The News Minute| November 11, 2014| 6.00 pm ISTWhen Smriti Irani was appointed Union Human Resources Development (HRD) minister last May, eyebrows went up for two reasons. One set of naysayers included those who felt she did not have the requisite qualifications to lead one of India’s most neglected sectors – education. Another set of people said she would become the mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which would seek to push its agenda on the country. In the some six months that Ms. Irani has been in power, the jury on her is out. She has impressed people while others have been disappointed but few think she is a pushover. That spot may have nudged a little in the direction of the RSS in the new cabinet re-shuffle where Ms. Irani will now be assisted by Dr Ram Shankar Katheria and Upendra Kushwaha, the former with strong links to the RSS. The induction of the two lieutenants has reportedly gone down badly with Ms. Irani who did not show up for the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday. Dr Khateria “It is clear that the two have been brought in to do the spade-work for spreading the message of the RSS in education,†a Delhi-based BJP watcher told The News Minute (TNM). “We will have to wait and see how all of this unfolds.†The two-time Member of Parliament (MP) and Ph. D holder Dr Katheria’s key remit will be to bring in the RSS’s ‘educational reform’ agenda into the HRD. This includes the introduction of historical figures from their organization in school curriculam. Katheria contested elections in 2009 from the Agra constituency. It may be recalled that in August 2014, the Supreme Court had advised the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers to not induct individuals against whom charges have been framed for criminal or corruption cases. There are over 20 criminal cases including one for murder against Katheria, but none of them have been officially framed hence placing him out of the Supreme Court’s directive. Kushwaha a lecturer and Khateria a professor, reports say, have been brought in to fire-fight and regain lost ground following loss of confidence in her in the party after she made false claims about her educational qualifications. Kushwaha founded the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party from the Karkat constituency in Bihar and has one case of bribery registered against him. How this game of snakes and ladders will play out is anybody’s guess, but it is hoped that somebody is in control – somebody whose only interest is in India. Read- Who’s afraid of Dr. Harsh Vardhan?