After Khemka, another IAS officer pays for honesty in Haryana

The Bhupinder Singh Hooda government has landed into yet another controversy. After whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who accused the Haryana Government for victimising him for exposing Robert Vadra's dubious land deals in the state, another IAS officer from the state has accused the state chief secretary of threatening him.

A day after the Hooda government hurriedly inducted members of various Commissions and statutory bodies, Pradeep Kasni - State's Secretary, Administrative Reforms - had raised objections and alleged that the government did not follow due procedures in doing so.

Hooda Government's yet another controversial move:

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday hurriedly administrated the oath of office to two information commissioners and three commissioners of the Right to Service Commission despite the fact that they had not been given appointment letters by Kasni.

SC Chaudhary allegedly dared Kasni to “show the messages to media”

What raises suspicion over the entire development is that why was the government in a hurry in appointing the commissioners? And why was the oath taking done at CM's residence just a couple of hours after new Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki took charge?

The oath for constitutional posts, especially to the state information commission, used to be administered by the governor.

Kasni's charge:

The IAS officer had informed the Chief Secretary SC Chaudhary that swearing-in ceremony of officers could not be held as appointment formalities were incomplete. Kasni, thus, refused to back Chief Minister Hooda's decision to go ahead with controversial appointments of five people to constitutional posts.

But hours after his refusal, Kasni alleged that SC Chaudhary texted and dared him to "show the messages to media".

"Good night... please enjoy your new status of being a celebrity... But agar apni maa ka doodh piya h to mere saare msg press ko dikha dena (If you are a man, I dare you to show my messages to the press)," read the SMS.

Talking to a news agency, Kasni further alleged that the messages sent by the Haryana Chief Secretary threatened him to worry about his time left in office.

Even Hooda's Minister is crying foul:

What makes the matter graver is the sudden revolt within the Haryana Government over the same. Saying the leadership has "failed" to learn lessons from the Lok Sabha poll debacle, Haryana Power Minister Ajay Yadav resigned today.

Yadav, the 55-year-old six-time Congress MLA from Rewari, too alleged bias in matter of development, recruitment and flayed the controversial induction of members of various Commissions and statutory bodies and "domination" of the bureaucracy.

Opposing the induction of two members to State Information Commission and three to Right to Service Commission he said only bureaucrats have been inducted as members.

"Didn't they (Government) see any politician or other persons? If the posts had been given to party cadres it would have been better," he said.

Raising questions over Hooda Government's style of functioning Yadav claimed that development and other activities in the state had been confined to a couple of districts.

It seems Hooda Government is simply digging its own grave ahead of State polls. Fresh revelations like these will definitely hurt Congress government's chances of coming back to power in Haryana as the state is just a few months away from assembly elections. The party had suffered a severe rout in the Lok Sabha polls at BJP's hands due to allegations of rampant corruption. Such exposes will further push the Congress leadership in the state on the backfoot.