The Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa accused the Centre of misusing the administrative machinery by deploying All India Service officials for publicity drives ahead of elections.
Addressing media persons here on Thursday Mr. Mahadevappa said that Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra will cover the rural areas across the State and highlight the Central government achievements for which senior civil servants have been made nodal officers. This is in violation of all Constitutional norms and misuse of bureaucracy, said Mr. Mahadevappa.
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra was flagged off by Governor Thaawarchand Ghelot in Mysuru on Wednesday. Mr. Mahadevappa said that Central government projects are not being described as such but were being branded as Prime Minister’s project. Some of the programmes like student scholarship, Jal Jeevan Mission, etc have State government components and they have been suppressed while glorying only the Prime Minister, said Mr. Mahadevappa.
There are no references to the State government’s contribution in any of the vehicles being deployed across the rural hinterland and some of the flagship guarantee scheme of the State like the nutritious food programme is being rebadged as Modi government’s guarantee scheme, said Mr. Mahadevappa.
“About 200 to 250 All India Service officials have been deployed in different districts as nodal officers since the last year or so. These officials come directly under the President of India and cannot be reduced to being puppets in the hands of the political leadership and I appeal to the President to intervene and put an end to it”, said Mr. Mahadevappa.
“As all appointments to the All India Services are made by the President I appeal to her to intervene”, the Minister added and accused the Centre of diluting and weakening the democratic institutions in the country.
He questioned the BJP’s commitment to the concept of social justice and challenged the Centre to amend the law to provide for financial allocation based on the population. “Such an amendment will bring more than 24 per cent of the country’s population to the mainstream and empower them economically and educationally. But instead of taking such measures the Modi government was glossing over its administrative failures and has embarked on a pre-election publicity drive by making false claims and deploying official”s, Mr. Mahadevappa added.
Protocol violation
The Wednesday’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme also came under flak for violation of protocols.
“Though the Governor was in the city, neither the Chief Minister’s office was informed nor was I kept in the loop though I am in charge of the district and the protocol dictates that I should receive the Governor. Besides, invitations were not printed and the State administrative machinery was also not aware of the programme”, Mr. Mahadevappa said.
