‘Why is NTA chief untouched?’ Congress' fresh attack after UPSC chairman quits
Jairam Ramesh alleged PM Modi had brought one of his favorites as a member of the UPSC in 2017, but had to be ‘nudged’ out in view of the controversy.
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday accused the BJP-led Centre of damaging Constitutional bodies and questioned why the government has not taken action against the National Testing Agency (NTA) chairman.
“The sanctity, character, autonomy, and professionalism of all Constitutional bodies have been badly damaged since 2014. But at times even the self-anointed non-biological PM is forced to say enough in enough," said Jairam Ramesh in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Congress leader alleged that Prime Minister Modi had brought one of his favorites as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2017, but had to be ‘nudged’ out in view of the controversy.
His dig at the PM was in light of Manoj Soni, the chairman of the UPSC, who tendered his resignation from the post five years before his tenure was supposed to end.
In his resignation letter, Soni said that he is stepping down from the post due to “personal reasons.” Soni took oath as the chairman of the UPSC on May 16, 2023, and his term was to end on May 15, 2029.
His resignation comes at a time when a criminal case has been lodged against trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and her family members by UPSC for allegedly faking her identity to avail more attempts for the Union Public Service Commission examination.
“Mr. Modi brought in one of his favourite ‘academics’ from Gujarat as a UPSC member in 2017 and made him Chairman in 2023 with a six year term. But this so-called distinguished gentleman has now resigned five years before the expiry of his term,” said Jairam Ramesh.
He added, “Whatever the reasons that may be given, it appears clear that he had to be nudged out given the current controversy in which the UPSC is involved. Many more such characters have populated the system. Why is the Chairman of the NTA untouched so far, for example?"