Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from the service in 2019 over what he described as the “denial of freedom of expression” to the people of Kashmir, on Wednesday accused the Centre of deliberately refusing to process his resignation for 6.5 years, a delay he says has prevented him from contesting the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
Gopinathan, who joined the Congress last October, took to X to directly address Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the situation “pure harassment.” In his post, he wrote:
"Dear PM Narendra Modi, just wanted to bring to your attention that your government has refused to process my resignation for 6.5 years. No salary and no release. This has stopped me from professionally moving on. And has also prevented me from contesting elections in Kerala. This is pure harassment and nothing else."
He added that he had refrained from raising the matter earlier, aware of the hardships millions face under the NDA government. But he criticised the ongoing delay, saying:
"Blocking my right to resign and take part in the democratic process is pathetic and petty, whatever my political position is. Stop this pettiness and direct your lethargic government to process my resignation immediately."
It was earlier reported that Gopinathan was expected to contest from the Palakkad constituency, a place he has personal ties with. However, he was unable to secure the opportunity to run. The UDF has fielded film star Ramesh Pisharody as its candidate in Palakkad.