NEW DELHI: A group of 56 retired bureaucrats and diplomats on Thursday wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to withdraw recognition of Aam Aadmi Party (“AAP”) under Order 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 for recent remarks of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during his visit to Surat in Gujarat.
The group has alleged that while addressing the press, Kejriwal repeatedly induced public servants of Gujarat to work in tandem with AAP to ensure its victory in the upcoming elections in the state.
“Mr Kejriwal called upon public servants, including policemen, home guards, anganwadi workers, state transport drivers and conductors and polling booth officers, to aid AAP in the upcoming state elections,” the group has maintained.
Prominent among the signatories are retired IAS officers including, M Madan Gopal (former ACS, Karnataka), Anand Bose (former CS, Kerala), R D Kapoor (former food and distribution secretary, GOI), Saurabh Chandra (former petroleum secretary), K Sreedhar Rao (former chief secretary, Sikkim), C S Khairwal (former CS, Puducherry) and Niranjan Desai (former ambassador).
They have said that they totally disapprove of the blatant efforts of AAP to politicise civil servants. “We reiterate that civil servants are meant to be non-partisan and serve the government and the people and execute policies adopted by the Parliament and the executive,” the group has said.
“In view of the above, we request the ECI to withdraw the recognition of the AAP as a recognised political party in light of its flagrant violations,” the retired officers have said in the letter.
The group has alleged that while addressing the press, Kejriwal repeatedly induced public servants of Gujarat to work in tandem with AAP to ensure its victory in the upcoming elections in the state.
“Mr Kejriwal called upon public servants, including policemen, home guards, anganwadi workers, state transport drivers and conductors and polling booth officers, to aid AAP in the upcoming state elections,” the group has maintained.
Prominent among the signatories are retired IAS officers including, M Madan Gopal (former ACS, Karnataka), Anand Bose (former CS, Kerala), R D Kapoor (former food and distribution secretary, GOI), Saurabh Chandra (former petroleum secretary), K Sreedhar Rao (former chief secretary, Sikkim), C S Khairwal (former CS, Puducherry) and Niranjan Desai (former ambassador).
They have said that they totally disapprove of the blatant efforts of AAP to politicise civil servants. “We reiterate that civil servants are meant to be non-partisan and serve the government and the people and execute policies adopted by the Parliament and the executive,” the group has said.
“In view of the above, we request the ECI to withdraw the recognition of the AAP as a recognised political party in light of its flagrant violations,” the retired officers have said in the letter.
