In yet another aggressive attack on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday strongly protested usurping powers of the states in deputing IAS officers to the Centre.
In a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Telangana chief minister alleged that by proposing amendments to the All India Services (Cadre) Rules, 1954, the Centre seeks to acquire overriding powers to transfer IAS and IPS officers through Central deputation and do away with the requirement of taking the approval of the State governments.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) wrote to the States on January 12 that the Union government proposes to amend Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules 1954.
KCR said the amendments were totally against the federal structure of the Indian Constitution, both in letter and spirit.
“They will also seriously erode the All-India Service character of the IAS, IPS and IFS. We, therefore, strongly oppose the proposed amendments,” he said.
He said the Central Government assuming the power to take officers on deputation without concurrence of the officers or State government concerned is a dangerous move which is against the constitutional framework and spirit of cooperative federalism.
“If the proposed amendments are effected by the Centre, the State Governments would be reduced to be insignificant entities,” he said.
Stating that the proposal is clearly a move to exercise indirect control by the Central government on officers working in the States, the chief minister said it amounted to interfering in the functioning of the State governments, targeted harassment of officers and their demoralisation, besides impacting accountability of officers to the State governments.
“I demand that the Centre cease and desist from the proposed amendments in the interest of administrative fairness and federal polity of our constitution,” KCR added.
