Hoping for a brighter future, several senior IAS officers—both serving and retired — are either joining or establishing links with the BJP, ahead of Haryana Assembly polls.
Given BJP’s magnificent performance in the recent lok Sabha elections, the IAS officers are considering taking a plunge into active politics that often acts as a magnet to bureaucrats.
Retired IAS officer and former Additional Chief Secretary of Haryana, Ramindra Jakhu had joined the BJP in Delhi on Saturday and more bureaucrats are likely to follow suit prior to Assembly polls to be held on October 15 in Haryana.
Another senior serving IAS officer Pradeep Kasni had met election in charge of Haryana BJP, Kailash Vijayvargiya near Haryana Niwas at Delhi.
BJP had succeeded in getting seven seats out of eight it had contested in the recent lok Sabha elections across Haryana and is now confident of forming the next Government there. The party had recently given ticket to a retired IAS Abhay Singh Yadav from Nangal Chaudhary constituency seat to contest Assembly elections.
Notably, IAS Pradeep Kasni, Administrator of Command Area Development Authority, had faced punishment for his strong objections over ‘illegal appointments’ of commissioners to two commissions in Hooda Government. When contacted, Kasni refrained from commenting about his meeting and added that it was not a planned meeting. Kailash Vijayvargiya and I met incidentally near Haryana Niwas on September 20. He added, “There is nothing wrong if we had a meeting.” On Joining BJP, Kasni, said as of now, I am not interested in politics till my retirement, but after service, I do not know what will happen.
This is not the first time, when IAS officers are taking the political plunge in Haryana. The ruling Congress-led Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government, has over two dozens of loyalists. Hooda has also reemployed his loyalist retired IAS and IPS officers at different places.
IAS officers, including KK Khandelwal, Principal Secy to CM; MS Chopra, principal officer on special duty to CM; TC Gupta, Principal Secy, Town and Country Planning; PV Rathi, former DGP, CID; SS Dhillon, Principal Secy to CM, Krishan Mohan former Home Secy; RS Doon, former Deputy Principal Secy to CM; BR Beri, OSD to CM; RS Dalal, former DGP; SC Chaudhary former CS; Ml Tayal former PS to CM and Chhatar Singh, former PS to CM are known as Hooda loyalists.
Meanwhile, on joining BJP, Ramindra Jakhu, husband of Shakuntla Jakhu, Chief Secretary of Haryana, said I have been thinking of joining BJP since I retired in December last year. “I am impressed with the vision for inclusive growth of the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, said Jakhu.
