Headlines
Modi centralising power, anti-democratic: Congress
New Delhi, Aug 31
The Congress on Monday
accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of centralising power and
anti-democratic functioning, three days after 16 secretaries were
removed without "consulting any minister".
Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told the media that the ministers got to know about the replacements from the media.
Sharma's
remarks came on a day when an official notification said that Home
Secretary L.C. Goyal sought voluntary retirement citing personal reasons
and this was accepted by the prime minister.
"One after another,
secretaries with fixed tenures are being removed. The home secretary
was removed (though) his tenure was to finish on February 4, 2017," the
Congress leader said.
The government appointed Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi as the new union home secretary on Monday.
Sharma
said: "This is not a democratic way of running the government. It is
worrisome. The prime minister's mentality is not democratic at all."
The
Congress leader said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
had only the home minister and the prime minister as members, and "he
(home minister) is also informed only after the appointments have been
approved by the prime minister.
"The complete concentration of decision making and undermining the authority of the cabinet is complete," Sharma said.
"We can understand the agony of the cabinet ministers that they get to know of the appointments through the media.
"All
three top secretaries are supposed to work without any pressure. There
is complete uncertainty and fear in the minds of the officials," he
said.
On Modi's decision not to re-promulgate the land
acquisition ordinance, Sharma said the real face of the government had
come out, and it was "anti-farmer and anti-poor".
On the
reservation stir led by Hardik Patel in Gujarat, Sharma said: "It shows
that the Gujarat model of development has exploded as it was not
inclusive."