Modi govt’s knotty 360-degree affair
The Modi government seems to have tied itself in a knot over its contentious 360-degree appraisal process for empanelling bureaucrats to the post of joint secretary and above.
After the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) failed to provide all records of its process and decision-making for the empanelment of Uttarakhand-cadre Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi to the joint secretary post as directed by the Uttarakhand High Court last month, the court Wednesday issued a contempt notice to DoPT secretary Vivek Joshi in the matter. The court has directed the DoPT secretary to respond in a week. The next date of hearing in the case is December 19. Joshi, however, was repatriated to his parent cadre, Haryana, on Saturday by the Centre.
The court’s move followed the contempt petition filed by Chaturvedi against Joshi for failing to provide all the records related to his empanelment. Chaturvedi was denied promotion to the joint secretary post after failing the contentious 360-degree appraisal process in 2022.
The Centre’s growing unease over the Chaturvedi affair is only understandable, say a section of civil servants.
Last October, when Chaturvedi’s case first came up before the Central Administrative Tribunal’s Nainital circuit bench, the Centre, in an affidavit, denied that there is something called a 360-degree system for evaluating bureaucrats. That was a complete U-turn on the informal evaluation system that the Centre started in 2016. Earlier, the government, in response to parliamentary questions, accepted that it had started the system.
Robbin Sharrma’s AIADMK challenge
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is in the final stages of hiring Robbin Sharrma’s Showtime Consultancy firm to help the party in its campaigning for the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election.
Robbin Sharrma, a former director of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the brainchild of ex-poll strategist Prashant Kishor, was instrumental in recreating the Telugu Desam Party’s image and ensuring its victory in the Andhra Pradesh assembly election this year.
After leaving I-PAC in 2017, Robbin Sharrma worked as a campaign manager for Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Later, in November 2019, he started Showtime Consulting and worked for the BJP in Meghalaya during the assembly elections in the state and in Maharashtra during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The notable part about Robbin Sharrma likely signing the deal with the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led AIADMK is that it comes after his former organisation, I-PAC, which was also negotiating with the party, pulled out of any such deal with the party.
As it is, Robbin Sharrma will have a tough task ahead, revitalising a party that seems to be struggling to put up a fight against the ruling DMK.
MVA leader’s big loss
Before filing election affidavits, all politicians make a beeline to clear any pending dues for not having to declare them as ‘liabilities’ to the Election Commission. One such politician had to pay a hefty bill of over Rs 15 lakh for allegedly overstaying in a government residence in South Mumbai.
A leader from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), he, when the MVA government came to power, decided to get his official residence renovated before moving in. By the time the renovation was over, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, delaying the MVA leader’s move to the newly done-up house. Then, within six or seven months of him shifting there, the MVA government fell, and he had to move houses again.
The entire shifting process reportedly took a few months longer than expected, during which—sources close to him say—the MVA leader got oral approval from the state public works department to extend his stay for a bit. However, the department never put it in writing and, on a fine day, generated an expensive invoice.
The MVA leader’s team cleared it only 3-4 days ago, when, needless to say, it was time to make a list of assets and liabilities for the affidavit.
Standing committee members’ poll dilemma
With the assembly elections coming up in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, attendance in standing committee meetings has dropped as members are busy campaigning for the BJP and the Congress, among other parties. Not only the MPs from the two states but also the MPs from the neighbouring states are missing out on the standing committee meetings due to their involvement in the election campaigns.
Only some Rajya Sabha members or those who, so far, have not been assigned any party work are still attending the meetings, while the others miss out on key briefings. For instance, the external affairs standing committee meeting held on Friday saw the foreign secretary briefing members about the status of the war Israel is waging in Gaza and the progress made in India-China talks.
However, many members remained absent due to their “election duties”. They include Rajya Sabha MP Kavita Patidar, who the BJP has made the incharge of a few seats in Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh MP Vijay Baghel, who the BJP has deputed to Jharkhand. Also absent was Brijendra Singh Ola, the Congress MP from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, who is busy campaigning for his son for the Jhunjhunu bypolls necessitated after Ola’s election to the Lok Sabha.
Jagdambika Pal, the chairman of the joint parliamentary committee, called a meeting next week and proposed a five-day trip to meet stakeholders in different cities. However, the committee members have asked her to spare them from any such trip, citing the hectic election campaigns.
On the other hand, MP from Shiv Sena Arvind Sawant, who is also campaigning in Maharashtra, attended the external affairs standing committee meeting Friday.
The other exceptions include BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who, despite party work in Jharkhand, came to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting Thursday before returning to Jharkhand.
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