The suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal from the post of SDM by the Uttar Pradesh Government has pitched the Congress and the Samajwadi Party against each other and could see the UPA Government and its supporting party in confrontation mode during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, beginning Monday.
The Congress, which till now had been keeping a low profile on the issue despite widespread public uproar, suddenly upped the ante on Saturday. Its president Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter in the capacity of National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to intervene in the matter.
“We must ensure that the officer is not unfairly treated,” Sonia said in her letter pointing out that the reports suggest that the young IAS officer has been hastily suspended for unsubstantiated reasons.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) lost no time in retaliation, questioning why Sonia was not so proactive in the case of Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was transferred and victimised for highlighting the act of land grabbing by her son-in-law Robert Vadra in Congress-ruled Haryana and Rajasthan.
SP leader Naresh Agarwal questioned why Sonia did not intervene in Khemka’s case. “Sonia must write one or two more letters... one for Ashok Khemka and another for her son-in-law Robert Vadra,” Agarwal said referring to the case of the IAS officer, who was victimized for exposing Vadra grabbing large tracts of land in Haryana and Rajasthan in utter violation of legal provisions.
Pointing out that many of the Union Ministers were involved in corruption cases, he said Sonia must ask the Government to take action against them instead of trying to protect those involved in Coalgate and other scams.
The growing acrimony between the two parties is likely to be further reflected in Parliament as an annoyed SP is planning to corner the Government over Telangana, economic decline, differences between the CBI and IB in the Ishrat Jahan case and Food Security Ordinance which it feels is just an election gimmick.
Sonia maintained there has been widespread concern because the officer in the course of her public duties was seen to be standing up to the vested interests engaged in an illegal activity. Durga was suspended as she had taken strong action against the powerful sand mafia of Greater Noida.
“The implementation machinery must feel that the conditions are conducive to the delivery of public services without fear or favour,” Sonia said in an apparent reference to TV channels showing SP leader Narendra Bhati bragging on camera how he got the SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar transferred within 41 minutes by complaining to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Sonia said the Durga incident has also highlighted the need to assess whether there were adequate safeguards in place to protect executive functionaries working beyond the average call of duty to uphold the rule of law.
Sonia’s letter has also put the Government in a Catch-22 situation. Acting on her letter would lead the Government to face the SP’s ire in Parliament. Till now, the Government has remained evasive on the controversy with Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy buying time on the grounds that he was awaiting the UP Government’s report. Inaction on this count will further harm the beleaguered Government’s image.