Durga casts shadow on fate of food bill
6 Aug 2013 4:42 AM IST
The suspension, followed by chargesheeting of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal on Sunday, has now transformed into a huge battle of will between the Congress and its UPA ally Samajwadi Party. After the Centre on Sunday sought a report from Uttar Pradesh government on the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal, who had cracked down on sand mafia involved in rampant quarrying along the banks of Yamuna river, the embittered Akhilesh Yadav government responded by serving chargesheet to the IAS officer.
Samajwadi Party responded with equal venom stating that they would now oppose the ratification of Food Security Act in the Parliament. ‘We will vote against the food bill in its present form,’ said Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal. The ratification of the Food Security Act tops the agenda of the government in upcoming Monsoon session and the support of Samajwadi Party’s 22 MPs is a must to get the bill passed in Parliament.
Centre’s move to seek a report from the Uttar Pradesh government comes in the backdrop of Congress President Sonia Gandhi writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. In her letter the Congress President had said that Durga Sakthi Nagpal, a 2010-batch officer, should not be unfairly treated. Samajwadi Party retaliated by questioning why the Congress President had not written a letter when IAS officer Ashok Khemka was taken to task for alleging that there were irregularities in land deals involving her son-in-law Robert Vadra.
Sources said that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has written to the UP government seeking a report on the 28-year-old Nagpal’s suspension. A state government has to mandatorily give a report to the Centre in case of suspension of an IAS officer, adding that it is still awaited from the UP authorities in Nagpal’s case. The Prime Minister holds the charge of Ministry of Personnel, the nodal department for administrative matters of IAS cadre.
Officials informed that DoPT has given an assurance to the IAS Officers’ Association that justice would be done in Nagpal’s case and the department will ensure that no unjust treatment is meted out to the suspended IAS officer.
‘I have received a representation from IAS association and from our side we will ensure that rules are followed, procedures are followed. The Government of India always looks into the issue in a dispassionate manner therefore, there is no need to worry,’ said Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel V Narayanasamy after meeting members of the IAS association recently.
The minister had told the delegation that the Centre would look into the matter as soon as a report is given by the state government. ‘Definitely the DoPT being the cadre controlling authority for IAS officers will act, Narayanasamy had said.
Nagpal, who belongs to the UP cadre, was suspended on 27 July ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a local under-construction mosque without following the due process. Her suspension has evoked sharp reaction from opposition parties, including BJP and BSP, which have alleged that the Sub-Divisional Officer was removed for her crackdown on the sand mafia operating in Gautam Budh Nagar area of the state.
Samajwadi Party responded with equal venom stating that they would now oppose the ratification of Food Security Act in the Parliament. ‘We will vote against the food bill in its present form,’ said Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal. The ratification of the Food Security Act tops the agenda of the government in upcoming Monsoon session and the support of Samajwadi Party’s 22 MPs is a must to get the bill passed in Parliament.
Centre’s move to seek a report from the Uttar Pradesh government comes in the backdrop of Congress President Sonia Gandhi writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. In her letter the Congress President had said that Durga Sakthi Nagpal, a 2010-batch officer, should not be unfairly treated. Samajwadi Party retaliated by questioning why the Congress President had not written a letter when IAS officer Ashok Khemka was taken to task for alleging that there were irregularities in land deals involving her son-in-law Robert Vadra.
Sources said that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has written to the UP government seeking a report on the 28-year-old Nagpal’s suspension. A state government has to mandatorily give a report to the Centre in case of suspension of an IAS officer, adding that it is still awaited from the UP authorities in Nagpal’s case. The Prime Minister holds the charge of Ministry of Personnel, the nodal department for administrative matters of IAS cadre.
Officials informed that DoPT has given an assurance to the IAS Officers’ Association that justice would be done in Nagpal’s case and the department will ensure that no unjust treatment is meted out to the suspended IAS officer.
‘I have received a representation from IAS association and from our side we will ensure that rules are followed, procedures are followed. The Government of India always looks into the issue in a dispassionate manner therefore, there is no need to worry,’ said Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel V Narayanasamy after meeting members of the IAS association recently.
The minister had told the delegation that the Centre would look into the matter as soon as a report is given by the state government. ‘Definitely the DoPT being the cadre controlling authority for IAS officers will act, Narayanasamy had said.
Nagpal, who belongs to the UP cadre, was suspended on 27 July ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a local under-construction mosque without following the due process. Her suspension has evoked sharp reaction from opposition parties, including BJP and BSP, which have alleged that the Sub-Divisional Officer was removed for her crackdown on the sand mafia operating in Gautam Budh Nagar area of the state.
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