Ruling SP urges Centre to dismiss UP Governor Ram Naik

Lucknow/New Delhi, Jul 27: Governor Ram Naik's recent remark that a particular caste is ruling the roost in Uttar Pradesh administration in a fresh criticism of the state government today raised the hackles of the SP which demanded his dismissal for 'denigrating' the dignity of the post.

The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) also warned the Governor not to "overdo" criticism of the state government through his "disgraceful" statements failing which the party workers will take to the streets to oppose him.

"The situation has reached a stage when even addressing him as 'His Excellency' has become shameful," it said.

"We demand that the Governor should apologise publicly for his 'unwarranted' remarks and request the Centre to dismiss him for denigrating the post," SP General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav said in a hard-hitting statement released in Lucknow and Delhi.

The Akhilesh government is having a running battle with Naik for the last few months over his critical observation of the state administration.

Taking strong objection to Naik's regular "undignified and unwarranted" statements against the state government, particularly his recent observation about the "importance of a particular caste in UP administration", Yadav asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove him from Governor's post and instead make him BJP's chief ministerial candidate in UP Assembly polls in 2017.

The Governor's comment on castes show his "mental bankruptcy", he said.

Naik, who completed one year in office on July 22, had said he will take up with the state government complaints of mass recruitment of candidates from a particular caste.

"He regularly attends RSS functions and gives irresponsible statements," Yadav, the SP Rajya Sabha MP said. Seeking to contradict Naik's observation, the SP leader furnished data of Yadav caste people occupying senior posts in UP administration.

"On the contrary, Yadav caste people are occupying higher posts in negligible numbers," he said.

Giving an example, he said, "Out of 53 Chief Secretaries and 21 Secretaries, there is only one and two Yadav respectively. There are total 338 IPS posts out of which Yadav caste people are in 19 posts only."

He gave similar examples in other departments like PWD where the number of Yadavs are less. According to the data given by Yadav, of the total 28 posts of Director/Managing Director there are two Yadavs and out of 75 district magistrates there are 8 Yadavs.

Again, of the 25 Chief Development Officers there are only 6 Yadavs. Recently, senior Samajwadi Party Minister Azam Khan had charged Naik with converting Raj Bhawan into a BJP office, but the Governor trashed the allegation saying he ceased to be a member of that party the day he accepted the high post though he was still "an RSS man".

PTI