Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, May 4: Bending under the pressure exerted by the Election Commission, the state government has served a show-cause notice on B G Nanda Kumar, joint secretary to the chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday May 2. Nandakumar is facing the charge of siding with the BJP in the election.
In the absence of the chief secretary Sudhakar Rao who is on leave and on China tour, additional chief secretary Vatsala Vatsa and senior officers of the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR) met on Saturday and took a decision to issue the said notice. Kumar has been asked to send his reply by May 5. Sudhakar Rao is scheduled to report for his duties on May 15.
The Central Election Commission has taken note of the alleged poll code violation by a senior officer in the rank of joint secretary, who had earlier worked in the state Election Commission, seriously. The Central Election Commission, which registered a case against Nanda Kumar based on complaints made by the JD (S) and the Congress parties, sought details of the action taken by the state government against him, prompting the state officials to act swiftly.
He has been asked to furnish replies to the allegations of failing to follow rules, using two government vehicles when the code of conduct was in place, not obeying the instructions of the Chickmagalur district deputy commissioner to leave the government guest house there and the allegation of campaigning for a particular political party during his stay there.
Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Mythic Society here on Sunday, Yeddyurappa had said the Commission is acting with prejudice in the case of Nanda Kumar because of the conspiracy of the JD(S) and the congress and had vowed to give a fitting reply to the conspiracy after May 16, when the code restrictions will cease.
The government's move in not suspending Nanda Kumar as expected and causing issuance of notice to him through lower level officers has in the meantime, given rise to fresh dispute. Instead of suspending or transferring Nanda Kumar from his current post, the government remained quiet till the Election Commission intervened, giving a feeling that it is trying to shield the officer. Even some of the government officials have expressed the apprehension that the government might be trying to get a reply in form of an eye-wash from the officer and close the case. They feel this is not fair, as in various other cases, the government had acted sternly against the erring officials.