Officers can’t work when the very foundations of the country are shaking: IAS officer Senthil
Mangaluru: In a surprise move, Sasikanth Senthil Senior IAS officer and Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Dakshina Kannada District announced his resignation on Friday, to his post in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) citing personal reasons.
"I have taken this decision as I feel that it is unethical for me to continue as a civil servant in the government when the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner. I also feel strongly that the coming days will present extremely difficult challenges to the basic fabric of our nation" Senthil has stated in his Resignation letter.
Speaking exclusively to Vartha Bharati over telephone, Senthil explained the reasons behind his decision and also spoke about his future plans.
Excerpts:
What is the reason behind this sudden and surprising move?
As I have clearly stated in my Resignation letter, I have rendered my my resignation due to personal reasons. It is in no way connected to any person or any particular event in my current profile as the Deputy Commissioner of the Dakshina Kannada District.
In your letter, you have said, "the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner". Will you Please elaborate?
As a citizen of this Country I have my own concepts and perceptions about the Country and the society. That is my observation as a citizen of this country. Today, I feel all these perceptions of mine are being questioned. My conscience does not permit me to work under such circumstances.
A lot of people feel that the State needs the services of officers of your kind.
There are many other good officers in the State. If I resign and go, other good officers will come here and will serve the people.
Do you think it is right for an officer like you to take such a sudden decision?
When the very foundations of the country are shaking how do you expect any officer to function smoothly? Today the very idea of
our country is under threat. This has nothing to do about the Dakshina Kannada District or our State. I have absolutely no problem with people of this District or about the State Politics. I have received very good support here.
Do you plan to enter politics now?
I don’t have any such plans at the moment. I am yet to determine a future role for myself. However, please rest assured that I intend to remain active in public life. Very soon, I will address the media about it.
READ ALSO: Dakshina Kannada DC Sasikanth Senthil resigns from IAS
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
