A group of retired on Thursday sent a letter to the Election Commission of India requesting to take action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and begin the process of revoking the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) recognition for allegedly breaking the code of conduct by luring employees to work for his party in Gujarat.
According to M. Madan Gopal, a former additional chief secretary for Karanataka, the AAP violated section 1A of the election symbols (reservation and allotment) order in a letter to the election commission.
He said, “Whatever he (Kejriwal) spoke in Rajkot during a press conference was very wrong. We who believe in the Constitution are disturbed. Such an unbalanced and controversial statement, that too from a chief minister of a state (is not expected).”
“Canvassing is his right before elections. His appeal to drivers and conductors of public transport corporations and police personnel to work for a particular party is very wrong. Public servants are not supposed to canvass for a political party. We have a code of conduct and our allegiance is to the Constitution of India. This precedence is not good for democratic processes,” said the former bureaucrat.
Gopal claimed that Arvind Kejriwal had experience in governance and was well-versed in the “Dos and Don’ts.” Speaking carelessly in a news conference, he claimed, was extremely improper because he was a former government officer.
Gopal argued that it is not healthy for political parties to act irresponsibly while canvassing.
“This is not good for public servants. We retired bureaucrats made a complaint seeking a model of conduct,” he said.
“Those officers who firmly believe in the rule of law and provisions of the Constitution of India, we appealed to the Election Commission against the violation of rules by political parties. The Election Commission should give notice and take strict action against these political parties before it becomes a trend,” he added.
In a letter to the Election Commission on Thursday, 56 retired bureaucrats demanded that Arvind Kejriwal should be penalised for pressuring public employees to join the AAP on September 3 during a news conference in Gujarat.
The letter is signed by former officers from the IAS, IFS, and other services.
The letter demanded de-recognition of the AAP and asserted that Kejriwal’s remarks violated Order 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.