NDA’s Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) allegedly cleared the appointment of at least 10 politicians affiliated with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as independent directors on the boards of top public sector companies.
According to an Indian Express report, the list of politicians included BJP Delhi unit vice president Shazia Ilmi, Gujarat IT cell convenor Rajika Kacheria, Gujarat leader Asifa Khan, former BJP MLA candidate from Odisha Surama Padhy and former Bihar MLC Kiran Ghai Sinha.
The politicians were appointed as independent directors on the boards of Navaratna PSUs that include Engineers India Ltd (EIL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and the National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO).
Shazia Ilmi has been appointed as the appointed as an independent director in EIL. Asifa Khan, minority face of BJP in Gujarat, will serve on the board of HPCL.
BJP’s Andhra Pradesh unit Mahila Morcha head Sarnala Malathi Rani has been appointed as an independent director of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation Ltd (ECGC .Sipra Goon, who contested the 2016 Assam state elections for BJP, will serve as an independent director of Andrew Yule & Company Ltd. Shikha Roy, a former BJP candidate from Kasturba Nagar constituency in Delhi, has been appointed on board of National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd.
Earlier, the UPA government had came under the scanner when they appointed their party faithful candidates as independent directors of public sector companies, including banks.
