Centre free to withdraw IAS officers from UP: Samajwadi Party

Samajwadi Party today struck a defiant note on the issue of suspension of IAS officer Durga Sakhti Nagpal, saying that officials are punished whenever they do something wrong and the Centre can withdraw IAS officers from the State.

“There might be many children (sitting here) who I can say would have received a beating from their teachers and parents when they had done something wrong.... the government is also run like this, whenever any official does something wrong, he is punished,” Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said while addressing a function here.

On the Centre seeking a report from the State on the suspension of the officer, senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav asked the Centre to withdraw all IAS officers from the State.

To a question on whether the Centre was setting a precedent by interfering in the matter, Yadav retorted that under the circumstances the “State would ask the Centre to withdraw all IAS officers, the Government would run with the help of its (provincial services) officers’’.

The SP leader said that the suspension was an administrative matter and his party did not want to politicise it.

The Centre has already sought a report on the suspension of the officer through letters. The State Government has issued a charge-sheet to Nagpal giving her 15 days time to submit her reply.

The Uttar Pradesh Government had yesterday served a charge-sheet to Nagpal.

Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district, was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering the demolition of a wall of an under-construction mosque allegedly without following the due process. Nagpal belonged to the UP cadre.

Sources said that the charge-sheet, which is believed to be running into 10 pages, was prepared based on a report of Commissioner (Meerut Division). It is being reported that the officer has got 15 days to respond to the charge-sheet.

The charge-sheet came after Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make sure that the young IAS officer is not unfairly treated.

According to Union Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy, three letters were sent to the State Government seeking an immediate report on the suspension of the 2010-batch IAS officer.

On his party’s stand on creation of new states, Yadav said there are governments who want to push the country backward by dividing it.

“There are governments who are dividing the country and pushing it in other (reverse) direction...there is an attempt to divide the country...there is celebration in the states which have been created but in the states from where they have been carved are agitating,” he said, adding that old demands (for new states) have also surfaced and people are observing bandhs for the past several days.

The Chief Minister referred to Europe, which he said, was growing in strength economically by coming together, by working towards common currency and visa while India, which is such a large country, is lagging behind and there are countries which are creating problems for us.