NGMA chief pick: Panel meets candidates again

NEW DELHI: Faced with allegations of manipulation, the search-cum-selection committee for the post of director general of National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has –– in an unprecedented move –– once again interacted with four of the five candidates it had met a few months ago.
The committee had even sent two names to the government. However, the fresh set of interactions did not result in anything new.Sources said the committee had most likely reiterated its earlier choice of Adwaita Gadanayak for the job. P Rajiv Nayan, the second choice of the search panel after the earlier interaction, did not appear for the interaction.
A member of the search panel, headed by the cabinet secretary, said, “Some members wanted to give another term to Rajiv Lochan who just demitted office. But political pressure worked in favour of Gadanayak who is close to BJP.”
A candidate who appeared for the second round of interactions said, “It seems the committee wanted to show that the selection process was free of bias. But it seems the panel did not want to change its earlier choice. A new name would have exposed the search committee even more.” Nayan said he did not appear for the interaction as the letter issued to him was flawed.
“I had not applied for the post. My name was suggested by a committee member. But when I was called for an interaction the second time, the culture ministry letter addressed me as an applicant,” he said.