Renewed Allegations Question IAS Anjali Birla’s Merit Amid Political Developments
29 Jun. 24: Rumors have resurfaced on social media questioning the merit-based success of Anjali Birla, daughter of the recently re-elected Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. Critics on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are raising doubts about her 2019 selection for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Neha Singh Rathore (@nehafolksinger) commented, “Anjali Birla, daughter of ‘soft-spoken and fair’ Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla, cleared the 2019 UPSC on her first attempt. I am sure she must have passed with complete honesty. Absolutely NEET and clean.”
Similarly, Brind Kumar (@brind_kumar) questioned, “Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, known for his dictatorial ways, has a daughter who transitioned from modeling to clearing the IAS exam in her first attempt. Is the UPSC also corrupt like the NEET exam? Should this be investigated?”
Adding to the skepticism, the Dhruv Rathee Parody account (@dhruvrahtee) mockingly stated, “Anjali Birla, daughter of the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, appeared for the UPSC exam and cleared it on her first attempt. Is UPSC going the NEET way?”
Anjali Birla, who previously worked as a model, cleared the UPSC exam in 2019 on her first attempt. These renewed allegations coincide with the heightened attention on Om Birla’s election as Speaker and the ongoing discussions about NEET exam irregularities.
This is not the first time such rumors have surfaced. In 2023, a PTI Fact Check confirmed the social media claims were false, providing multiple documents to validate her results.
In a 2021 interview with NDTV, Anjali stated, “I was taken aback that I had to explain my efforts after giving the exam. But this made me stronger, as I learned to handle unfounded criticism. It matured me as a person.”
Addressing the allegations, she posted, “The UPSC Civil Services Exam is conducted in three stages over a year, and you can ONLY become a civil servant if you PASS all three. The UPSC CSE is an extremely fair and transparent process, with no backhand entries. Please respect the institution.”
Anjali, who studied Political Science at Ramjas College in Delhi, was one of the 89 candidates recommended by the UPSC in 2019.
