Pranab may not agree with the proposed Women’s Reservation Bill but there is a special place for women reserved in his mind, ministry and administration. Take Amita Pal for instance, at present she is working as an advisor in the Finance Ministry and she is considered the guiding force behind Pranab. So this lady’s presence in the secretary level meetings of the Finance Ministry can well be understood. Pranab
usually keeps quiet in such meetings and Amita Pal remains equally vocal. In the Lok Sabha elections this time, when everyone was feeling that the return of the Congress to the Centre would be somewhat difficult, a new post of Information Commissioner was decorated for Amita Pal during the first term of the UPA itself. Look at the coincidence, though the file reached Prime Minister for his approval,
it has not been signed till date. Therefore, this time when the Congress returned to power during UPA regime’s second stint, Amita Pal immediately left her constitutional post of Information Commissioner and got attached with Pranab as his OSD. And in today’s time, Amita Pal calls the shots in the Finance Ministry. All the important files and people go through her before they reach Pranab. So it is
commonplace to find people doing the rounds of madam’s office for transfers and postings. Several known industrialists (even Anil Ambani) can be seen in the waiting room outside waiting for their turn to meet madam. There are also some Congress persons who want that madam should be made a secretary in a new department in the Finance Ministry. But madam and Pranab have no time to pay heed to such
advice.