Shimla, Jan 14 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Cabinet colleagues have engaged in a war of words over the functioning of IAS and IPS officers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. While some ministers have questioned the loyalty of officers, others have come out in their support saying they are doing good work.
Jumping on the bandwagon, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh on Wednesday defended the officers and said it is not right to blame them for “one’s own mistakes”.
“Ministers should also know how to get work done from the officers,” he told reporters here.
The remarks by Anirudh Singh came a day after PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Tuesday asserted that unfair distribution of public funds by IAS and IPS officers posted in the state will not be tolerated.
Accusing some IAS and IPS officers from UP and Bihar of undermining the spirit of Himachal Pradesh, the PWD minister claimed they were misusing the central funds meant for various road and other projects.
Reacting to Vikramaditya Singh’s statement, Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Tuesday said, “I do not agree with the sweeping statement as several officers from outside the state are doing good work.” He urged the PWD minister to name the officers instead of making a general statement.
In December last year, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri had said that officials conspiring against the ruling Congress government and visiting the houses of BJP leaders at night would be “finished” under the cover of darkness.
Agnihotri had made the remarks while addressing the Jan Sankalp rally at Mandi to mark three years of the Congress government on December 11.
He had said that “whosoever is indulging in vicious propaganda and conspiracy against the Congress government would be dealt with and annihilated”.
Terming the statement of Vikramaditya Singh as unfortunate, Anirudh Singh also said that the officers are doing good work and “if anybody is unable to get the work done, the shortcoming lies with him”.
“Officers are pillars of the government, irrespective of which state they come from. Bureaucrats from Himachal Pradesh are also working in other states,” he said, adding that Himachal has not produced a single IAS officer since 2016.
The rural development minister said that he has never faced any problem in getting work done by any officer. “Making statements against officers not only demoralise them but also tarnish the image of the state,” he said.
He said that the state’s poor financial condition is no secret and only Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu knows how he is managing the funds.
Interacting with the media, Vikramaditya Singh had on Tuesday said that some IAS and IPS officers from (UP and Bihar) are indulging in unfair distribution of public funds and pledged to expose such officials at the appropriate time before appropriate authority.
The PWD minister had said that Deputy CM Agnihotri and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur also raised similar concerns in the past and that the issue extends beyond party lines.
Some BJP leaders have also been vocal on the issue claiming that ministers are working like puppets in the hands of bureaucrats. PTI BPL KVK KVK
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