VIJAYAWADA: Terming the State government’s decision to issue offline government orders (GOs) henceforth as ‘ethical bankruptcy’, TDP MLC P Ashok Babu said the move only exposes the growing impatience and intolerance of the chief minister in the face of the rising resentment from the public. Jagan gave a dubious gift to the people of the State on the day of 75th Independence Day in order to keep them in the dark about his unlawful GOs, he remarked.
Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, the TDP leader questioned the rationale behind the government’s decision. “Most alarmingly, this draconian decision was taken and an order to this effect was issued on a holiday when the whole country was celebrating Independence Day. The CM should explain why he is afraid to make his GOs available to the public online,” he demanded to know.
Ashok Babu asserted that the Jagan government had no right to prohibit the people from getting information or from accessing the GOs. “The latest decision on GOs is against the guidelines of the National Data Sharing and Access Policy (NDSAP). As per the Central government’s policies, governments should make the GOs available to the public. The AP government’s decision is untenable and unlawful,” he remarked.
In 2008, the YSR government introduced the online publication of GOs which was now revoked by the Jagan regime, he added. Ashok Babu expressed fear that in due course the YSRC regime may also restrict FIRs to just physical copies so that the ruling party’s mobs could strike more terror among the people.