Why TMC chose ex-bureaucrat Jawhar Sircar as its Rajya Sabha nominee

Who is Jawhar Sircar and why has he been chosen as a Rajya Sabha nominee by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC?

Jawhar Sircar is the former CEO of Prasar Bharati, who had stepped down from his post in 2016. The trigger was demonetisation amongst several other policy implementation issues of the Narendra Modi government.

Sircar tendered his resignation to the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry in October 2016, four months before he was to complete his tenure in February 2017.

Known to be a staunch critic of the Modi government, Sircar, who joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1975, also served as secretary to the Government of India in different portfolios. Jawhar Sircar brings with his Rajya Sabha nomination, a 41-year-old enriching career in public administration.

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Sircar has headed the Ministry of Culture in the Congress government from November 2008 to February 2012 and reported to then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The former Indian administrator then took on the role of Prasar Bharati's CEO from 2012 till 2016.

In recent times, Sircar has been vocal in support of the TMC government, when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took on the Centre over the tussle regarding former Chief Secretary Alapan Bandhopadhyay. Disciplinary action was initiated against the former chief secretary for failing to report to Delhi on the orders of the Centre on a three-month extension. Bandhopadhyay instead chose to retire and soon after was announced as the Chief Advisor to Mamata amidst the Centre-State row.

At present, Sircar is the chairman of the board of governors for the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, which is a research and teaching-based institute in Kolkata. Sircar has been writing several articles on history and culture since 2016 and has authored books on the subject too.

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Sircar represents Bengal’s intelligentsia with degrees from St. Xavier’s College followed by Presidency College and Calcutta University. The PM Modi critic looks at raising pertinent issues on the floor of Parliament as a TMC Rajya Sabha member, equipped with domain knowledge to substantiate his statements.

"I would like to raise many issues within the time and role of the Rajya Sabha with domain knowledge. It is not just criticism. Criticism from the political angle is one thing and criticism with domain knowledge is another thing," Said Jawhar Sircar, while speaking to India Today TV.

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