Madhya Pradesh: Appointment of State BJP President VD Sharma’s Father-in-Law as Agri Varsity VC Sparks Controversy

The appointment of retired professor Pramod Kumar Mishra as the vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru Agriculture University, Jabalpur has erupted major controversy in the state. Mishra, who also happens to be the father-in-law of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) state president VD Sharma, is under fire with the opposition questioning if the appointment has been done owing to his political connections.

Congress leader KK Mishra raised the question via a tweet from his official handle, asking if the appointment is a result of Mishra being the father-in-law of a BJP leader, or if he associated with the RSS, or if is he actually qualified for the job.

On the other hand, the ruling BJP had denied all the allegations, as the state party spokesperson Dr Hitesh Vajpayee said that the appointment has been done as per the norms, and the opposition is only getting engaged in 'dirty politics' on the matter.

Moreover, while claiming that the appointment has been done as per the norms, BJP claimed no petition challenging this appointment will stand in any court of law.

Meanwhile, Mishra, who has served as the head of the department of agriculture studies in the Jawaharlal Nehru Agriculture University, has been active in agriculture-based academics and research work for over four decades.

In his decade long career, he has served as the registrar of the university, the head of agriculture management, and has also been the dean of agriculture university at Tikamgarh.

According to the media reports, he has published a total of 93 research papers on farming and agriculture, along with 15 project works on the same.

Further, the recent row over the appointment has emerged at a time when VD Sharma's tenure as state president is coming to an end, and if news reports are to be believed, he could be re-appointed for the post by the end of this year.
Though, VD Sharma has not made any statement on the controversy yet.

Earlier on Saturday, while talking to the media, retired Prof Mishra refrained from all the accusations from Congress and said, "I have been appointed on the basis of merit. I have an academic career of 41 years. I have been a professor in the university for 10 years, apart from being a selector professor and the head of the agriculture department".

"After this, I was selected Dean for three and a half years, Dean PG for one year, and Director Extension Services for three years. Along with this, I had an additional charge of Dean Faculty for four years, Director Research Service for two and a half years, and Registrar for more than one year". He further said that he is an apolitical person and will not answer any political accusations.