Dalit politics: Cong picks Maya bugbear as SC panel head
Express news service Posted online: Thu Oct 14 2010, 05:39 hrs
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati's bete noire P L Punia has been
appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
The post had been lying vacant since the term of Buta Singh ended five
months ago.
A retired IAS officer who is now a Congress MP, Punia confirmed he had
received a communication from the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday,
"appointing me Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled
Castes from the date I take charge". He said he will take over on
October 15. As an IAS officer, Punia had served Mayawati thrice as her
principal secretary and was one of her trusted officers. Relations
between them turned sour during the investigation of the Taj Heritage
Corridor case by the CBI.
After his retirement in 2005, Punia joined the Congress and contested
the Assembly elections from Fatehpur in 2007, but Mayawati put in all
efforts to ensure his defeat.
However, in the Lok Sabha elections held last year, Punia had the last
laugh when he was elected from Barabanki with a record margin. Rahul
Gandhi himself had addressed a rally in Barabanki.
Punia's appointment as chairman of the commission is the next logical
step in the Congress strategy to build him up as the Dalit face of the
Congress to counter Mayawati, who has openly criticised him in her
public speeches and had even called him "a traitor".
The post is equivalent in rank to a cabinet minister. None of the
Congress ministers from Uttar Pradesh, including those who have been
in the party for decades, enjoys cabinet rank. Punia said his priority
would be to examine the utilisation of funds under the special
component plan, which is meant for the welfare of Dalits.
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