oppn parties Ilker Ayci: Grounded

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  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
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  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Ilker Ayci: Grounded

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-03-03 15:42:25

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

There are several things which a company considers when it hires a CEO. The top most priority for any company is to hire the best available talent internationally, since borders are no longer a barrier. Several Indians head companies abroad and several foreigners head companies in India, either home grown or subsidiaries of MNCs. The best man for the job has become the new corporate mantra. And when the company is Air India, the loss-making white elephant which the government finally managed to get off its back by selling it to the Tatas, it becomes all the more important to get a CEO who can turn it around.

When the Tatas chose Ilker Ayci from a pool of international applicants suggested to them, they obviously felt that he was the best man for the job. Ayci was the CEO of Turkish Airlines and turned it around. Air India needs a CEO who can make it stand on its feet again. It was bleeding badly despite having good infrastructure and prime slots. But Ayci was forced to decline the offer as he felt that a different 'colour' was being given to his appointment.

It started with Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate, raising security concerns about Ayci. It was said that he was close to politicians in Turkey, including President Erdogan and also had 'links' with Islamic fundamentalists and that would have made him a security risk. A section of the media then dug out other 'facts' about him and it looked as if the Tatas were hiring an enemy of the nation. Obviously it was enough for Ayci to decline the offer as he must have felt that he would not be able to give his best when people were raising such questions about him.

But is it the job of Swadeshi Jagran Manch or the media or anybody else to raise these questions? India has a strict system whereby all foreigners who are proposed to be appointed as officers of any company are vetted for security reasons. Ayci would have had to clear that test. It is the job of the government to conduct the test and give the security clearance. This unofficial test and trial by a think tank and a section of the media will set a dangerous precedent. 

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