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India Retained A "Churchill Cigar Assistant" Govt Post Well Into 1960s: PM Modi Takes On Curse Of Status Quo
Roosevelt and Churchill, Churchill smoking a cigar (Source: The New York Times)
While taking on the curse of status quo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha speech recounted the story of how India retained a post of "Churchill Cigar Assistant (CCA)" till 1970, almost 25 years after Independence.
Prime Minister Modi said in the 1960s a commission was set up in Tamil Nadu to revise the wages of the state government employees. The commission's Chairman received a plea in a sealed envelop from an employee complaining about his stagnant wages.
When the Chairman enquired about his role, he received the reply that the said employees is the CCA. The Chairman expressed his ignorance and sought an explanation over CCA's role. Following some resistance he received a reply that CCA means Churchill's Cigar Assistant.
This post was created in the 1940s when Winston Churchill was Britain's Prime Minister and CCA's task was to supply the famed Trichinopoly cigar to him.
Prime Minister Modi added that despite Churchill losing in 1945 and India gaining Independence in 1947 the post continued.
Prime Minister Modi added that this incident is the biggest example of a need for change in governance.
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