Ravi Shankar Prasad defends Centre’s Delhi ordinance

Patna, May 20 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday asserted that the Centre’s ordinance with regard to transfers and postings of officers in Delhi was brought to ensure “transparency and accountability”.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad speaking at a press conference here said, the Supreme Court had cited absence of any particular law with regard to the administration in Delhi, under schedule 2 of Constitution.

“We had to bring in the ordinance because within a few days of the Supreme Court judgement, the Delhi government began flexing its muscles. It transferred 2010 batch IAS officer Y K Rajashekhar, who was probing the irregularities in the Sheesh Mahal,” he said.

The allusion was to the huge expenditure for renovation of the official residence of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

He pointed out that according to the ordinance, the committee which will now recommend such transfers and postings will still be chaired by the Delhi chief minister.

“Delhi is the heart of India. The entire country has a claim over it as its capital, which is frequently visited by dignitaries from the world over. We therefore needed a system in place which could ensure transparency and accountability in transfers and postings,” Prasad said.
The former union minister for law and justice said Rajashekhar was also probing alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board. “Not only has he been transferred, but a case has also been lodged against him on false allegations levelled by an NGO,” he said.

Prasad also raked up the alleged intimidation of two dalit IAS officers, including services secretary Ashish More, who has written to the Delhi chief secretary and lieutenant governor complaining against minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.

“It was, therefore, necessary to bring about the ordinance which would ensure transparency and accountability in transfer and posting of officers and also protect the upright ones,” Prasad said.

Replying to a query about scrapping of Rs 2000 currency notes, Prasad said “the RBI has put out a detailed communication clearly explaining how the use of these high denomination notes was dwindling. We would like to remind our Congress friends that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes used to be taken off circulation. “Hence they (Congress) must not call it notebandi,” he added.

He also remarked, “If these notes were in use for laundering money, scrapping these will hit such networks.” About the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet in Karnataka, which was attended by various non-Congress leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP leader said “the chief ministers of Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana have chosen to skip the event. It is clear that opposition unity is a pipe dream”.

He also scoffed at Kumar’s slip of tongue earlier in the week when he had addressed one of his principal secretaries as ‘Pradhan mantri ke pradhan sachiv’. “There is no bar on daydreaming. But, of course, there is no vacancy for the PM’s post in 2024,” Prasad said.