Facing flak from various quarters including his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav over the alleged ineptness on the part of the state government, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday sought to shift the blame on to the IAS officials manning the top posts.
And the CM’s criticism of the ‘babus’ came while addressing a gathering of the IAS officers at the Tilak Hall here on the occasion of the ‘Services Week’ of the UP IAS Association, which had been revived on January 17 after a five-year hiatus forced by the erstwhile Mayawati Government.
Political analysts,though, believe that the CM’s criticism of the bureaucracy is part of the efforts to deflect the flak received by the SP Government. The Akhilesh Government’s alleged failure to deliver on the law &order and the developmental front had invited criticism from his own partymen.
“You people should think about the poor image and decline in the standards of your services in the recent past. There was a time when the IAS cadre of UP had a shining image in the country, but today there is a perceptible decline,” the CM said, adding that the developmental work in the state should be completed without delay.
Last year, two IAS officers were jailed while one was convicted. Besides, dozens of others have been facing investigation in various cases of corruption that occurred during the tenure of the BSP Government. Former Chief Secretary Atul Gupta, who was handpicked for the top job by the Mayawati-led BSP Government, was questioned in connection with the controversial sale of government-run sugar mills.
According to the CM, the IAS officers should ensure the timely completion of the developmental works in the rural areas and the poor and the farmers should get relief.