Governance In Odisha Hijacked By A Secretary-Level Officer, Claims BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi

Bhubaneswar: Mounting a blistering attack on the BJD government in Odisha, senior BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Saturday alleged that a bureaucrat has hijacked the entire governance in the state.

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, the firebrand BJP leader sought to know whether the political executive in the state is in command or the show has been hijacked by a bureaucrat.

Without taking the name of 5T Secretary VK Pandian, the Lok Sabha member said she has been receiving photographs and videos of a Secretary level officer moving around the state using the state plane and attending public reception, addressing public meetings and announcing new projects.

There was no immediate reaction from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) or the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to the claims made by the BJP MP.

Aparajita sought to know whether Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik authorised a secretary-level bureaucrat to go around announcing projects in different places while the elected MLAs, MPs and Ministers are either onlookers or absent in those meetings.

“Till now, I had not been openly talking about the issue as I thought talking about specific bureaucrat (s) does not behove well of Political representatives. However, things have come to such a pass in Odisha that people outside the state are ridiculing of what is going on in Odisha,” she said.

The said officer is allegedly announcing projects worth crores of rupees while public representatives are watching like mute spectators in the state, Aparajita claimed, adding that the officer while announcing new projects, claims all this ‘on the instructions of the CM.’

“I have seen the bureaucrat giving speeches with political overtones, participating in meetings. This is a clear violation of the Conduct Rules by the serving officer,” the BJP leader alleged.

Stating that IAS officers are bound by All India Service Conduct Rules, she said such spectacles by a serving officer is unheard of in any other part of India. Either the Chief Minister is unaware of what is being done by the said bureaucrat or he is forcing the BJD political leaders to subjugate themselves to a bureaucrat, said Aparajita, a former IAS officer.

Referring to All India Services Conduct Rules, Aparajita said Rule 5 says: “Taking part in politics and elections — 5(1) No member of the Service shall be a member of, or be otherwise associated with, any political party or any organization which takes part in politics, nor shall he take part in, or subscribe in aid of, or assist in any other manner, any political movement or political activity.”

She referred to Rule 12 of the said Rules: There is another Rule of the Conduct Rules which is also being flagrantly violated by the said officer. “Public demonstrations in honour of Government Servants— 12(1) No member of the Service shall receive any complimentary or valedictory address or accept any testimonial or attend any meeting or entertainment held in his honour”.

“I have a feeling that the people of Odisha are being forced to witness a spectacle of a bureaucrat trying to hijack the political mandate because of the weakening of the BJD political leadership and their lack of grip over the party,” the BJP leader said.

Aparajita said if the officer has political ambition, he should quit government job and join politics. Drawing salary from government and keen to get rousing reception cannot go together, she said.

The BJP leader further claimed that the senior-most officers of CMO are all non-Odias. She wanted to know whether there been any incident since independence when a single Odia officer among the top 3 serving officials of CMO has not been found eligible to aid and advise the CM on issues and matters pertaining to Odisha.

More specifically, the top 3 officers of CMO are all from south India, she claimed, and sought to know whether the increasing influence of south Indian corporate groups in different spheres of Odisha is a coincidence or is it by design.

“In the larger interest of Odisha and to protect its long-term interest, it is necessary for self-respecting Odias to seek answer to the above questions and be sure that the CM is still in the command of governance and not a specific lobby which is systematically disempowering BJD leaders, Odia contractors, Odia officials and is systematically destroying the long term growth prospects of the state,” Aparajita added.