Hyderabad, February 5
It is babus versus netas in Andhra Pradesh. An unprecedented war has broken out between the state bureaucracy and the political class over the ongoing CBI probes into a spate of corruption cases.
IAS officers are virtually on a warpath against their political bosses following the arrest of two senior bureaucrats, charge-sheeting of two others and the continued grilling of several civil servants by the CBI in connection with corruption cases.
Bureaucrats’ argument is that they were being harassed and targeted by the CBI while the ministers, who are the actual decision-makers, were going scot free. The angry IAS fraternity is toying with the idea of approaching the Union Home Ministry and lodge a protest against the manner in which the CBI was conducting its investigations.
The CBI is currently investigating three high-profile cases pertaining to illegal mining in Anantapur district by former Karnataka Minister
G Janardhan Reddy and his associates, the Emaar land scam in Hyderabad and the alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Already, two senior IAS officers - BP Acharya and Y Srilakshmi - have been sent to jail in two separate cases while two other civil servants L V
Subramanyam and Vishweshwara Rao have been named among the accused in the Emaar Properties scam. The former Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy, who heads the State Election Commission, and two other senior IAS officers - Ajay Mishra and K Ratnaprabha - were subjected to intense grilling by the investigating agency in connection with the disproportionate assets case of Jagan.
This has evoked strong protests from the bureaucrats who, in an unprecedented move, approached the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and sought his intervention to stop the attempts to tarnish their image.
At an extraordinary general body meeting of the AP IAS Officers Association held here last night, the mood was combative.
The bureaucrats gave vent to their anger against the political bosses and the CBI. The meeting, attended by about 150 IAS officers, felt that it was highly unjustified to single out the officers and fix them in corruption cases while letting off the ministers.
“No GO is passed without the consent of the minister concerned and no policy decision is taken without the approval of the Cabinet. If anything wrong happens in any department, it is the responsibility of the minister concerned. What is the CBI doing about the ministers? Why are we being targeted like this?” asked Bhale Rao, president of the association.
The officers lamented that the CBI was not following the established procedures before proceeding against the bureaucrats. “The big sharks
were being left out and officers were cornered, thereby demoralising the administration,” the former Chief Secretary K Madhava Rao said.
The association would, if necessary, approach the High Court seeking justice and restoration of the dignity of its members, Bhale Rao said.
Meanwhile, the political class hit back at the bureaucracy today. “It is not correct on the part of IAS officers to push the entire blame on
ministers to deflect the attention. Let them disclose the names of ministers who had brought pressure on them,” the Rural Development Minister D Manikya Varaprasad said.
Another senior Congress leader and former Minister J C Diwakar Reddy was more caustic when he said, “The IAS officers are not kids. They are responsible people and must be made accountable for their actions.”
BABUS’ ARGUMENT
Bureaucrats’ argument is that due to the ongoing CBI probes into a spate of corruption cases, they were being harassed and targeted by the CBI while the ministers, who are the actual decision-makers, were going scot-free.
POLITICAL CLASS HITS BACK
Holding their ground, politicians have chosen to hit back. A Congress MP from Rajahmundry said the officers were trying to paint the ministers as villains while projecting themselves as paragons of virtue.
It is babus versus netas in Andhra Pradesh. An unprecedented war has broken out between the state bureaucracy and the political class over the ongoing CBI probes into a spate of corruption cases.
IAS officers are virtually on a warpath against their political bosses following the arrest of two senior bureaucrats, charge-sheeting of two others and the continued grilling of several civil servants by the CBI in connection with corruption cases.
Bureaucrats’ argument is that they were being harassed and targeted by the CBI while the ministers, who are the actual decision-makers, were going scot free. The angry IAS fraternity is toying with the idea of approaching the Union Home Ministry and lodge a protest against the manner in which the CBI was conducting its investigations.
The CBI is currently investigating three high-profile cases pertaining to illegal mining in Anantapur district by former Karnataka Minister
G Janardhan Reddy and his associates, the Emaar land scam in Hyderabad and the alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Already, two senior IAS officers - BP Acharya and Y Srilakshmi - have been sent to jail in two separate cases while two other civil servants L V
Subramanyam and Vishweshwara Rao have been named among the accused in the Emaar Properties scam. The former Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy, who heads the State Election Commission, and two other senior IAS officers - Ajay Mishra and K Ratnaprabha - were subjected to intense grilling by the investigating agency in connection with the disproportionate assets case of Jagan.
This has evoked strong protests from the bureaucrats who, in an unprecedented move, approached the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and sought his intervention to stop the attempts to tarnish their image.
At an extraordinary general body meeting of the AP IAS Officers Association held here last night, the mood was combative.
The bureaucrats gave vent to their anger against the political bosses and the CBI. The meeting, attended by about 150 IAS officers, felt that it was highly unjustified to single out the officers and fix them in corruption cases while letting off the ministers.
“No GO is passed without the consent of the minister concerned and no policy decision is taken without the approval of the Cabinet. If anything wrong happens in any department, it is the responsibility of the minister concerned. What is the CBI doing about the ministers? Why are we being targeted like this?” asked Bhale Rao, president of the association.
The officers lamented that the CBI was not following the established procedures before proceeding against the bureaucrats. “The big sharks
were being left out and officers were cornered, thereby demoralising the administration,” the former Chief Secretary K Madhava Rao said.
The association would, if necessary, approach the High Court seeking justice and restoration of the dignity of its members, Bhale Rao said.
Meanwhile, the political class hit back at the bureaucracy today. “It is not correct on the part of IAS officers to push the entire blame on
ministers to deflect the attention. Let them disclose the names of ministers who had brought pressure on them,” the Rural Development Minister D Manikya Varaprasad said.
Another senior Congress leader and former Minister J C Diwakar Reddy was more caustic when he said, “The IAS officers are not kids. They are responsible people and must be made accountable for their actions.”
BABUS’ ARGUMENT
Bureaucrats’ argument is that due to the ongoing CBI probes into a spate of corruption cases, they were being harassed and targeted by the CBI while the ministers, who are the actual decision-makers, were going scot-free.
POLITICAL CLASS HITS BACK
Holding their ground, politicians have chosen to hit back. A Congress MP from Rajahmundry said the officers were trying to paint the ministers as villains while projecting themselves as paragons of virtue.
