Smita Sabharwal’s Tweet Draws All-round Condemnation

Hyderabad: Smita Sabharwal, member-secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission, has ignited a firestorm of controversy with her remarks over the inclusion of differently-abled individuals in all-India services (AIS).

Her tweet, which questioned the need for quotas for the differently-abled in premier services like IAS, IPS and IFoS, drew widespread condemnation from social media users, disability rights activists and public figures, et al.

Sabharwal's tweet read: "With all due respect to the Differently Abled. Does an airline hire a pilot with a disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability. The nature of the AIS (IAS/IPS/IFoS) is field work, long taxing hours, and listening first-hand to people’s grievances-which requires physical fitness. Why does this premier service need this Quota in the first place? (sic)"

The backlash was swift and fierce. Many users pointed out the flawed logic in her comparison, noting that the abilities required for piloting an aircraft or performing surgery were different from those needed for administrative roles.

A user on X wrote “There are highly competent surgeons with disabilities and they're 'trained' in their jobs. They are competent enough. We need to stop judging people for their disabilities & create jobs that are accessible for them (sic).”

“If an IAS officer or any other official encounters an accident, should he or she be shunted out,” questioned an IAS officer, speaking to Deccan Chronicle, while ridiculing Sabharwal’s comments.

The bureaucrat added that a proper structure and framework is in place. They assign specific designations to physically-disabled candidates, who are barred from holding certain positions.

Another civil servant said that an IAS officer who is partially visually impaired was more competent than others.

“The IAS officer, who is around 90 per cent visually impaired, in addition to securing a better rank than his competitors, is now performing better on the field too despite all the challenges,” the officer said.

Dr N. Nageshwar Rao, member of the Telangana State Disability Advisory Board, expressed his disappointment. He said, "Sabharwal, with a stereotypical mindset, has disrespected physically-challenged persons. They face numerous challenges and questioning their capabilities in this manner is not only unfair but also discriminatory."

Speaking in a YouTube video, Bala Latha, a two-time physically-disabled civil services ranker and a UPSC trainer, said “I regularly meet physically-challenged aspirants at my institute. They have more abilities than the regular ones. It is an illusion to think that only people with hands and legs can become IAS officers.”