Bhubaneswar, June 17: BJP MP and national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi on Saturday alleged that the people of Odisha are being forced to witness a spectacle of a bureaucrat trying to hijack the political mandate.
Addressing the media, Sarangi said all this happens because of the weakening of the BJD political leadership and their lack of grip over the party.
She said the first and foremost issue is whether the political executive is in command in Odisha or it has been hijacked by a bureaucrat?
The BJP MP further wanted to know whether Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has authorized a secretary level bureaucrat to go around announcing projects in different parts of Odisha while the elected MLAs, MPs and Ministers are either onlookers or absent in those meetings.
Sarangi further said she has been receiving photographs and videos of a Secretary level officer moving around the state using the state plane and attending public reception and addressing public meetings.
She said IAS officers are bound by All India Service Conduct Rules and such spectacles by a serving officer is unheard of in any other part of India.
The BJP MP who quit her IAS job to enter into politics said either the Chief Minister is unaware of what is being done by the said bureaucrat or the Chief Minister is forcing the BJD Political leaders to subjugate themselves to a bureaucrat.
There are a number of incidents which are very unusual in the long history of Odisha and I think the people of Odisha have a legitimate right to know the answers which are concerning / agitating 4.2 crore Odias, she said.
Sarangi said while moving around in her Constituency she has often been asked “whether a Politically elected government is deciding the destiny of Odisha or it is being hijacked by a few bureaucrats”.
The Constitution of India, she said mandates a politically elected legislature to take care of the legislative and policy making and a political executive to exercise the mandate of the people to carry forward the socio-economic development, maintain law and order.,
She asked the Chief Minister whether he would call for an explanation of the concerned officer for disregarding the order of precedence and violation of the All India Service Conduct Rules?
The BJP MP alleged that there has been increasing influence of South Indian Corporate groups in different spheres of Odisha and questioned whether it is a coincidence or is it by design?
The people of Odisha,she said are fully familiar with a South India based Mining Company and how the private miners in Joda and Barbil area were given informal diktat to use a specific group as the Mine Developer cum Operator (MDO).
Similarly, there is another South India based company called Techmed Solutions Private limited who has been entrusted with the pathological and radiological testing of all District Headquarters Hospitals in Odisha.
Sarangi said she will welcome the Odisha government to share the names of other bidders who had participated in the tender and the rates offered by them for such pathological and radiology tests.
In most cases,the BJP national spokesperson said she has seen the bureaucrat giving speeches with political overtones, participating in meetings organized like a BJD Party meeting ambience .
This is a clear violation of the Conduct Rules by the serving officer,she said and urged the Chief to initiate disciplinary proceedings for violation of such conduct Rules.
