‘There is a clear fascist onslaught’, says Sasikanth Senthil who quit IAS
This interview was first published in Hindustantimes.com
A day after he resigned, S Sasikanth Senthil, a 2009 batch IAS officer who was working as the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, told HT that matters reached a crescendo with the abrogation of Article 370 and he had to quit the service to speak up about it. Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Why exactly did you resign?
A. I had mentioned that in my note that what is happening in the national scenario pushed me to get out of the services. It is not related to the state, just the overall framework of politics which is being pushed on the nation that is very troublesome for me. I feel this reached a crescendo when it came to the abrogation of Article 370.
Q. Were such feelings building up in you?
A. Yes it has been building up for a long time because I for one had some experience at the grassroots level coming into the services. I have always been tracking political agendas and moves and in my opinion this is a very clear fascist onslaught. People have become hyper nationalist. People can’t encourage intellectual debate. I cannot sit in the bureaucracy and observe these things. If I have to do something about it, I have to come out from service, which is why I resigned.
Q. Then why did you say your decision was personal?
A. The government is doing what it has to do, what it feels is appropriate. My problem is that this does not match my understanding and ideas of the spirit in which we have built this country. My personal values, the way I have understood the Constitution, is not in sync with what is happening right now. It may be lawful to do these things, but there is a preamble to the Constitution which highlights the intentions and the building blocks of the Constitution. When I see it from that perspective and the ideas I have don’t match with what is happening then it becomes a personal reason. Now whether my ideas are right is something that needs to be debated. When my ideas don’t match I have only two options before me, I have to either change my ideas or change my work. So, I left the job.
Q. Is this in anticipation of a plunge into electoral politics?
A. The point is, I feel strongly that I had to come out and my conscience is not in sync with what is happening. It is for the country to decide whether it is right or wrong, but I am very clear what is happening.
Q. What next then?
A. Obviously I will try to engage with various groups and people. I’m sure in this fascist framework one of the major agendas will be to quash any intellectual debate and institutions. History has proven this many times, it’s not new either.
Q. Shah Faesal also resigned from the IAS and went on to form a political party. Are you thinking along these lines?
A. I’m not bent on leadership as of now. I’m only trying to push my understanding and show what is happening to the people. I’m sure a lot of people are not able to spot it. They think it is a nationalistic viewpoint... If you are asking about electoral politics then, no.
Q. Since your resignation letter didn’t spell out your stand there was speculation that this was because of issues within the bureaucracy, like pay increase, slow pace of development, or was it just Article 370...?
A. It is not only Article 370, I don’t want to trivialise the issue. But it has reached a crescendo. It is horrible to see. We have anticipatory powers in the district [administration]. If we use Section 144 [of the CrPC] to prohibit certain things, we feel very anxious about how long we can curtail the fundamental rights of people even if it is used for 12 hours. Now, 30 days of no communication and nothing... imagine if we are put in that situation... In this framework institutions will be weakened and people who talk will be threatened. I am not saying this is just about Kashmir.
Secondly, about the service-related issues, I have already said that I was treated like a king. I have worked under three governments and in three districts. Never did I feel that my government was pushing me to do something that I didn’t want to do. And I didn’t leave service on things like remuneration, I think it has gone beyond such things. In fact, I feel whatever we are being paid is much more than what we actually deserve.
This interview was first published by Hindustantimes.com
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Nitish likely to file nominations for Rajya Sabha polls
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on Thursday, according to JD(U) leaders.
Kumar may file his nomination papers at the state assembly around 11 am, they said.
BJP president Nitin Nabin will also file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the time of filing of the nomination papers.
State minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary had confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar was considering entering the Rajya Sabha, which would bring to an end his tenure as the longest-serving chief minister of the state.
With Kumar likely to step down after leading the ruling NDA to a landslide victory in the 2025 assembly elections, a BJP leader is expected to take over the top post.
If that happens, Bihar will get its first BJP chief minister -- the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not held the office so far.
However, an official announcement regarding Kumar's entry into the Upper House of Parliament is yet to be made.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar will go to the polls on March 16.
The elections will be held as the tenures of JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RJD's Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, and RLM's Upendra Kushwaha are ending.
As per the latest tally in the state legislature, all five seats would now go to the ruling NDA.
Before filing his nomination papers, the BJP president will visit the revered Mahavir Temple here and offer prayers.
