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NEW DELHI: Accusing the BJP regime of using bureaucrats and soldiers for government publicity, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday asked PM Narendra Modi to withdraw the orders pertaining to deployment of senior officials as ‘rath prabharis’ in districts for official propaganda, and the directive to soldiers to promote government schemes during their annual leave.
He mocked that the ED, the I-T department and the CBI were already acting as “election departments of BJP”, and the above orders would put the entire government machinery at the service of the governing party.
In a letter to Modi, Kharge said the order of October 18 signalled “politicisation” of the bureaucracy. It said senior officers from joint secretary to deputy secretary level will be deployed in all 765 districts as ‘rath prabharis’ to “showcase achievements of the last nine years of the government of India”. He also referred to the order of the defence ministry issued on October 9 which directed soldiers on annual leave to spend time in promoting government schemes, making them “soldier-ambassadors”. “It is no coincidence the last nine years correspond to your tenure in office. This is of grave concern for multiple reasons,” Kharge said, alleging that officers were being deputed for “marketing activity” of the government. He called it a violation of the Central Civil Services Rules, 1964.
“While it is acceptable for government officers to disseminate information, to make them ‘celebrate’ and ‘showcase’ achievements blatantly turns them into political workers of the governing party,” Kharge said in the letter.
“For the Modi government, all agencies, institutions, arms, wings and departments of the government are now officially ‘pracharaks’,” Kharge said on the X.
He mocked that the ED, the I-T department and the CBI were already acting as “election departments of BJP”, and the above orders would put the entire government machinery at the service of the governing party.
In a letter to Modi, Kharge said the order of October 18 signalled “politicisation” of the bureaucracy. It said senior officers from joint secretary to deputy secretary level will be deployed in all 765 districts as ‘rath prabharis’ to “showcase achievements of the last nine years of the government of India”. He also referred to the order of the defence ministry issued on October 9 which directed soldiers on annual leave to spend time in promoting government schemes, making them “soldier-ambassadors”. “It is no coincidence the last nine years correspond to your tenure in office. This is of grave concern for multiple reasons,” Kharge said, alleging that officers were being deputed for “marketing activity” of the government. He called it a violation of the Central Civil Services Rules, 1964.
“While it is acceptable for government officers to disseminate information, to make them ‘celebrate’ and ‘showcase’ achievements blatantly turns them into political workers of the governing party,” Kharge said in the letter.
“For the Modi government, all agencies, institutions, arms, wings and departments of the government are now officially ‘pracharaks’,” Kharge said on the X.
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