A letter written by Karnataka IPS Association president and ADGP R.P. Sharma to the state chief secretary Ratna Prabha has set the cat among the pigeons in the poll-bound state. In the missive, Mr Sharma has claimed that the law and order situation in the state is “deteriorating”. But perhaps more disconcerting for the government is that he also released the letter to the media. After a series of incidents, including the recent attack on Lokayukta justice Vishwanatha Shetty, the government has been on the back foot trying to defend its record.
Expectedly, chief minister Siddaramaiah is displeased with the public airing of the official’s “complaint”. Sources say that the chief minister has spoken to home minister Ramalinga Reddy, the chief secretary and director general of police Neelamani Raju. He has reportedly sought to know how the letter, addressed to the state chief secretary, was leaked to the media. Predictably, the leaked letter has given an opportunity to the Opposition party, the BJP, to attack the state administration. Mr Sharma is likely to face administrative action for “indiscipline”, sources added.
Call for separate Arunachal cadre
When smaller states such as Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim can have their own separate cadre, why not Arunachal Pradesh? A member of Parliament, Ninong Ering, has posed this query to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The MP clearly believes that the joint cadre serving Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) is an impediment to efficient governance. Mr Ering is not the first to raise the issue, sources say. Chief minister Pema Khandu too had urged the Prime Minister for a separate cadre for the state during the PM’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh last month.
According to the MP, IAS and IPS officers who spend a good amount of time in the state and understand it better in terms of administration are frequently transferred to other locations of AGMUT cadre which creates gaps in administrative understanding. A separate cadre for Arunachal Pradesh, therefore, would solve this old problem. There is no response yet from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to this suggestion.
Bihar chief secy in a soup
The fodder scam is now threatening to engulf Bihar chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh. Under the lens is Mr Singh’s role during his tenure as deputy commissioner of Dumka, many years ago. Earlier, Jharkhand’s chief secretary Rajbala Varma too faced flak for her reported participation in the fodder scam earlier in her career. Other babus against whom notices have been issued are former Bihar DGP D.P. Ojha, then additional DG (Vigilance), when the alleged offence took place; retired chief secretary of Bihar and Jharkhand Vijay Shankar Dubey and additional SP of CBI A.K. Jha.
There are a total of 31 accused, including former Bihar chief ministers, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra, besides other politicians like Jagdish Sharma, R.K. Rana and Vidyasagar Nishad. However, since Mr Singh is a serving officer, sources say, there is no notice issued to him to appear before the court. Nevertheless, this has given ample fuel to chief minister Nitish Kumar’s political opponents to demand his (Anjani Kumar Singh) removal from the post of chief secretary.
