Madhya Pradesh government sets up inquiry against BJP MP Rakesh Sinha

Rakesh Sinha has been a familiar figure on TV channels, seen righteously espousing the cause of the RSS and zealously defending the BJP and the Modi Government. It came as no surprise when he was rewarded by the Government with a nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

But the ‘good Professor’, to borrow a phrase used often by BJP leaders, allegedly imbibed the ‘Congress culture’ when he accepted appointment as Assistant Professor of the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication at its Noida campus.

But then he did not bother to visit the campus even once or, for that matter, engage any class. That is the complaint received by the present Vice Chancellor of the university, Deepak Tiwari.

“yes, I have been informed that he was on deputation and we are enquiring into the details of his stay in the university because there have been some complaints against him.” He allegedly drew a salary of ₹6.6 lakh from the University in the six months of his deputation.

Sinha, when contacted, denied the charges and threatened to sue if the charges were published.

“As per the deputation rules, I was not supposed to take classes,” he told National Herald and went on to say, “I fulfilled each and every condition of the deputation and spent enough time in the university including visiting the Bhopal campus.”

Curiously, he went on to claim, “As per rules I had to spend at least six hours on campus in a month and I did that.”

Sinha in fact claimed over the phone that he had visited the university’s Bhopal campus and spent a day there but did not charge any TA or DA from the university. He did not explain why.

But he alleged that the university was guilty of not paying him adequate salary and also of making unwarranted deductions.

The reason why

Sinha was serving as Assistant Prof of Political Science at the Nehru Evening College, Delhi when he was appointed by the MCU in September, 2017 on deputation for six months.

MCU sources conceded that Sinha was appointed because of his association with the RSS and with the blessings of the then MCU vice chancellor B K Kuthiyala.

“The reason behind Sinha’s deputation to Noida campus was Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. The offices of news channels and the University’s Noida campus are located in the same area. To ensure his hassle-free participation in TV debates, the RSS asked the MCU VC to appoint him on deputation to Noida till the elections were over,” confided a senior university official in Bhopal, requesting anonymity.

On July 14, 2018, Rakesh Sinha was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind on the advice of the Prime Minister's office. Soon thereafter, he joined the BJP.

Anti-Hindutva and pro-Hindu newspapers

On a fellowship from MCNUJC, he authored a book ‘Political Journalism’ which was later published by Prabhat Prakashan.

In the book, he classified Indian Newspapers on their pro-Hindu bias. In the process of doing so, he declared Hindustan Times, Indian Express, The Statesmen, The Telegraph, Jansatta and Asian Age as anti-Hindutva and anti-RSS. The Hindu is also described as pro-left.

Reacting to reports that a committee had been constituted to investigate the charges, Sinha bristled, “I will bring a privilege motion in the House against the probe committee because it is defaming me.”

The book, he claimed, was written after deep research and the analysis of the newspapers was based on a thorough empirical study, he claimed.