BJP calls IAS officer's new posting 'unethical'

Taking umbrage at the Nitish regime’s move to post senior IAS officer K P Ramaiah as Principal Secretary of the SC/ST Welfare Department, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodged a protest with Bihar Governor D Y Patil calling the move “unethical and against administrative norms”.

In normal circumstances, the transfer would not have raised eyebrows but Ramaiah, who is to be relieved next month, had opted for the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) citing personal reasons. Though the scheme has been approved, he was shifted from the post of Tirhut commissioner to the principal secretary of the SC/ST Welfare Department in January last, despite knowing well that he has hardly a month left before his VRS comes into effect.

Besides, the 1986-batch IAS officer has been reportedly tipped to contest the ensuing parliamentary election as the Janata Dal-United candidate from the Sasaram constituency (reserved) against Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

“It’s unethical on the part of the Nitish government to post him in the SC/ST Welfare Department just days before he takes VRS. It’s now in public domain that he is going to contest from a reserved constituency in Bihar and is therefore undertaking political tours of Sasaram, too, despite being in government job. This is completely against administrative norms. 

The BJP has lodged its protest with the governor as well as the Election Commission,” said state BJP vice-president Surajnandan Kushwaha and president of the party’s SC/ST front – Kanhaiya Razwar.