The 2014 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officers will be posted in the state after their probation gets over in December, just before elections due in February-March next year.
Labelled a "pep talk" by some and an "unhealthy practice" by others, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday organized an interactive meeting between 14 of his ministerial colleagues, mostly connected with Uttar Pradesh, and 34 IAS probationers due for posting in the poll-bound state.
The 2014 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officers will be posted in the state after their probation gets over in December, just before elections due in February-March next year.
Addressing the probationers getting ready to join the bureaucracy in the politically powerful state that has already started witnessing a high-voltage campaign, the minister is believed to have said that the most valuable thing they had is their reputation.
"Don't think if you go to place A from place B, people in place A won't know what you did in place B. Your reputation will travel faster," the minister was quoted as saying by those who attended the meeting, which has raised opposition hackles with some accusing the BJP of trying to influence the bureaucracy ahead of elections.
Amongst the ministers present were Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar (elected from the state), Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi (MP from Pilibhit), Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel (MP from Mirzapur), Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan (MP from Muzaffarnagar), Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (MP from Fatehpur) and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand).
Home Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi, who was also present at the interaction, is learnt to have told the probationers not to think themselves as rulers of the British era but work as "public servants in a democratic set-up".
While all the probationers were promptly whisked away after the interaction, ministers present at the meeting described it as a useful exercise to help groom the officers for good administration.
"These people will take care of the districts. It was a good interaction, there was no politics in it. By the time elections start, they all will be transferred to different places," Baliyan said when asked about the reasons for the interaction.
Maneka Gandhi told the young officers to give it their all and help people in their respective districts. "It is easy to say no. But try not to say so," she is quoted as having said.
Opposition view
Opposition leaders questioned the timing of the interactions and pointed out that most of these IAS officers would be serving as returning officers during the elections.
"Hope ECI will take note," Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted.
"I have never heard of such a meeting before elections. It is an unhealthy practice. The Election Commission of India should take note. It seems that the central government instead of taking care of administration is only worried about elections," added Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi.
However, Mirzapur MP and minister Anupriya Patel refuted the criticism and said the officers were very young and would be in no position to influence the elections.
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