Bhubaneswar: With Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R S Gopalan seeking voluntary retirement (VRS) from government service, opposition political parties raised questions over the timing of the decision taken by the senior IAS officer.
Leaders of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the senor bureaucrat’s move, claiming that he appeared to have been under pressure.
Notably, Gopalan has stated that his decision to seek VRS was unrelated to the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. “I wanted to take VRS for personal reasons. I would like to focus on personal matters,” he said.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das raised doubts over Gopalan’s decision to seek VRS around 21 months before his retirement.
“We have a strong doubt that the senior IAS officer must be under pressure either from Gyanesh Kumar, the BJP governments at the Centre or the state. I know him personally. He is an efficient officer. He might have resigned to escape the prevailing complex situation,” the OPCC chief claimed.
Das further claimed that there had been large-scale irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls in Odisha, and alleged that the arbitrary changes in the voter list had eroded public faith in the election process. Things were not as simple as they looked. The officer must be under some pressure for which he took VRS, he added.
Earlier, Congress workers had staged a demonstration outside Gopalan’s office in the city, demanding the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Expressing similar views, senior BJD leader and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo also questioned the circumstances surrounding Gopalan’s decision.
“Things are not as transparent as they look. There must have been pressure on the officer to resign. Why should any senior IAS officer opt for VRS less than two years before his retirement? The BJP people might have put pressure on him,” Sahoo said.
Sahoo said two All India Service officers had sought VRS and alleged that officers were uncomfortable working under the BJP government.
Rejecting opposition allegations, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said an officer has the right to seek voluntary retirement. “There should be no attempt to politicise the matter,” he said, adding that the VRS application was entirely a personal matter of the officer.
Earlier, on September 22, the Opposition BJD had alleged that more than 27.50 lakh voters were excluded during the SIR process and claimed that the matter was being concealed. It had also alleged that the CEO had “manipulated” voter data.
Gopalan has held several key positions during his career, including deputy director general of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), secretary in the Labour Department and director of agriculture.
Earlier, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena, an IPS officer, had also resigned from government service. His resignation was accepted by the government.
