BJP members on PSU boards

New Delhi: A huge political controversy broke out on Friday over reports that the BJP had nominated its members on boards of PSU companies including NALCO, EIL, HPCL and BHEL among others.

According to reports, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has listed at least 10 politicians affiliated with the BJP as independent directors on the boards of top public sector companies.

Among them are the BJP’s Delhi unit vice-president Shazia Ilmi, Gujarat IT cell convener Rajika Kacheria, minority face of the BJP in Gujarat Asifa Khan, former BJP MLA candidate from Odisha Surama Padhy and former Bihar MLC Kiran Ghai Sinha.

Ms Ilmi who joined the BJP from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is reported to have been appointed as an independent director in Engineers India Ltd (EIL).

The EIL website did not show Ms Ilmi’s name among its directors. Mr Kacheria has reportedly to have been listed as independent director of the Cotton Corporation and Mr Sinha as an independent director of NALCO.

“SEBI had said that independent members should be inducted on boards of PSUs but BJP has nominated its own members making a  mockery of market regulator," said Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday.

The senior Congress leader said that instead of the people, it was ‘Achhe Din’ (good days) for BJP members who had been placed on the board of Navaratna PSU boards.