Should politicians be kept out of Padma awards?

RTI activist Subhash Agrawal is among those who have questioned the propriety of four politicians being conferred the nation’s second highest civilian award on the eve of the Republic Day this year.

“It was a right decision to keep out money-minting medical practitioners (barring Dr Mukut Miz who operated on MEA Sushma Swaraj), who were not honoured with Padma awards 2017, while it was a usual practice to ‘purchase’ or lobby for these national honours by renowned doctors. But politicians cutting across party-lines bagged four out of seven Padma Vibhushan awards. Even now politicians or their family members should gracefully decline such honours, as has been done this year by family members of former J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed,” said Agrawal.

Eyebrows have been particularly raised over the selection of Maharashtra strongman and Nationalist Congress Party leader (NCP) Sharad Pawar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Murli Manohar Joshi. While the name of one is widely believed to have figured in the NN Vohra Committee’s report in 1993 on the nexus between crime and politics, the other continues to be an accused in the case on the demolition of the Babri masjid. Another accused in the case, LK Advani, was conferred Padma Vibhushan last year.

A peeved Agrawal put two posers to the Government. Were the annexures to the Vohra Committee report considered before conferring the award on politicians, he asked. He also wondered if the proposals had been cleared by Intelligence agencies.

It is worth recalling that annexures to the Vohra Committee were never disclosed by the Government. In 2012 the Supreme Court had concurred with the Government that disclosure of the 100 pages of annexures would not be in public interest. But the Chief Information Commission (CIC) had directed the Government to disclose it. The Government had then claimed that the annexures were not to be found.

Reminded, the RTI activist retorts with a chuckle that NN Vohra continues to be the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir and all that the Government needed to do was to consult him in Srinagar.

Inclusion of Sharad Pawar in the list is widely seen as a political move to build bridges between the ruling BJP and the NCP. With the Shiv Sena breaking away with the BJP in Maharashtra, BJP would be looking for an ally in the state. Moreover, with the Presidential election due later this year, BJP would like to garner support of as many parties as possible.

Not too long ago Prime Minister Modi had described the NCP as a ‘Naturally Corrupt Party’, observers pointed out.

Murli Manohar Joshi’s inclusion is similarly attributed to political motives ahead of the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. Besides placating the sulking leader, it is believed to be aimed at wooing Brahmins in the state.

Ironically, guidelines laid down for selection of people for the Padma awards, as mentioned on the website read “Persons selected for the awards are subjected to verification by the investigating agencies of the Government with a view to ensuring that their character and antecedents are above board.”