New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS): Both the Congress and disgruntled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas are tightlipped over the appointment of Vishwas's wife Manju Sharma as a member of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) by Governor Kalraj Mishra.

Speculation is rife after Sharma was appointed a member of the RPSC. She is a Hindi professor and hails from Ajmer in Rajasthan.

The Rajasthan government is headed by Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Vishwas, who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against former Congress President Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, had lost his deposit. Vishwas was a founder member of the AAP, but of late has been critical of Delhi Chief Minister and party Chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Vishwas did not respond to calls and messages regarding his wife's selection as a RPSC member. The Congress is also silent about this development but sources in the Rajasthan unit of the Congress said that many state party leaders had objected to Sharma's appointment and only Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot could throw more light on the matter.

The AAP leader has been critical of the Congress since the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement and has been at the forefront in criticising the Congress. But the recent appointment of his wife to the RPSC tells a different tale.

Kumar Vishwas, a noted poet and quite popular with the masses, could be an asset for the Congress in western Uttar Pradesh as he hails from Hapur which is close to Delhi.

However, Congress supporters in Amethi are upset with this development. On condition of anonymity, a Congress leader said the entry of Vishwas into the party should be barred until he apologised for his comments against Rahul Gandhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.