Project Building Secretariat, the seat of power, witnessed a new low when two JMM MlAs barged into the Chief Secretary's chamber prompting the latter to show them the door for not maintaining the office etiquettes.
The incident led the two MlAs — Aquil Akhtar and Poulus Surin — who happen to be the members of the 15-point programme committee, to stage a dharna in the State Secretariat demanding removal of Chief Secretary Sajal Chakraverty. later, Chief Minister Hemant Soren was approached to persuade his MlAs to shed their anger assuring them to look into the matter. Soren however, had not reached the Project Building till late evening till the time of filing of this report.
The MlAs pointed out that the Chief Secretary had called a meeting of the 15-point committee at3 pm.The committee members were kept waiting till 4 pm while the meeting was scheduled at 3 pm even after that they were not entertained by the Chief Secretary. They were not even given proper place to sit and were waiting in the corridor for a long time.
"We have demanded the Chief Minister to remove the Chief Secretary and waiting for his direction," said Akhtar. He said that the CS had asked them to get out of the office and lodge their complaint to wherever they wanted, he added.According to Akhtar, the meeting had earlier been cancelled for three consecutive dates on June 13, 23 and 24.The Chief Secretary, on the other hand, had an altogether different version.
"I was holding a meeting with the Advocate General and law Secretary and other officials at 4 pm. All of a sudden Aquil Babu came inside and started shouting on me, as I felt offended, I did not ask him to sit, other officials however, requested him to sit but he continued shouting at me," said the Chief Secretary.
"When he did not stop after repeated requests made by other officials, I said, "If your agenda is only to shout, I do not recognize you as anything, I asked them to leave….. I said either you attend the meeting or leave the place," he added.later Indrajeet Singh Kalra, another member, again came to me to sort out the matter. "I gave them 10 minutes time to attend the meeting but no one turned up," Chakraverty said.
Reacting to the incident, the Chief Secretary said that being an senior officer, such type of behavior was condemnable… those people without going into the reality created a situation of restlessness, due to which an office got demoralized. "Such things are happening also at the block level and district levels creating a scene for the officers," he said.
Chakraverty also directed his junior officers not to beg down before such unsocial people, their representatives or media. He said that he could have lodged an FIR but did not do so as he did not want to bother the police which have many other works to do. He also said that they (The MlAs) have no right to trample their fundamental rights as a citizen of India. "I will also see to it that this matter is brought to the notice of Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker and the Governor," said Chakraverty.