Rewa: The tussle between politicians and bureaucrats in Madhya Pradesh continued on Friday with a senior officer serving a defamation notice of Rs 5 crore to Rewa MLA Rajendra Shukla, who had served as energy minister under the previous BJP-led Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in the state.
Rewa Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sabhajit Yadav has served Shukla the defamation notice.
Several ministers in the current Kamal Nath government have spoken in the past against the “high-handedness” of bureaucrats, while the BJP has accused the ruling Congress of giving a free run to senior officers.
“The former minister, on several occasions in open forums, accused me of losing my mental composure. These statements have dented my reputation and social status,” Yadav told reporters.
He blamed the previous government over the delay in his posting orders, claiming it was a result of an old accusation. Yadav also claimed that he has been given a clean chit in the matter by nearly a dozen IAS officers.
Refuting this version, Shukla said, “Yadav in the notice has accepted he has been punished by the state government in the past, which itself reveals a lot about his conduct.”
In another instance of a power tussle, the BJP claimed that the administration is targeting its members in Indore as part of an anti-mafia drive. Claiming that its members are being unfairly targeted, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya threatened a mass agitation if the situation persisted.
“I will be able to hit below the belt if this continues,” said Vijayvargiya. "If the drive goes in the right direction, we will support it.”
Senior IAS officer Gauri Singh recently had shocked many by applying for voluntary retirement, claiming the decision was taken after a tussle with Rural Development and Panchayat minister Kamleshwar Patel.
Forest Minister Umang Singhar has also been entangled in a power struggle with Additional Chief Secretary AP Shrivastava, with the officer allegedly stalling many of the minister’s moves, including a probe into the plantation scam implicating the earlier government.
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