India Today: New Delhi: Thursday, May 24, 2012.
India's top nuclear scientist and architect of the Indo-US nuclear deal, Anil Kakodkar, has refused to accept a Rajya Sabha berth for which his name was proposed by no less than the Prime Minister.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Mail Today with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has revealed that PM Manmohan Singh had proposed Kakodkar's name along with Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha's.
The PMO has supplied the letter written by the PM to Home Minister P. Chidambaram on April 23, 2012, asking him to take necessary action for nomination by the President of Tendulkar, Rekha and Kakodkar as members of the Rajya Sabha under Article 80 of the Constitution. The letter has the PM's signature.
However, the notification issued by the ministry just four days later, announcing the new Rajya Sabha members, had no mention of Kakodkar's name. In fact, his name was replaced with that of Indian businesswoman Anu Aga. Government sources said it was unprecedented that a person nominated by the PM refused to take up a Rajya Sabha seat.
Kakodkar, 68, was not available for comment despite repeated attempts, but his office in Mumbai admitted that he was nominated for the Rajya Sabha.
"Yes, it is true that Anil Kakodkar was nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat. However, he declined the same as he is happy with what he is doing at present," Kakodkar's office said. When pressed on whether the PMO had not consulted the scientist before recommending his name, it was said that Kakodkar did not wish to comment further.
His refusal seems strange as Kakodkar is considered to be close to the PM, given his role as a key negotiator of the Indo-US nuclear deal and the leader of India's nuclear programme since 2000.
A government source in the know of events said the episode was embarrassing for the PM as his recommendation had to be literally changed at the last minute after the scientist declined the offer.
"Nominated seats in the Rajya Sabha are vied for...it is rare when such an offer is turned down, especially when the PM recommends you," a source said.
Kakodkar is still a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, which he has headed in the past. He is associated as DAE, Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and is the chairman of the board of governors at IIT Bombay. He was the BARC director from 1996-2000.
Earlier this year, Kakodkar submitted a report on rail safety after he was appointed as the head of a high-level safety panel in 2011 after a horrific train accident in Kanpur.
The scientist has 46 years of experience in the field of research and development related to nuclear development.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009, the Padma Bhushan in 1999 and the Padam Sri in 1998.