SP seeks removal of 4 bureaucrats

Lucknow: Accusing that four senior bureaucrats were functioning as ‘dedicated workers’ of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party has written to the Election Commission to remove them from their post with immediate effect to ensure free and fair polls in Uttar Pradesh. The list includes the names of additional chief secretary (ACS), Home, Awanish K

Awasthi

, ACS, information,

Navneet Sehgal

, additional director general (ADG) law and order (LO) Prashant Kumar and ADG Amitabh Yash.In a letter written to the EC on January 8, SP national secretary

Rajendra Chaudhary

stated that four officers were functioning as workers of the ruling BJP and free and fair polls were not possible in UP unless the four officers were removed from their posts immediately. “They are functioning like BJP workers and with them posted on such important chairs, one cannot expect free and fair elections,”

Chaudhary

told TOI.He said the party would wait for a response from the EC and if the complaint is left unheard then the leadership will take a call on the next move. “One thing is sure, with them on the posts, free and fair elections will only be on paper. The complaint comes close on the heels of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav repeatedly pointing fingers at the Home and the police department for targeting SP workers and leaders and recent accusations that the information department was misusing public funds not to publicize development projects but to fulfill political interests of JP.Earlier, a Congress delegation that met the ECI team last month, had also demanded the removal of Awasthi.