art in India is getting recognised internationally,” said Vajpeyi.

A well-known writer, poet and critic and a former bureaucrat, Ashok Vajpeyi is known as an efficient arts administrator and was closely associated with the establishment of the art and cultural centre, Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal.

In past few years, he has been vocal against certain policies of the Modi government. He was also among the intellectuals who protested against the cult of violence and returned awards in 2015 following the murder of senior Kannada writer MM Kalburgi and came out in support of the the right to dissent in a democracy.

On Friday, Union Minister of state for Culture Mahesh Sharma told news agency PTI that the matter was referred to the CBI in July this year. The Akademi had been told to cooperate with the CBI so that the issues regarding former chairmen of the Akademi, Ashok Vajpeyi and KK Chakravarti could be resolved. Earlier, an internal committee had been constituted to look into the complaints of misuse of funds and violation of government’s guidelines in Delhi against the former chairmen of the Akademi.

The minister refuted reports that the CBI was requested to initiate a fresh inquiry in this matter.