A diversionary manoeuvre

How do we assess Sachin Tendulkar’s entry into the Rajya Sabha, asks Ashok Malik in the Times of India. While Tendulkar is a cricketing legend, can he contribute to Rajya Sabha’s legislative business?

The political class – and this problem is not limited to the current government – now increasingly sees Rajya Sabha nominations as it does Padma awards: just another patronage device, just another set of perquisites to distribute to grab media headlines or as a diversionary manoeuvre. The likelihood of one of the 12 Rajya Sabha nominees now not being a prime-time television superstar is getting smaller and smaller. The constitutional quest to bring to Parliament in New Delhi intellectual voices from outside the capital and its incestuous circles – and the cricket industry is part of these circles – has been all but defeated.