Cong MLAs want action against Kejriwal-admirer Karnataka IAS officer
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jan 23: An IAS officer from Karnataka, who is heading the State IT/BT Department as its Secretary, could be in trouble for his ''open admiration” of Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The IAS officer, Srivatsa Krishna, who had written an ''Open Letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal” in a national English Daily, had criticised the policies of the Congress governments in the States and the Centre and praised Kejriwal and his party.
The ''Open Letter” was published in The Times of India in its December 27, 2013 issue.
Srivatsa has also written in the Outlook English Weekly magazine.
The articles of Srivatsa have been published under his byline by stating that he is an IAS Officer with a disclaimer that the views expressed by him are "personal."
Srivatsa is the 1994 Civil Services Examination topper from Karnataka and has been a Harvard Graduate. He was on a sabbatical for pursuing his PhD at IIT-Madras before his appointment as the IT/BT Secretary by the State Government last year.
The issue reportedly figured prominently in the State Congress Legislature Party meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, when several Congress legislators demanded action against the IAS officer.
The Xerox copies of the articles written by the IAS officer were circulated at the Congress Legislature Party meeting.
Congress legislators, according to informed sources, took sharp exception to a serving IAS officer heading an important department and writing in the media criticizing the Congress governments in the State and the Centre was ''totally unacceptable.”
''How can a serving IAS officer publicly write articles in the media and criticize the Congress governments in the State and Centre and make snide and disparaging remarks against the UPA regime on the coal scam or 2G spectrum scandal?,” legislators reportedly questioned at the meeting
A Congress legislator said some of the members wanted the Chief Minister to take stern action against the IAS officer, when he has openly criticized the coal allocation and telecom policies of the Centre.
''Allowing government officers to criticize the governments in the State and the Centre or praise another political outfit or chief minister of a different State belonging to a different political party would send wrong signals and run risk of the bureaucracy to assume that they can get away with anything,” a legislator said, on condition of anonymity.
The chief minister, however, did not respond to the demand and merely promised to look into the matter.
Incidentally, the Congress Legislature Party meeting also witnessed accusations by some of the legislators regarding the functioning of some of the district-in-charge ministers and wanted the Chief Minister to pull them up and be more responsive to the people and elected representatives.
The very objective of appointing district-in-charge ministers would be defeated if the ministers refused to heed the grievances and fail to take steps for their redressal.
Siddaramaiah reportedly assured the annoyed legislators that he would direct the district-in-ministers to be more pro-active and listen to the grievances presented to them during their district tours;
He promised the angry legislators that he would direct Ministers to listen to their grievances without delay and without any discrimination.
Legislators reportedly demanded change of district in-charge ministers of Bijapur, Haveri, and Gulbarga districts.
They claimed that Minister for Water Resources M B Patil, Minister for Sugar Prakash Hukkeri and Minister for Municipalities Qamar-Ul-Islam are district-in-charge ministers of Bijapur, Haveri and Gulbarga districts respectively were totally ineffective, according to informed sources.
Several members have expressed their unhappiness over the poor road condition in their constituencies, delay in the commencement of road works and tardy progress in the implementation of drought relief works.
A two-time MLA said "if the Government has to act fast and expedite development works. Otherwise, the party will face a tough time in the coming elections to the Lok Sabha.”
Some members blamed the Chief Minister for remaining subdued and slow pace in the execution of development works and felt the Congress government seemed to have lost its initial momentum.