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Kharge objects to misuse of bureaucracy in letter to PM
Kharge urged the PM to withdraw the circular to depute secretaries, directors & deputy directors as “rath prabharis”.
New Delhi: A government plan to depute joint secretaries, directors and deputy directors as district “rath prabharis” in a campaign to highlight achievements of the past nine years of the central government has irked the Opposition with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against “politicisation” of the bureaucracy, urging him to withdraw the circular.
Central Board of Direct Taxes circular dated October 18 on “Nomination of officers of the rank of joint secretary/ director/ deputy secretary pertaining to various services for deployment as district rath prabharis (Special Officers) at each 765 districts covering 2.69 lakh gram panchayets in the country” was widely circulated on social media on Sunday.
The circular cited a letter from agriculture secretary regarding “showcasing/ celebration of achievements of the last 9 years of Government of India through “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra” proposed to be organized across the country for disseminating information, awareness and extending services at Gram Panchayet level from 20 November 2023 to 25 Jan 2024.”
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“In order to coordinate for the preparations, planning, execution, monitoring of the Rath Yatra, they have decided to deploy Joint Secretaries/ Director/ Deputy Secretaries of Govt of India as Rath Prabharis (Special Officers),” it said, asking for nomination of 15 officers from the Delhi region.
Objecting to the government’s deployment of senior officers, Kharge said, “It is a clear violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which directs that no government servant shall take part in any political activity.”
“While it is acceptable for government officers to disseminate information, to make them ‘celebrate’ and ‘showcase’ achievements blatantly turns them into political workers of the ruling party,” the Congress president added.
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BJP president JP Nadda hit back at the Congress. “It baffles me to see the Congress Party have an issue with public servants reaching the grassroots to ensure saturation of schemes. If this not the basic tenet of governance, what is? Regarding opposition to a ‘Rath’ it is a fit use of public resources unlike using warships as personal yachts :),” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), in an oblique reference of allegations that late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi took a vacation on INS Viraat, an aircraft carrier.
Nadda defended the move to deploy government officers for campaign at the grassroots and posted: “It maybe an alien concept to the Congress Party, but public service delivery is the duty of a Government. If the Modi Govt wants to ensure saturation of all schemes and ensure all beneficiaries are reached, nobody who has the interest of the poor in his mind can have a problem. But Congress only has an interest in keeping the poor in poverty and hence their opposition to the saturation drive.”
In his letter, Kharge also referred to another order of the defence ministry of Defence on October 9, directing soldiers on annual leave to spend time in promoting government schemes, making them “soldier-ambassadors”.
“It is no coincidence that the last nine years correspond to your tenure in office. This is of grave concern for multiple reasons,” Kharge said, alleging that officers are being deputed for “marketing activity” of the incumbent government.
“The fact that only ‘achievements’ of the last nine years are being considered, gives away the fact that this is a transparently political order in the run-up to the five state elections and the general elections of 2024,” the Congress chief alleged. He also argued that if senior officers are deputed for “marketing activity”, the governance of the country will grind to a halt for the next six months.
“In view of protecting our democracy and our Constitution, it is imperative that the above orders are withdrawn immediately,” Kharge told the Prime Minister.
