Kundan Pandey
Philosophers claim that various shades of life enrich it and all its ups and downs to make it beautiful. PJ Thomas, who has experienced many 'ups in life' and might be agree with the notion also. But, now it would be interesting to know his perception about the shades, as he is undergoing an extraordinary phase of his life i.e. 'the second phase'. Credit goes to the Apex Court of India.
The rare stance of Supreme Court has put fourteenth Central Vigilance Commissioner of India PJ Thomas in hot water now days, which he would definitely not be able to forget ever in his life.
When, Thomas was charge-sheeted in Palmolive oil scam, working as the secretary of food and civil supplies department in Kerala, he would not even guessed that it might bring such a huge trouble to him at the juncture, when he is enjoying an apex post .
Now, two players Former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) are continuously endangering his chair of CVC of biggest democracy.
Subsequently, the Apex Court has asked Thomas, why should he not be quashed from the CVC designation and he refused to talk with media, saying the matter is sub-judice. We all are eagerly waiting to see the final result in the case.
In the season of scams, the case of Thomas drew attention, especially due to hue and cry over 2G Scam in which Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai has said, caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 crore of the exchequer.
Thomas was secretary in the department of telecommunication in October 2009 when communication minister A Raja allocated 2G spectrum at an off the cuff price to certain non-players and interestingly, he received the responsibility to probe the biggest scam in the history. Now, viewing the outcry of opposition, he has rescued himself from the ongoing probe of 2G Scam.
He assumed the office on September 6 in which all big personalities participated but Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) boycotted the oath taking ceremony; even when the leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was one of three-member team including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram, who recommended Thomas for the CVC post.
A 1973 batch IAS officer of Kerala Cardre, Thomas has enjoyed a number of significant designations in Kerala government including secretary of finance, Industry, Agriculture, Law and Justice and Human Resource Development. He was the founder director of IIM Kozhikote for six month.
He became Kerala Chief Secretary in 2007 and moved to central government as Parliamentary secretary in 2009 and later became the telecom secretary in Government of India.
He is the successor to incumbent Pratyush Sinha, a 1969 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, who assumed office in September 2006.
Claps for Supreme Court. But it is just another medicine. We need a vaccination against all this so that the energy we are wasting in corruption will go to development. As a good move it has a symbolic significance which should be appreciated!!!
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