JOIN USBribe returned, CM in spot
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav found himself under attack from all corners over his comment on an unnamed bureaucrat, who had, ignoring his recommendations, taken bribe and even then did not do the job though the officer was later made to return the money.
Social activists and opposition party leaders launched a scathing attack on Akhilesh for the remarks saying that it amounted to admitting corruption under his nose.
Lucknow based social activist Nutan Thakur has demanded legal action under Prevention of Corruption Act against the IAS officer referred to by Akhilesh. “Why no action was taken against the IAS officer when it was proved in the inquiry that he had actually taken bribe and later returned it,” stated Thakur in a letter to the chief minister.
“Not acting against this officer was totally illegal and this brings even the chief minister in a precarious position,” she said adding that after proof of bribe, chief minister did not have the right to exonerate the officer by merely transferring him. She asked Akhilesh to act against the officer otherwise she would move the court in this matter.
Another activist Urvashi Sharma went to the extent of alleging that failure to act against the guilty officer reflected that the chief minister himself could have been 'involved in this act of corruption' by the said IAS officer.
“Not only this, by leaving a corrupt IAS officer this way, UP CM has misused the power given to him by the people of the state and has taken law into his hands,” she said and demanded a CBI probe in the entire matter.
BJP and Congress have also slammed the chief minister for not taking action against the officer.
“Akhilesh himself is exposing his government...it is clear that corruption is thriving under him in the state,” said Congress leader Dwijendra Tripathi here.
BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that Akhilesh's remark has proved that the state government was ‘patronising’ corruption.