Making political appointments is the State Government’s prerogative.But unlike the previous ND Tiwari regime or the Ramesh Pokhriyal-led BJP regime, the present Harish Rawat Government has cleverly kept these political appointments a low profile.
It may be recalled that the issue of political appointments always remained in the thick of things in the previous ND Tiwari and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank regimes because such appointments were made on large scale .
Interestingly, exercise of honouring party workers continues even in the present Harish Rawat-led dispensation with the figure crossing 100 mark, as the state Congress party sources said.
But this time around, the present establishment has made it a low profile matter only to avoid public criticism. Such appointments spawn huge burden on thepublic exchequer, though the same come in handy for the partyleadership to keep the party rank and file in the right combative spirit.
The State Government has been following the policy of appointing party leaders in differentGovernment bodies at intervals. Keeping in view the party workers demand for honouring 'honest' partyworkers, the State Government appointed a senior partyactivist Tara Dutt Pandey from Haldwani as vice chairman of the seniorcitizen welfare council in May last, raising the tally of appointmentsof party's and activists in different positions in the Government to more than100. Now a Congress party activist, Vipin Sanwal, has recently beenappointed as director of the Uttarakhand Silk Federation withoutgiving it much publicity.
More so, as the state Congress party insiders informed that more such appointments are in the offing with manyconstitutional positions remaining vacant in different Government runcouncil and committees.
When asked whether the Harish Rawat Government would also make large scale appointments as the previousregimes did, the state Congress leaders here are of the view thatthese political appointments are being made keeping in view capabilities of the party activists.
Demand for accommodating party activists in different positions in the government started gaining ground soon after the Congress came to power in Uttarakhand in early 2012.
Though some political appointments were made even in the Vijay Bahuguan regime, keeping in view the sentiments of the party workers, Chief Minister Harish Rawathas already got the sanction of the party’s central leadership for such appointments.