Describing the alleged misbehaviour of Congress leader and MLA, K. Shivamurthy Naik, as the first such experience in his 21-year career, senior IAS officer Rajender Kumar Kataria on Wednesday said the State government had assured full support to him.
On Tuesday, Mr. Kataria, Secretary, Commerce and Industries (MSME and Mines), had accused Mr. Naik of verbally abusing him and physically preventing him from working on a case related to his [MLA] son that is pending with the Department of Mines and Geology.
“I met the Chief Secretary and later received a call from the Chief Minister. He assured me that the State government was in full support of my position and that he had spoken to the MLA and had warned him that next time he tries something like this, an FIR would be filed, and action would be taken. It is important to create a conducive environment for officers to carry out the work of the government,” said Mr. Kataria.
Mr. Naik’s “intolerance” has not gone down well with both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues. They have advised the MLA not to adopt pressure tactics to get work done. Mr. Siddaramaiah not only advised Mr. Naik to act in a disciplined manner, without putting pressure on the officials, he also urged the IAS officer to follow the rule book while clearing files.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said it was not good for civil servants to delay work as elected representatives have to answer the electorate. On the other hand, MLAs have to get work done within the legal framework. Using political clout and creating fear in the minds of IAS officers would not do, he said.
In February, Mr. Naik allegedly abused and tried to assault the then Principal Secretary to the Primary and Secondary Education Department, Ajay Seth, demanding a report favouring educational institutions run by a society of which he is the chairman.
In a confidential letter to the Chief Secretary, Mr. Ajay Seth explained, “The MLA, who is also chairman of the legislature committee on SC/ST welfare, used abusive language and threatened me with dire consequences if I did not do favours for some institutes run by a society of which he is the chairman.
In 2016, IAS officer Harsh Gupta was ‘abused’ by then primary and secondary education minister Kimmane Rathnakar in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha. The former Minister allegedly abused Mr. Gupta for the mess in Mysore Paper Mills Ltd. (MPML), including lay-offs.
In another case in 2016, former Dy.SP of Kudligi in Ballari, Anupama Shenoy, resigned from service, for alleged harassment and transfer by the then Minister Parameshwar Naik. Ms. Shenoy was at loggerheads with Mr. Naik, and was transferred after she put his call on hold as she was speaking to a senior officer.
