INLD objects to ex-IAS officer’s appointment

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

Haryana’s main opposition party, INLD, today strongly objected to the appointment of Rajiv Sharma as the State Election Commissioner two days ago on the ground that the retired IAS officer had joined a political party and “publicly acknowledged his political affiliations”.

“It tantamounts to making a political appointment to a constitutional post,” Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Abhay Chautala alleged.

The INLD added that Sharma’s appointment by the first BJP Government was “against all established principles and traditions.”

In a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today, Abhay Chautala stated that “it was with great concern and shock that the INLD and the people of Haryana came to know that Rajiv Sharma, a retired IAS officer, has been appointed State Election Commissioner (SEC)”.

“By making this appointment, the government has put a question mark on the impartiality and fairness in the functioning of the office of the SEC since the said gentleman had after retirement from civil service opted to choose his democratic right of joining a political party (BJP last year).

By thus making a choice, Rajeev Sharma had declared his partisan role in public life from that point onward...,” Abhay Chautala wrote.

The INLD MLA also drew the CM’s attention to Article 243K of the Constitution of India “to point out that since it makes the office of the SEC a constitutional post, therefore appointing a person who has publicly acknowledged his political affiliations tantamount to making a political appointment to a constitutional post”.

“This is not only unethical and unheard of in Indian history but also a blatant attempt to influence the forthcoming elections to local bodies (which are due in Haryana shortly),” he mentioned and added “the INLD feels outraged over such an appointment having been made”.

Abhay Chautala also pointed out that the state government “has seriously erred in making this appointment without even consulting the Leader of the Opposition (Abhay Chautala). I sincerely hope that this is an inadvertent slip which will be gracefully corrected by withdrawing the order of appointment before oath is administered.