Kohima: The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has strongly criticised the ruling NDPP-BJP coalition government in Nagaland over alleged attempts to induct individuals into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) through what it terms as “backdoor entry.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, the RPP appealed to the government to “at least spare the IAS” from such practices, accusing it of bypassing established rules and procedures.
“An ex-cadre means a temporary/arbitrarily appointed employee of the state government as differentiated from cadre posts/employees who have been appointed through normal routes such as NPSC, etc. An ex-cadre is also necessarily a backdoor appointee in many cases, and therefore the issue raised by CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, and NF&ASA is very serious,” the political party said.
The party also referred to a precedent allegedly set by the same government several years ago, wherein an officer was reportedly inducted into the IAS through non-standard procedures.
“At that time, no hue and cry was raised largely because the general public was unaware, and secondly because of the then oppositionless government which was in power,” the RPP claimed.
With the issue now in the public domain, the RPP has called on the four staff associations namely CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, and NF&ASA, to disclose the name of the current IAS candidate in question.
The party asked whether the candidate is indeed a backdoor appointee in terms of their original entry into service and implied the candidate is being “particularly favoured by the political establishment.”
Terming the latest controversy as “a prime example of how manipulative an oppositionless government can be,” the RPP alleged that the ruling coalition had hoped to push forward its “insidious agenda” unnoticed.
However, it welcomed the firm opposition from the staff associations, calling it a “step in the right direction.”
“The RPP will continue to extend its support to CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, and NF&ASA, and ensure that unqualified and undeserving candidates do not pollute the system,” it added.
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