Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the proposed amendments to the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules 1954.
The proposed amendments will give overriding powers to the Union government to post All India Services (AIS) officers such as the IAS, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) to Central Ministries and departments without the State government’s nod.
Mr. Baghel and Mr. Gehlot are second in line after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to convey their opposition against the proposed amendments to Mr. Modi.
Sense of ‘instability’
Mr. Baghel said the amendments could be misused and “a sense of instability and ambiguity is likely to arise among the officers of the All India Services, who are posted at various important posts in various districts and also at the State level.”
He said the proposed amendment granted the Central government the right to appoint AIS officers unilaterally without the consent of the State government or the concerned authorities, which is adopted and outlined in the Constitution, and contrary to the sentiment.
Mr. Baghel claimed that the AIS officers are posted in various States and are posted on deputation in the Central government. “The deputation has been done after the consent of the State government. The State government has been concurring on Central deputation by taking decisions as per its administrative requirement,” he said in the letter. “There will be confusion in the discharge of official responsibilities by them and due to political interference, it will not be possible to work impartially, especially at the time of elections, due to which the administrative system in the States can crumble and a situation of instability can be created,” he said.
Spirit of federalism
Mr. Gehlot also tweeted on Friday that he had urged the Prime Minister to intervene and put an end to the blow the proposed amendments would cause to the autonomy of the Constitution so that the spirit of federalism developed by the framers of the Constitution is intact.
