Unhappy over the inclusion of human rights activist Binayak Sen in the Steering Committee on Health by the Planning Commission, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his government's decision of not to participate in the panel's meetings.
“I am constrained and pained to take a decision to not to attend any Planning Commission meeting till this matter is resolved,” the Chief Minister has said while seeking Dr. Singh's intervention in reviewing the decision.
In a letter written to Dr. Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Planning Commission deputy chairman, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has said the plan panel is the highest policy making body of country. Needless to say, institutional integrity of Planning Commission is of paramount importance. In this backdrop, the nomination of Dr. Binayak Sen who has been convicted for waging war against the State is shocking and against all norms and propriety.
“It is an accepted principle that any person convicted for life imprisonment can not be nominated as a member of any national level forum or committee and there have been no precedents of this kind,” Dr. Raman Singh said.
“Biggest threat”
“As you have declared on many occasions, Left Wing extremism is the biggest threat to internal security and democracy of our country; the decision to take Binayak Sen on this Committee will confound the people at large at this critical juncture when we are fighting a major battle against Left Wing extremism with the help and support of the Union government. It appears strange that no other name in the entire country could be found for nomination in the aforesaid committee. Moreover, the so called contribution of Dr. Binayak Sen to Health Sector has been hugely exaggerated and there is little on ground to support it,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
Dr. Sen has been nominated to the steering committee on health where he will give his input for the 12th Plan period in dealing with malnutrition among children in the tribal areas.
