One must feel
sorry for Union Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal.
When Sibal
became Union HRD minister, he brought a new thrust to the ministry at least on
the outset. He talked of expanding the number of education-providers, improving
the quality of education, giving autonomy to colleges/universities. But before
he could bring in that
much-needed change in the education scenario of the country, the party high
command thought Sibal’s calculation skills could be better utilised to
challenge (even if vaguely) the proficiency of the CAG in the infamous 2G
spectrum scam. So, he was given additional charge of Telecom Ministry by Prime
Minister manmohan singh (read SONIA GANDHI).
The next we
heard from Sibal was not on the issue of providing interest subsidy on educational loans
or abolition of Class X board exams. But on how the Comptroller and
Auditor-General (CAG) had been ‘utterly
erroneous’ in his estimation of a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh
crore in the 2G spectrum allocation.
However, by
this time the 2G scam was being investigated by CBI under the supervision of
the apex court and A Raja’s involvement in the lapses was almost certain.
Reacting to
Sibal’s comment, Supreme Court
reprimanded him and asked the Minister to behave with ‘some sense of
responsibility’. Sibal’s reply could well have been: I am behaving responsibly.
After all, this is the responsibility that I have been assigned – to save
Congress’ face in the 2G spectrum scam.
But, Sibal cannot
not even do that. That is why we should feel sorry for him.
When CBI
arrested A Raja and Kapil Sibal was reminded of his comment that ‘2G allocation
had not caused any loss to the country’, the Telecom Minister had nothing to
say. He told media persons to ‘go and ask CBI’.
Now when he is
asked if he is a reluctant telecom minister, Sibal replies – If the prime minister (read SONIA
GANDHI) wants me to do a job, I do it.
Meanwhile,
public education system continues to languish. Statistics, that only half the
children of Class V can read Class II textbooks, is a shame for any government.
We cannot but feel sorry for the public education system.
REMINISCENT NOTE: Excerpts from Rahul Gandhi’s maiden speech in Parliament in 2006 that spun higher education dreams: “I walked to the children in village schools "Beta bade hokar kya bano ge?" The silent stare I got in reply disturbed me. In school after school, I have asked this question and got no answer.
Well.. Mr
Rahul Gandhi will go to villages and find out about the rotten education
system, only to use the anecdotes to pepper his speech in the Parliament.
Mr Gandhi, may
we tell you – your silence is more disturbing than the child who could not
answer: Beta bada hokar kya banoge?
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