When Kimmane Rathnakar, primary and secondary education minister, came under severe attack after the PU Chemistry question paper leaked a second time, his record of clearing 78 per cent files hardly came to his rescue. Despite severe criticism, he continues the battle to clean the rot and install a fool-proof system, plugging the loopholes. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Kimmane spoke about what happened and about his future plans. Here are excerpts from the interview.
In 2008, you first got elected to the Legislative Assembly. After witnessing the business in the very first session, you wanted to resign. You had then said the forum was not suited to discuss the real problems of people. Has the situation changed now?
Not really. We are facing a major problem here. Inside the House, newcomers hardly get a chance to speak. Funds that the government releases are not sufficient for the all-round development of constituencies. That’s why I wanted to resign. We legislators study less but focus more on winning elections. We fail to properly study the budget. If we identify deficiencies in the implementation of programmes, consult think-tanks, we can present our view coherently. Legislators try to establish personal contacts with voters. Voters do not vote based on our performance in the legislature. Their priority is whether not I attend weddings and house warming ceremonies. People should change their yardstick. What’s happening now is in process of changing people, we get changed for the worse. They vote based on community, religion.
You are a sensitive person. But when the opposition demanded your resignation in the question paper leak episode, your defence was: question paper leaks happened during their tenure too. You tried to give a clean chit to yourself. Why did you change your attitude?
Actually, I had planned to resign on March 21 when the Chemistry paper leaked the first time. I did not tell anyone. Then you may ask- why did I not take such a step? Tomorrow, people may turn around and say he ran away from responsibility when given a chance. I wanted to avoid the allegation. I wanted to stay back and find a solution. I want to prove I am honest.
Many feel that this (question paper leak) has been happening for quite some time.
I told myself, this time I should find a solution. If I don’t change the system, this will continue. Those who succeed me in future will inherit a bad system. That’s why I have taken upon myself the responsibility to change the system. In future whoever becomes minister will not face such a problem. We will make the director responsible for question paper leaks. All the six experts who set question papers should not sit together. Those who set papers should be videographed. We do not know whether the system was followed this time. We should make rules now.
People feel that those who want to leak papers, will not leak the chemistry paper alone. Because a student will not get a high ranking through chemistry alone. Certainly the PCMB papers might have been leaked…
We take action only if we get evidence. The rest, we ignore. We can’t speak about the rest because we had no evidence of leakage of papers.
Do you really think the CID probe will reach the bottom of this scam?
I am serious about setting right the system. I am planning to bring changes through technology. There were proposals to reduce the exam centres. This works against the interests of rural students. Question paper downloading system may not help. I told the home minister that investigating officers should get inputs from all those who worked in PU board. There are many honest people who knew about the black sheep but did not spill the beans in the past, they can now share the information. My idea is: if the names of those involved come out, they will be shamed in public. I am not sure whether they will get punished. But at least we can shame them. In the next session, we will introduce an amendment to the Karnataka Education Act. We will have a Standard Operating Procedure about setting question papers and how to keep them secret. Director of the PU board will be solely responsible if question papers are leaked. We will make leaking and circulating question papers a criminal, non-bailable offence. They will get five years rigorous imprisonment, even students who accept leaked question papers will be punished.
We have evidence before us about governments dropping cases. Last year too, your government dropped cases against many. What if the culprits in this case manage to get the cases dropped..
That question does not arise. Governments dropped cases related to mass riots. Many innocents were booked during the riots. Now the system has changed. CCTVs and media cameras are used to gather evidence. In Shivamogga for instance when people started refuting their involvement in such cases, we showed the CCTV footage. The accused had to admit their guilt.
The point is: In Karnataka, caste plays a major role. Those who are accused in the question paper leak scam may use the caste card and get away…
I told them to start taking information from me also. Since I want to prove my innocence, we will not let it happen. The Home minister, me and the CM are serious about this. This time, our principal secretary was overconfident. Since we changed the director at the last minute, we could not take action against the director. Ninety per cent work had been done by the time she assumed charge.
Generally, it is the chief minister who effects IAS transfers.
The Chief Minister does not know if there is a vacancy. The Principal Secretary Co-ordinates with DPAR. I had written a letter to the chief secretary requesting him not transfer the officer. In the education department, the period between October and March is crucial; transfers should not be done during this period. She (Pallavi Akurati) should not have taken charge if she wanted to go on leave. She did not hand over charge to her predecessor Ramesh too. She had given charge to Chakravarthy Mohan.
Many feel the question paper leak and CET seat blocking scam are linked.
That’s why we split both. Now the CET administration is looked after by a different officer.
You are ready to scrutinise yourself. But you gave a clean chit to Sharan Prakash Patil.
My observation is, he is a man of high integrity. If his office staff was involved, that does not mean he was involved.
The chief minister said that the cabinet reshuffle is round the corner. What if this question paper leak episode is used as an excuse to drop you from the cabinet?
If I am dropped, I am sure it will not be because of this episode. There are seniors who haven’t become ministers. Then there is this caste and district criteria. The Chief Minister may say that you have served for three years and now, you make way for someone else. If such a situation arises, I will follow what the party says.
