Patna,(Biharimes): The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken strong exception to the reported move of the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, to field senior IAS officers and Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Welfare Department Principal Secretary K P Ramaiah as the Janata Dal (United) candidate from Sasaram (Reserved) Lok Sabha constituency. It is at present represented by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar.
The party will submit a memorandum to the Governor D Y Patil and the Election Commission. The party is of the view that move is a violation of administrative norms and ethics.
Ramaiah, a 1986 batch officer, had sought voluntary retirement from service, which the government has accepted, yet on Jan 17 last the state government had transferred him from the post of Tirhut Divisional Commissioner to the SC&ST Welfare Department as Principal Secretary with additional charge of Mahadalit Commission.
His VRS becomes effective from March 1, but the BJP leaders alleged that he has already embarked on mass contact programme in the Assembly segments of the Sasaram parliamentary constituency.
State BJP vice-president Suraj Nandan Kushwaha, said when the government accepted Ramaiah’s VRS plea, the chief minister should not have transferred and posted him in the new capacity. Besides, it is totally unethical on the part of Ramaiah to conduct a political tour of the Sasaram parliamentary constituency when he is still in administrative job and on duty. He distributed handbills. It is blatant misuse of power on the part of CM, the BJP leader said.
Political observers are of the view that if the BJP’s allegation is correct than the move clearly shows that the Janata Dal (United) is short of Scheduled Caste candidates. That is why is it trying to put up a serving IAS officer originally from Andhra Pradesh as its candidate against none else but Meira Kumar.
The BJP is likely to field former minister and Janata Dal (United) leader, Cheddi Paswan, from Sasaram.
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