Jairam Ramesh moves privilege motion against Culture Minister Kishan Reddy

Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha says legal requirements for appointment of National Monuments Authority chair not met

A file picture of G. Kishan Reddy

Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy over the appointment of former MP Tarun Vijay as the chairperson of the National Monuments Authority, a post for which, Mr. Ramesh said, Mr. Vijay was not qualified.

In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu ahead of the winter session of Parliament from November 29, Mr. Ramesh cited a section of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 that says the chairperson of the NMA should have “proven experience and expertise in the field of archaeology, country and town planning, architecture, heritage, conservation architecture or law….”

The Congress leader wrote that for the first time, the government had appointed a chairperson whose educational and professional background does not meet the requirements of law passed by Parliament in March 2010.

“That the appointee is a former MP is irrelevant and makes no difference whatsoever. I would like to move a privilege motion against the Union Minister of Culture in this regard for wilfully disregarding the provisions of law passed by Parliament. He has, in fact, made a mockery of this law,” Mr. Ramesh wrote.

When asked why he had raised the matter now, given that Mr. Vijay was appointed to the post in 2019, Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu that it had been a “failure of due diligence” on his part and “reflected the failure of the media covering the Culture Ministry to be vigilant.”

He noted that the post of chairperson of NMA, which was established in 2010, had been occupied by “noted academics with solid credentials”, Himanshu Prabha Ray and Susmita Pande.

Journalist by profession

Mr. Vijay had been a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2010 to 2016 and his profile on the House website says he is a journalist and writer by profession, having served as the chief editor of the RSS magazine Panchjanya for about two decades. He holds a “B.A.” degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, the profile says.

When reached for response, Mr. Vijay declined to comment, saying he was busy and that the matter pertained to the Minister.

Mr. Reddy took over the Culture portfolio from Prahlad Singh Patel after the Cabinet expansion in July last.