New Delhi:
Despite a national uproar over the suspension of IAS officer Durga Nagpal Shakti, the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh continued its rant against her today. The decision to remove her from her office in Noida is "final and correct," said Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief of the ruling Samajwadi Party.
His son, Akhilesh Yadav, who is the Chief Minister, said "any officer who errs has to be punished." And uncle Ram Gopal Yadav warned, "If the Centre wants to intervene, let it remove all IAS officers from the state. We will run the state with our own officers."
Ms Nagpal is being investigated for allegedly endangering communal harmony by ordering the demolition of a wall for a mosque being built in Noida, just across the border from Delhi. But the 28-year-old's supporters say she is being persecuted for taking on the politically-connected sand mining mafia in Uttar Pradesh. (Read: After chargesheet, land-grabbing charges suggest vendetta)
On Saturday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in support of Ms Nagpal. At Parliament today, he said, "There are rules laid down and the rules will be followed. We are in touch with the state government to get the details of the case."
Akhilesh Yadav professed that his government should be praised for freeing bureaucrats from what he described as the tyranny of his predecessor, Mayawati. "In her time, IAS officers used to remove their shoes before meeting her," he said, "today, they move freely." (Watch)
His son, Akhilesh Yadav, who is the Chief Minister, said "any officer who errs has to be punished." And uncle Ram Gopal Yadav warned, "If the Centre wants to intervene, let it remove all IAS officers from the state. We will run the state with our own officers."
Ms Nagpal is being investigated for allegedly endangering communal harmony by ordering the demolition of a wall for a mosque being built in Noida, just across the border from Delhi. But the 28-year-old's supporters say she is being persecuted for taking on the politically-connected sand mining mafia in Uttar Pradesh. (Read: After chargesheet, land-grabbing charges suggest vendetta)
On Saturday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in support of Ms Nagpal. At Parliament today, he said, "There are rules laid down and the rules will be followed. We are in touch with the state government to get the details of the case."
Akhilesh Yadav professed that his government should be praised for freeing bureaucrats from what he described as the tyranny of his predecessor, Mayawati. "In her time, IAS officers used to remove their shoes before meeting her," he said, "today, they move freely." (Watch)
After three letters from the Centre, Mr Yadav's government finally shared a report on the case, in which it says that though Ms Nagpal was not present when the wall of the under-construction mosque was removed, local police and intelligence officials believe that her actions could have provoked a riot.
For the Centre, the controversy is a challenging one. The Samajwadi Party's 22 Lok Sabha MPs are crucial for ensuring that the minority government is able to clear important legislation in the new session of parliament that began today.
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