Survivor Gupta flexes his muscles

Survivor Gupta flexes his muscles
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

LUCKNOW, JULY 9: Celebrating another lease of life as UP chief minister, Ram Prakash Gupta effected a major administrative reshuffle amid allegations that it was aimed at influencing the election of district panchayat chiefs.

Of the 38 IAS officers transferred, 21 are District Magistrates (DMs). An equal number of IPS officers have also been transferred.

Director Information Mahesh Kumar Gupta was shunted out apparently due to his failure in checking adverse media reports on the chief minister. Gupta has been replaced by Umesh Sinha.

The administrative reshuffle was not unexpected but the timing -- just before the elections of district panchayat chiefs -- was. A favourable DM may be useful in swaying the newly-elected village, area and district panchayat members who would vote for their respective chiefs in a fortnight, feel opposition leaders.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has criticised the reshuffle as it took place just before the notification for the election of the chairmen of the zila panchayats is to be issued. The SP has alleged that the transfers were political in nature.

State party unit chief Ram Sharan Das and leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Parishad Ahmad Hasan told newspersons here that the ruling BJP feared that the District Magistrates transferred today would work impartially, instead of supporting its interests. The party alleged that only honest officials had been shunted out.