City
Epaper

Secretary-level officer hijacked Odisha's governance system: BJP MP

By IANS | Updated: June 17, 2023 19:15 IST

Bhubaneswar, June 17 Raising questions over the style of functioning of the BJD government in Odisha, Bhubaneswar MP ...

Open in App

Bhubaneswar, June 17 Raising questions over the style of functioning of the BJD government in Odisha, Bhubaneswar MP and BJP national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi alleged on Saturday that a secretary-rank officer has hijacked the entire governance system in the state.

Addressing a press conference at BJP party office here, Sarangi said that the Constitution of India mandates a politically-elected legislature to take care of the legislative procedures and policy making, and a political executive to exercise the mandate of the people to carry forward the socio-economic development, maintain law and order, etc.

However, in Odisha, the entire governance system has been hijacked by a secretary-rank bureaucrat, she alleged, without taking any name.

Sarangi also questioned "whether the political executive is in command or it has been hijacked by a bureaucrat?"

"Has Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik authorised the secretary-level bureaucrat to go around announcing projects in different parts of Odisha, while the elected MLAs, MPs and ministers are either onlookers or absent in those meetings," Sarangi asked.

"Has the CM asked his MLAs and MPs to wait for a secretary-level officer and offer him a flower bouquet when he arrives," she asked.

This is against the order of precedence and violation of the All-India Service Conduct Rules, she claimed.

"Till now, I had not been openly talking about the issue, as I thought talking about specific bureaucrat(s) does not go well with the political representatives. However, things have come to such a phase in Odisha that people outside the state are ridiculing as to what is going on in Odisha," the BJP MP said.

"I have also been seeing a strange incidence since the last 1-2 years, where I see the senior-most officers in the CMO being all non-Odias. It has never happened in the history of Odisha since its formation in 1936 that not a single Odia IAS officer is there in the CMO to assist the Chief Minister," she claimed.

"Now, three south Indian IAS officers are there in the CMO. Is it just a coincidence or is it by design," Sarangi asked.

She also wanted to know under which circumstances Odia contractors and businessmen are being neglected by the government.

"In the past 23 years of BJD rule, all major works were given to specific contractors. Many of the works have been bundled to ensure that Odisha-based contractors are not able to participate in the tender process. Is there a lobby in the CMO working to favour certain business groups," she asked.

"If the officer has political ambition, he should quit government job and join politics. Drawing salary from the government and and being keen to get a rousing reception cannot go together," Sarangi said.

The BJP spokesperson also urged the CM to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officer for violation of conduct rules.

Reacting to the allegations levelled by Sarangi, BJD spokesperson Shreemayee Mishra said, "Going and meeting patients at hospitals, asking about their health and taking care of them... Are these wrong?"

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Tags: All India Judicial ServiceAparajita SarangiNaveen PatnaikbjpindiaDelhi BjpDisney IndiaBhubaneswarBjp NationalBjp Shiv SenaAll India Majlis E Ittehadul MuslimeenCommunist Party Of India MarxistIndia Today
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalGolden Power: Indian Women Now Hold 24,000 Tonnes of Gold, Outshining Global Investors

NationalToxic Foam on Yamuna: Delhi Government Sprays Anti-Foaming Chemicals, AAP Questions CM Rekha Gupta’s Cleanliness Claims (Watch Video)

NationalGujarat Cabinet Expansion: BJP President JP Nadda To Discuss Cabinet Reshuffle With CM Bhupendra Patel Today

MumbaiMumbai Man Pursuing PhD in US Booked for Sexually Abusing Woman on False Promise of Marriage

NationalBihar Assembly Elections 2025: Folk Singer Maithili Thakur to Contest from Alinagar as BJP Releases Second List of 12 Candidates

Politics Realted Stories

NationalPrashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party Announces List of 51 Candidates for Bihar Assembly Elections 2025

MumbaiAmeet Satam Appointed As Mumbai BJP President Ahead of BMC Polls

Maharashtra'Chaddi Baniyan' Protest at Maharashtra Assembly: Opposition Stages Agitation Against Sena MLA for Punching and Slapping Canteen Staff (Watch Video)

MaharashtraMaharashtra Monsoon Session: Ajit Pawar Slams Bhaskar Jadhav Over Fund Allegations, Says 'No Need for Unsolicited Advice'

MumbaiUddhav Thackeray Pats Raj Thackeray on Back at Victory Rally Speech; Emotional Video of Thackeray Brothers Goes Viral