In order to come clean on the controversies presently engulfing Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma and DGP DK Pandey, the Government took cover under technicalities saying that the matter was under consideration and action would be taken under due process.
The first official reply since the matter has snowballed came in the House on Thursday after the Opposition persisted with its demand for removal of the top bureaucrats along with ADG Anurag Gupta; facing allegations about misuse of their position and misconduct. The JMM, JVM and Congress members who had disrupted the Governor’s address again did not allow the Question Hour to take place.
Members, including Pradeep Yadav, Jagarnath Mahto and few others moved an Adjournment Motion over the issue and were demanding to discuss the matter on urgent basis as soon as the House assembled leading to pandemonium. Speaker Dinesh Oraon disallowed the Motion saying that the members can raise it during their replies on the Governor’s Thanks Giving Motion. When no headway could be found, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy rose to defend the Government stand.
“Charges against the officials are with the Government but there are some laid down procedures to deal with such matters. The Government is disposing the matter based on that and taking steps as per the process. Had the Government been trying the save anyone I could have understood the resentment (coming from the Opposition),” said the Minister.
Roy also went on adding that no representation from the parties in protest had been given to the Government on this issue and suggested to the House that matters related to anyone who is not the member of the Assembly do not come there as per the precedence.
BJP chief whip Radha Krishna Kishore, who briefly involved into a spat with JVM’s Pradeep Yadav on technicalities, said there was no charge of corruption against the CS and went even further blaming the JMM rule for appointing Sajal Chakravorty as Chief Secretary.
“This Government has asked for explanation from the incumbent Chief Secretary. She has not come under scanner now. What have you done when you were in power? Leave that alone, you went on appointing charge sheeted officers AK Singh and Sajal Chakravorty as CS,” said the legislator while denouncing the call to remove the DGP citing matter being sub-judice.
The reply infuriated the Opposition leaders further. “The issue is very sensitive and Government cannot hide behind false assurances.
Earlier as well Chief Secretary AK Singh had been removed from his position after the matter came in the Assembly. But the fact is that the State has come into anarchic situation and been turned into Jalianwala Bagh under this Government. Even the leader of the House dishonors the Assembly and we all remain mute spectators,” retorted Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren.
Soren terming the Speaker as “Bhishma Pitamah” also pulled him up for his silence against the “bullying” and questioned his stand over the demand from the JMM to probe the utterances of Chief Minister Raghubar Das during the previous Session.
Pradeep Yadav said that the Government’s inaction against the officials in question despite the matter having raised in the House would boost their morale even further and send out a wrong signal down the line.