The divisional commissioner of Faizabad, Venkateshwar Lu, and District Magistrate of Sultanpur Sanjay Kumar were suspended for writing a goodwill message in the book — Sultanpur Kal Aur Aaj — where they also praised the author for compiling the facts and the book’s publication. Former chief development officer of the district Ishtdeo Prasad Rai and assistant director of state information department Pramod Kumar Singh have also been placed under suspension.

The book also praises the role of Rahul Gandhi, MP from Amethi for carrying out developmental work in Sultanpur district, in which three Assembly segments of his parliamentary constituency fall.

The book was published in September 2007, and interestingly also carries a message byMohd Tahir Khan, BSP MP from Sultanpur.

Srikant Srivastava, who is the regional field publicity officer of the Sultanpur district, has written the book. The publicity division is the unit of Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting.

The publication of such book is an annual affair in each district of the state and it carries a brief history of the district. The book mentions places of interest in the district, besides the political history and present elected representatives of the district. Only few thousand copies of books are published and its circulation is restricted only among the officers and the media. In Sultanpur district only 2,000 copies of the book were published.

An official spokesman of the state government said: “The book glorifies one particular political party for the development of the district and the book ignores the achievements of the present government for the development of the district.”