Teacher Arrested Over Transfer; What RTI Reveals On Chief Minister's Wife
NEW DELHI: A teacher who asked for a transfer to Dehradun after 25 years to be with her children was turned away by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat, suspended and even arrested on charges of shouting and misbehaving at a public meeting. Turns out, Mr Rawat's wife, also a teacher, managed a transfer from a tough region within four years and has been in Dehradun without a shift for 22 years.
An RTI or Right to Information query has revealed that Sunita Rawat started working at a primary school in Paudi Gadhwal in 1992. In 1996, she was transferred to Dehradun and has since never been transferred, even after a promotion in 2008.
Uttara Bahuguna, the 57-year-old teacher who paid heavily for her argument with the Chief Minister at his public interaction on Thursday, has been working at a school in Uttarkashi for 25 years and is desperate to shift to Dehradun to be with her children after her husband's death.
But an official said she can't get an out-of-turn transfer.
"More than 58 people are posted in remote areas for longer duration than her. Her number is only 59th. The transfer is done only turn-wise," said Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh, School Education Secretary of the state.
Ms Bahuguna had met with the Chief Minister once before. Yesterday, she told him after so many years at what she felt was a remote outpost, she wanted to live with her children. "I don't want my children to be orphans in Dehradun. My situation is such that I can't leave my children or the job," she told him.
The back-and-forth grew heated as Ms Bahuguna insisted that the Chief Minister give her justice.
"I never signed up for exile all my life," Ms Bahuguna said. Annoyed, the Chief Minister asked her to "mind her language" and then shouted, "Suspend karo ise abhi (Suspend her immediately). Arrest her."
In a video clip, the teacher is seen screaming at the Chief Minister and shouting "thief, cheats" as she is led out of the meeting.
Uttara Bahuguna was arrested on charges of "disrupting an important gathering". She was let off in the evening.
"I lost my husband in 2015 and my children stay here (Dehradun). I can't leave my children here," Ms Bahuguna said today, breaking down.
"You can see in the video. He got angry when I demanded justice. I feel helpless. Is this what I get for working honestly and diligently for years? So I called them thieves. I will tell the truth even if god comes before me.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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Kharge has put 'full stop' to leadership speculation in Karnataka: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge has put a "full stop" on the issue of leadership change in the state.
Kharge's statement has a lot of significance and there ends the matter for now. Everyone in the party should respect and accept this, he said.
Parameshwara was referring to Kharge's statement on Thursday that there was no chief minister change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
Kharge's statement came amid speculation within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
"Mallikarjun Kharge is our party's national president. He has a lot of experience. Several people, including me, have said that in the case of change (in leadership), if he (Kharge) comes (as CM), no one could speak in front of his experience and everyone would accept it. While replying to it, Kharge said that there is a chief minister now, and there is no question of change as of now," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I welcome his (Kharge) statement because I feel he has expressed his opinion after a discussion involving him, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (both AICC general secretaries). I may be right or wrong. I feel that his statement has a lot of significance. So that matter ends there for now."
Responding to a question on repeated statements by several party leaders regarding leadership change, the home minister said, what the AICC chief has said on the matter is final. It should be respected and accepted by all in the party. There is no meaning in interpreting it further.
"I cannot respond to what others say, but I can say my opinion. In my opinion, the AICC chief is the supreme authority in the party. He, along with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, are our high command. If the high command has said something, we should both respect and accept it. There ends the matter," he said.
Kharge has put a "full stop" on the issue, he further said, adding that, "When he has said there is no change. It is a full stop."
Responding to a question on Parameshwara's recent statement about Kharge becoming chief minister, the AICC chief on Thursday said, "You (media), he (Parameshwara), and people at the top say that it is better if I become CM. But more than fate, as per my ideology and my service to the party so far, Sonia Gandhi makes decisions regarding me."
He had further said, "But that question does not arise now. There is already a CM here. If Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and I together have to take any decision in that direction, it will take some time. Let's wait and see."
Kharge on Friday too said no date has been fixed yet to discuss a possible leadership change in Karnataka.
Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in line with a reported power-sharing agreement with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections. Some have even claimed that "sweet news" is expected by May 15, which is Shivakumar's birthday.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by a reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
